The 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.

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 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

Beltur's prior experience as a war mage and a scout is critical. His abilities are key in their struggle against the invaders. The struggle does not leave the town of Haven unscathed.

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/.

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2 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews

Summary
Beltur, 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.

L.E.Modesitt delivers a swift moving fantasy epic in The Mage Fire War. The characters are well rounded and faced with difficult moral choices to defend the town they have been selected to govern. Worth reading. Guaranteed spell binder.

Another pleasant and enjoyable read in this long running series. If you enjoy slow, progressive story and character development or are a fan of this author and series you can't go wrong in reading this book. The formula and writing style are the same as all others in the series. Those new to Modesitt or his world of Recluce may find this book lacking as it builds on the ongoing story but those wanting to dive into a long running series that builds in each successive book yet each also can stand alone reading the multi book saga from the beginning could be very worthwhile.

Beltur, his consort, Jessyla, and friends Lhadoraak and Tulya with their daughter Taelya have traveled to the town of Haven as the new councilors appointed by Montgren's Duchess. They new that they had to restore law, deal with merchants and brigands, but they did not expect to face white mages upon their arrival. And they certainly did not expect that they would have to com up with a scheme to defuse an invasion by Hydlen when they took the job. But this is where they decided to make their stand and try to create a place that would be open to both black and white mages, a "fair haven" for all that could abide by the rules they would establish. A satisfying end to this arc of the Recluce saga and an interesting look at the birth of the city of Fairhaven.

I’ve been a pretty big L.E. Modesitt Jr fan ever since I stumbled across his books nearly 15 years ago now and I’m usually pretty up to date on his new releases so I was pretty surprised to receive a review copy of this book in the mail a few weeks ago. Part of my surprise is that the Recluce books have pretty much always been duologies or standalone books so I didn’t expect to see a third book featuring Beltur any time soon. The Mage-Fire War by L.E. Modesitt was everything I expected from a Recluce book — it was a fast-paced story full of action, adventure and political intrigue that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it.

I don’t think I’ve disliked a single one of Modesitt’s Recluce books but I was still a bit surprised by how much I enjoyed reading The Mage-Fire War and how quickly it has become one of my favorite books in the series. I think the Recluce books can be a bit repetitive at times and I was worried that since this was the third book in this set that it would be even worse than usual but I actually thought it stood apart from the rest of the series in that regard. Instead of focusing solely on either Order or Chaos we get to see both types of mages in this book and see how well they can work together for the greater good of their community. I think it helps that this book takes place so long before the founding of Recluce so we get to see Order and Chaos through the eyes of people who don’t see things quite as black and white as people in the later books seem to.

One of my favorite things about The Mage-Fire War is how the story revolves around the concept of hope. Beltur and his friends hope that they have finally found a place to call home where they won’t be persecuted and chased out. There is the hope that they can make their new home safe enough that other mages and people will think it’s a good place to come call home as well. This book also helped clear up some of the confusion I had in the previous two books on where this takes place in the worlds timeline. Thereare a few scenes in The Mage-Fire War that help pinpoint exactly when and where the story takes place and that hint at just what the city they are trying to protect becomes.

I think the one thing I’ve always enjoyed most about the Recluce books is how much they focusing on woodcrafting or smithing of some sort so I was a little bit disappointed that this aspect of the series didn’t really appear all that much in this book. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why, since when you’re at war you probably won’t have the time to worry about making something when you’re trying to save lives, but it was still fairly disappointing to me.

All in all though, I thought The Mage-Fire War was a great book and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a fun new book to read, though I would definitely suggest people read the previous two books first so there is no confusion. I’m also pretty excited to discover that there is going to be a follow up book to this trilogy of books set a decade or so after the events of The Mage-Fire War and follow a new protagonist. I’m really looking forward to seeing what becomes of everyone who survives this book!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Another great addition to the Saga of Recluse, and a fitting end to this story arc. As is usually the case with Modesitt, some of the content felt recycled - same themes, same principles, same character traits - BUT the world building makes up for that, as it always does.
I don't know that I will ever tire of reading Modesitt's works, and can't wait to see what comes next!

Awesome! Modesitt continues to link the past present and future of Recluse!

How is it that I have become absolutely gripped by Beltur and Jessyla's efforts to find a place for themselves in a world that turns against them? Maybe because we all want a sense of place in our own reality.
Continuing on from the 'Outcasts of Order', they and their companions have fled from Axalt to Montegren. They have been given sanctuary by the Duchess and under a new charter appointed as the Council for the disintegrating town of Haven. 'A part of Montgren that lies between Certis, Lydiar and a tiny piece of Hydlen.' It inconveniently lies in the pathway of the tyrant Duke of Hydlen's access to Lydiar.
Of course the mages are going to have to fight, cajole and threaten to keep Haven free. Everyone from brigands, sullen innkeepers, to imperious traders, and the Duke of Hydlen's invading forces is a challenge.
All of which was not that clear when the mages took the offer from Montgren's rulers. As Beltur ruefully says at one stage, he should have asked for more resources. It is difficult knowing what the right questions are when you don't know what you're facing. Some help is sent by the duchess but it's the mages who will bear the brunt.
Sympathetic captains, lowly troopers, and those townspeople who want more than to bear the continual attentions of bandits, and captured foreign armsmen help.
Again the idea of one action causing such a rippling effect that it changes the course of history is front and center.
I was glued to the actions and strategies that Beltur and his companions were forced to undertake. I appreciated Beltur's constant consideration of the best way forward.
The battles they are forced into by invading forces are horrific and take a toll on all.
I kept wondering about Haven becoming Fairhaven, and then recalled, circling back to the very first Recluse novel, 'The Magic of Recluse', when Lerris was besieged by apparitions as he rode through part of this area, and that in that time, this place was called Frven. That in turn winds back to the now and the vision from the Chaos Mage Beltur and his companions faced in the first battle with Hydlenese troops. The white Mage "had visions of a great city rising [in Haven] ... with a great shining tower, and that mages would make it great.”
In this novel we see the beginnings of that place and the dream Beltur and his companions have for Haven becoming, “Fairhaven. A fair haven for all, but especially for mages, black or white, and for healers, and others who will build and contribute, no matter where they come from."
So one of my questions is what happens in the future that Haven / Fairhaven became Frven? It looks like I must do some rereading!
I loved, loved, loved this novel. I look forward to more that must come because of Haven's development and for the answers to even more questions I have.
For a look at the maps of the Recluse Saga and to visually understand where stories have taken place and/or intersected with each other, I found a website showing the 'dynamically generated Magic of Recluce saga map' a real treat and a great trip down memory lane.
In June 2010 in answer to a question on his monthly question page Modesitt said this,
"In “real” life, urban myth and rumors grow from small grains of truth, and I’ve tried to allow that to occur in the Saga of Recluse as well."
This is just one of many simple statements from Modesitt from which larger ideas grow. That to me is part of the vital essence that imbues the Recluse Saga.
The beginnings of Haven under the guidance of the new Council is one such grain.
As an aside I keep thinking about the food. Pearapple I'm supposing is something like
Nashi Apples. Indeed there's swathes of interest about the food mentioned in Recluse novels, the request for a cookbook even! All grounding Recluse in a reality that diehard fans like me love!
Hopefully the food in Haven will become more palatable, and Beltur will develop a better yeast for their bread. They seem to be having some small success with their ale requirements.

A Macmillan-Tor/Forge ARC via NetGalley

This book follows the Outcasts of Order. Beltur and Jessyla have taken up residency in Haven by grace of the Duchess. They are expected to bring order (pun intended) to Haven, a lawless and seemingly ungovernable community.
Modesitt writes a great story. In this book he shows how determination and wit can overcome brawn and witlessness, impulsiveness and rancor. Beltur and company must find a way to overcome daunting odds to defeat the Duke’s troops and protect their community.

Modesitt spins a plausible tale while showing that karma really can bite you in the butt.

I am a Modesitt fan and I loved this book.