The Mage-Fire War

The Mage-Fire War

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  • Create Date：2021-01-01 13:34:47
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：L. E. Modesitt Jr.
  • ISBN：9781250207838
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Summary

L。 E。 Modesitt， Jr。， continues his bestselling Saga of Recluce with The Mage-Fire War， the third book in a story arc which began with The Mongrel Mage and Outcasts of Order。

A USA Today Bestseller！

Once again， prejudices against the use of chaos magic force Beltur and his companions to flee their refuge in Axalt。 The rulers of nearby Montgren have offered them sanctuary and the opportunity to become the Councilors of the run-down and disintegrating town of Haven。

Montegren lacks any mages—white or black—making this seem like the perfect opportunity to start again。

However， Beltur and the others must reinstitute law and order， rebuild parts of the town， deal with brigands—and thwart an invading army。

Saga of Recluce

#1 The Magic of Recluce / #2 The Towers of the Sunset / #3 The Order War / #4 The Magic Engineer / #5 The Death of Chaos / #6 Fall of Angels / #7 The Chaos Balance / #8 The White Order / #9 Colors of Chaos / #10 Magi’i of Cyador / #11 Scion of Cyador / #12 Wellspring of Chaos / #13 Ordermaster / #14 Natural Order Mage / #15 Mage-Guard of Hamor / #16 Arms-Commander / #17 Cyador’s Heirs / #18 Heritage of Cyador / #19 The Mongrel Mage / #20 Outcasts of Order / #21 The Mage-Fire War / #22 Fairhaven Rising （forthcoming）

Story Collection: Recluce Tales

Other Series by L。E。 Modesitt， Jr。

The Imager Portfolio

The Corean Chronicles

The Spellsong Cycle

The Ghost Books

The Ecolitan Matter

Editor Reviews

Praise for The Mage-Fire War

“Readers with a fondness for family sagas will appreciate the focus on day-to-day life”—Publishers Weekly

“Modesitt writes a great story。”—Azure Dwarf

“I don’t think I’ve disliked a single one of Modesitt’s Recluce books but I was still a bit surprised 。 。 。 how quickly [The Mage-Fire War] has become one of my favorite books in the series。”—The Arched Doorway

Praise for The Mongrel Mage

USA Today Bestseller

“No writer does it better。”—Kirkus

“Smart， thoughtful， and entertaining。”—Pat's Fantasy Hotlist

Praise for Outcasts of Order

“Through [Beltur's] travels you feel 。 。 。 the complexity of relationships， good and bad， that make up a life。”—Booklist

“And while most of his stories explore complex philosophical issues without pedantry or prejudice， this trilogy is doing so with particular thoroughness。 Always a pleasure to abide in Modesitt's universe， if only for a few hours or days。”—Kirkus

Praise for the Saga of Recluce series

“Modesitt has established himself with his Recluce series as one of the best 90s writers of fantasy。 The fantasies are characterized by a highly developed and consistent system of magic。” —Vector

“L。E。 Modesitt Jr。， never fails to deserve praise。” —Analog

From the Publisher

About the Author

L。 E。 MODESITT， JR。 is the author of more than seventy books—primarily science fiction and fantasy， including the long-running， bestselling Saga of Recluce， including The Mongrel Mage and Outcasts of Order， and Imager Portfolio， as well as a number of short stories。

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Reviews

，

Modesit consistently puts out strong narratives that keep the reader involved。

Melissa ，

This has been a fun world。 I'm kind of sad to leave it。 There is another book coming out February 2021。 Maybe。 This has been a fun world。 I'm kind of sad to leave it。 There is another book coming out February 2021。 Maybe。 。。。more

Michael Hanchett ，

The best of this series。 I read that he plans a 4 th book that takes place about 15 years later but without Beltur as the main character。 I think that would work well， you kind of feel a little unsatisfied because you don’t get to see Haven really become Fairyaven

adam Lincoln ，

Always excellent Every story is a master piece。 This author can make the most mundane actions interesting， I don’t know how he does it。

Felix Tran ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I enjoyed the book and how L。E。 Modesitt wrapped everything up。 Invested so much time in the 21 book series that it still feels fresh， for the world that we have come to love being part of。

Tess ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book is killing me。 I love the series but this particular book is so slow and seemingly repetitive that I had to force myself to continue。 Ugh。

Kevin Parsons ，

Great finish to a series。 Hope to see more。

Alex Myers ，

I am a huge fan of the series。 Always enjoy them。 Love the detail。 This one disappointed only in the lack of concern given to the dynamics between ruler and ruled。 The mages given control of the town showed little interest in the inhabitants。 Though they had better ideals， they lacked real empathy。 Wish they had been rounded out more。

Bob/Sally ，

he Saga of Recluce is an interesting series， told in small book arcs and self-contained novels， jumping back and forth through the timeline， with each story adding more depth and color to the world。 Books 19 through 21 form one such arc， centered around a mage by the name of Beltur。 They are an interesting read， but not one of L。E。 Modesitt Jr。’s better efforts。While the books do have their moments， I found them to be largely dry in both the telling and the details， sluggish in their pacing， and he Saga of Recluce is an interesting series， told in small book arcs and self-contained novels， jumping back and forth through the timeline， with each story adding more depth and color to the world。 Books 19 through 21 form one such arc， centered around a mage by the name of Beltur。 They are an interesting read， but not one of L。E。 Modesitt Jr。’s better efforts。While the books do have their moments， I found them to be largely dry in both the telling and the details， sluggish in their pacing， and repetitive in content。 I’m okay with a leisurely told story， so long as it does move forward， developing the characters and advancing the plot。 In The Mongrel Mage we spend the first 150 pages riding to a handful of identical villages， having the same conversations with the same stock characters， and watching as Beltur skulks around similar-looking walls， listening to similarly banal snippets of conversation。 In Outcasts of Order we spend 200 pages healing， smithing， marching， talking， and walking through snow。 In The Mage-Fire War we seem to keep reading in circles， with characters doing something in one chapter， talking about it in the next， and thinking about in the one that follows。It doesn’t help that Beltur is such a bland protagonist。 He does grow on you， but he’s too good， too nice， too even to be interesting。 It’s rare that we see any emotion from him other than casual concern for the social injustices of the world or mildly frustrated romantic longing for Jessyla。 Okay， so that last one is a bit unfair as his courtship of Jessyla is one of the high points of the trilogy （alongside Taelya）， and the books only really come alive when either of them step onto the page。Where the books do excel， and this is something Modesitt always does well， is in the more intellectual aspects。 There are puzzles and mysteries galore， medical and magical experimentation that further builds upon what we know of Order， Chaos， and the shades of grey in between。 There is a solid story behind all that， an intellectual journey that establishes Beltur’s place in history， and were the three books condensed into one， with all the repetition removed， there’s a strong novel to be found。Everything does end on a high note inThe Mage-Fire War （which was， otherwise， the weakest of the three books）， with the standoff in Haven， the establishment of Fairhaven， and the development of Taelya – who， despite my reservations about this arc， I’m eager to catch up with in Fairhaven Rising next year。https://femledfantasy。home。blog/2020/。。。 。。。more

Kurtbg ，

“I don’t think power and wealth make people mean。 I think power and wealth allow people to be what they are at heart。”

Carlos ，

The Saga ContinuesAnother excellent instalment in the saga of Recluse。 This is another historical prequel that continues the story of Belkur and the founding of Newhaven。

Ellen ，

Love the Recluse series I usually read paperbacks but couldn't wait till this one came out in paperback。 I got the hard cover version snd it was well worth it not having to wait Love the Recluse series I usually read paperbacks but couldn't wait till this one came out in paperback。 I got the hard cover version snd it was well worth it not having to wait 。。。more

John Purvis ，

Author L。 E。 Modesitt Jr （https://www。lemodesittjr。com） published the novel “The Mage-Fire War” in 2019。 Mr。 Modesitt has published 80 novels。 This is the 21st in his “Saga of Recluse” series。 I received an ARC of this novel through https://www。netgalley。com in return for a fair and honest review。 I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains Violence。 The story is set on a fantasy world。 The primary character is Black Mage Beltur。 Beltur and his wife， along with another mage and his family Author L。 E。 Modesitt Jr （https://www。lemodesittjr。com） published the novel “The Mage-Fire War” in 2019。 Mr。 Modesitt has published 80 novels。 This is the 21st in his “Saga of Recluse” series。 I received an ARC of this novel through https://www。netgalley。com in return for a fair and honest review。 I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains Violence。 The story is set on a fantasy world。 The primary character is Black Mage Beltur。 Beltur and his wife， along with another mage and his family have traveled to the country of Montgren。 The Duchess of Montgren offers them the position of Town Councilors of Haven。 Of course， they must bring it out of a state of decay。 Beltur and the Council face opposition from some of the townspeople。 They all soon find themselves under threat of invasion as well。 They must fight for their new home I enjoyed the 16 hours I spent reading this 538-page fantasy novel。 This is the fourth Modesitt novel I have read。 I enjoy this author’s work。 This is a continuation of the founding story of Freehaven。 I have read both of the other books （The Mongrel Mage and Outcasts of Order） in this subseries of Recluse。 I have enjoyed these three novels。 Modesitt weaves a good tale with rich characters。 I look forward to more of his work。 I like the chosen cover art。 I give this novel a 5 out of 5。Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis。wordpress。com/blog/。 。。。more

Maryam Wakili ，

Predictable。 Once you've read a few of the books in The Saga of Recluce series。 You pretty know how things are going to go down in the end， not that it isn't interesting。 In its own placid way it can be entertaining。 I will admit that towards the end there I couldn't wait for it to end。Modesitt is a very good writer his stories are impeccably well thought out and consistent but there are no curve balls。 Despite that I still prefer reading his works than tons of the inconsistent， horribly writte Predictable。 Once you've read a few of the books in The Saga of Recluce series。 You pretty know how things are going to go down in the end， not that it isn't interesting。 In its own placid way it can be entertaining。 I will admit that towards the end there I couldn't wait for it to end。Modesitt is a very good writer his stories are impeccably well thought out and consistent but there are no curve balls。 Despite that I still prefer reading his works than tons of the inconsistent， horribly written drivel that is being churned out （YA fantasy）Some new stuff did occur though。 （view spoiler）[Beltur and his consort's hair changes to silver due to them going past their limits， in addition the skin on his forehead and scalp turns permanently black。 I don't know why Modesitt decided to add these physical traits when no one in the previous 17 books that also went past their limits have shown these characteristics。 What do they represent apart from just looking different？（hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Stuart Macmartin ，

Odd to be reading about founding of Fairhaven。 Typical Recluse book。 Which means I really liked it， even if too much detail on food。

Mark Zodda ，

I really like Modesitt's writing and enjoyed this entry in the Saga of Recluse。 Like many of his books， it is character driven， but also mixes action with world-building。 While I find the action interesting， I find his character and world-building the most fascinating and hope that he continues with another volume on the founding of Fairhaven and how his characters have to grow and change。 I really like Modesitt's writing and enjoyed this entry in the Saga of Recluse。 Like many of his books， it is character driven， but also mixes action with world-building。 While I find the action interesting， I find his character and world-building the most fascinating and hope that he continues with another volume on the founding of Fairhaven and how his characters have to grow and change。 。。。more

Fredrick Danysh ，

When mage Beltur and healer Jessyla are offered an opportunity to live in and guide Haven they land smack dab in the middle of a war。 The two and their companions need to take on a vastly superior force with their few resources。 Modessitt has produced another excellent tale of Recluce。

Brad ，

Why do I keep reading these？ It’s the same story repackaged in the same three books。 The author has obviously just milking us for whatever he can at this point。 The characters are laughably one dimensional and the story reads like a middle schoolers story where they were told they had to have a minimum number of words。 They had to be more than a dozen times when we had to have a character retell a story that we just read。 It goes something like this。 Character A dis something with character B。 I Why do I keep reading these？ It’s the same story repackaged in the same three books。 The author has obviously just milking us for whatever he can at this point。 The characters are laughably one dimensional and the story reads like a middle schoolers story where they were told they had to have a minimum number of words。 They had to be more than a dozen times when we had to have a character retell a story that we just read。 It goes something like this。 Character A dis something with character B。 In the next chapter character A meets with character C and we have to sit through having her retell everything we just read a chapter ago。 I’ve read every oof the Recluce books but this may be my last。 。。。more

Sandy ，

And so another chapter in the ongoing saga of Recluse。 Beltur and Jessalya and friends have left Elperta seeking a new home where they will be welcome。 As usual war and strife follow them all the way to Haven。 As the book unfolds you finally see where this series is going and where in the timeline it fits。 I love delving into the worlds that LE Modesitt creates and Recluse and its world are the best of them all。 While this book spends a good part of its time inside Beltur's head and it is a migh And so another chapter in the ongoing saga of Recluse。 Beltur and Jessalya and friends have left Elperta seeking a new home where they will be welcome。 As usual war and strife follow them all the way to Haven。 As the book unfolds you finally see where this series is going and where in the timeline it fits。 I love delving into the worlds that LE Modesitt creates and Recluse and its world are the best of them all。 While this book spends a good part of its time inside Beltur's head and it is a might repetitive it closes the circle to a great degree。 It also begins to show the value of women more strongly in this book then in the past。 I like that a lot。 Imagine a place where Black and White can live together in harmony？ Looking forward to the next book in the cycle 。。。more

Andy Reed ，

Quite good standard Modesitt but worthwhile

Phil Matthews ，

OkayThis series is not up to previous standards。 This main characters have too much self doubt， self recriminations， and second guessing themselves。 This went on and on and on， especially when there is no other realistic options。

Zach ，

Exciting end to the Beltur saga。 These books have never been more exciting！

Dennis Hearon ，

Because I am a fan of this author's works， I gave the book 4 stars。 However， a 3 star rating would be equally justified。 To me， reading one of Modesitt's novels is like putting on a comfy old sweater on a cold evening。 However， if I read two or three of these books in a row， I might find them formulaic or even down right repetitive。 While I like that the author has returned to his best series， "Recluce"， I now prefer it when he comes up with a new world， as he did in the Imager Portfolio。 I also Because I am a fan of this author's works， I gave the book 4 stars。 However， a 3 star rating would be equally justified。 To me， reading one of Modesitt's novels is like putting on a comfy old sweater on a cold evening。 However， if I read two or three of these books in a row， I might find them formulaic or even down right repetitive。 While I like that the author has returned to his best series， "Recluce"， I now prefer it when he comes up with a new world， as he did in the Imager Portfolio。 I also miss it that he has not been producing any stand alone novels （apart from the execrable Solar Express）。 Oh well， I will take what I can get， as long as it isn't too often。 。。。more

James ，

This story arc starts with The Mongrel Mage， a decent book but if you haven't read the previous two books， you will find it confusing。 This story arc starts with The Mongrel Mage， a decent book but if you haven't read the previous two books， you will find it confusing。 。。。more

Daniel ，

the 21st book in the series but the 3rd book with this character， which is a first I believe， I didn't realize it until this book but this group in the series is about the foundation of Fairhaven。 So pretty cool。 This book has more action than your standard Recluse book and I'm not sold that that is a good thing but I still read it in one sitting so there is that。Modessitt needs to come out with a chronological list of his Recluse books so those who want to read them in the order they happen in the 21st book in the series but the 3rd book with this character， which is a first I believe， I didn't realize it until this book but this group in the series is about the foundation of Fairhaven。 So pretty cool。 This book has more action than your standard Recluse book and I'm not sold that that is a good thing but I still read it in one sitting so there is that。Modessitt needs to come out with a chronological list of his Recluse books so those who want to read them in the order they happen in the world can do that as opposed to publishing order。 。。。more

Stuart Schneider ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 What a great finish to the Beltur trilogy within this series。 Even though you could tell that the final solution in this one was going to be the death of the Duke， it’s the telling of the story that is everything in this one。 Modesitt makes it so easy to follow along with his prose style that it’s a pleasure and a treat every time one of his Recluce novels come out。 The substantive aspects of how his balanced world plays out in practice makes it so believable。 I am sure I have said similar comme What a great finish to the Beltur trilogy within this series。 Even though you could tell that the final solution in this one was going to be the death of the Duke， it’s the telling of the story that is everything in this one。 Modesitt makes it so easy to follow along with his prose style that it’s a pleasure and a treat every time one of his Recluce novels come out。 The substantive aspects of how his balanced world plays out in practice makes it so believable。 I am sure I have said similar comments in prior critiques in this series， but it bears repeating every time because his consistency is refreshing。 Certainly one of the great modern fantasy authors and I look forward to the next installment like I look forward to say Thanksgiving dinner or my birthday parties。 。。。more

Lupine Smile ，

Another good book in this series， but not as good as the first two。 The end seemed a little rushed and there wasn't as much plot or character development as I would have liked to see。 It is still well worth reading。 Another good book in this series， but not as good as the first two。 The end seemed a little rushed and there wasn't as much plot or character development as I would have liked to see。 It is still well worth reading。 。。。more

Metaphorosis ，

2 stars， Metaphorosis ReviewsSummaryBeltur， black mage and occasional healer， his wife， and friends， searching for a place they can live in peace， have agreed to be the councilors for Haven， a town on the edge of the duchy of Montgren。 But Montgren's neighbours want the town for themselves， and Beltur and crew have to fight multiple battles just to stay free。Review "A mage who's also a healer。 That's rare。""Yes。""And a healer who's also a mage。 I've never heard of that。"With those three lines， y 2 stars， Metaphorosis ReviewsSummaryBeltur， black mage and occasional healer， his wife， and friends， searching for a place they can live in peace， have agreed to be the councilors for Haven， a town on the edge of the duchy of Montgren。 But Montgren's neighbours want the town for themselves， and Beltur and crew have to fight multiple battles just to stay free。Review "A mage who's also a healer。 That's rare。""Yes。""And a healer who's also a mage。 I've never heard of that。"With those three lines， you've now read at least a dozen pages of The Mage Fire War。 It's an exchange that was repeated ad nauseam in the book before this， and is repeated many， many more times here。 Technically， one could argue that for every new character encountered in the book， this is new information。 But one element of good writing is presenting things in a way that's interesting to the reader。 Otherwise， what you have is a logbook。 We don't need a character to explain how many coppers in a silver every time they buy something; once is enough。 In this book and its predecessor， I found myself actually shouting at the page， "We got it。 Let it go！" Modesitt is a better author than this。And that， actually， is the explanation that finally came to me in the shower one morning: Modesitt is a better author than this; maybe this isn't Modesitt。 Now， I'm not one for conspiracy theories。 I don't really believe that someone else is ghost writing Modesitt's books。 But it's a pretty fair explanation of what's here - a tone much like Modesitt's usual， but without almost any of the storytelling skill we're used to。 Instead， it's endless， ad nauseam repetition of petty details。Maybe Modesitt is trying something out。 Maybe he thought that， for one sub-series， a day-by-day logbook of events would be interesting。 It's not， and it should have been obvious after （or before） one book。That's not to say there aren't interesting elements here; there are， and the sub-series itself contains a good story。 But between the last book and this one， there's material for maybe 2/3 of a book instead of this bloated， stultifying， indigestible mass。 That sounds harsh。 But this book really is dull - not because of concept or subject matter， but because it's just so darned repetitive。Maybe I made a mistake by reading the book over only a few weeks。 Maybe if I put it down for a month between chapters， each repetition of a basic concept would have felt fresh。 I don't think so。The long and the short of it is that this book is only for true Modesitt completists， and perhaps not even for them。Received gratis in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Benjamin ，

This one was a slog。 I didn't like the characters， something specific to this book and not the other two preceding it。 The story was trying to do too many things。 And it was too predictable。 Disappointing because I usually love his writing。 This one was a slog。 I didn't like the characters， something specific to this book and not the other two preceding it。 The story was trying to do too many things。 And it was too predictable。 Disappointing because I usually love his writing。 。。。more

Groucho42 ，

Directly follows Outcasts of Order and， as that book suggested， shows the beginnings of Fairhaven， the major city that's a major part of later stories。 It's Modesitt's typical job of mixing sword and sorcery with the basics of life in that world。 Even better， it doesn't have the repetitive feel of too many other of the book plots， though some of the internal battle seems to seem a bit repetitive。。 It's a good addition to the lore of Recluse。I will add， for zero value， that every time I read abou Directly follows Outcasts of Order and， as that book suggested， shows the beginnings of Fairhaven， the major city that's a major part of later stories。 It's Modesitt's typical job of mixing sword and sorcery with the basics of life in that world。 Even better， it doesn't have the repetitive feel of too many other of the book plots， though some of the internal battle seems to seem a bit repetitive。。 It's a good addition to the lore of Recluse。I will add， for zero value， that every time I read about Duke Massyngal I couldn't help but think "what a douche！" 。。。more

Barry Lippitt ，

Another great addition to the Recluce saga。 I think that Modisett's fantasy books and universe building are much more interesting than his sci-fi efforts， which are also good。 Another great addition to the Recluce saga。 I think that Modisett's fantasy books and universe building are much more interesting than his sci-fi efforts， which are also good。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Mage-Fire War

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Mage-Fire War&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Mage-Fire War&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0