Colors of Chaos by L.E. Modesitt Jr.It’s rather perverse of me, but I am finding it much easier these days to read 3 star books rather than my usual four star fare. I've found myself becoming extra choosy as the pandemic progresses and have been setting aside books which I intellectually know are good books to be enjoyed when my patience and good humour have been restored. So now is the time to read the science fiction and fantasy that I like but don't love. It's like I can stick with them because my expectations are lower. Sorry, Mr. Modesitt. Nothing personal.
This novel covers the same ground as The Magic Engineer from the other side of the fence. That novel was written from Dorrin's POV, the engineer of the title. This one is from a white mage's POV, Cerryl, who we met in the last novel The White Order. Cerryl is a very typical fantasy hero: he's an orphan, he’s from a humble background, he has special talents that he doesn't broadcast to the world, he's stuck in a subordinate role, he aspires to be a good and fair person, he harbours doubts about those in charge, and he's a little thick about politics. Mind you, all of Modesitt's main characters are a bit dense, particularly regarding women and relationships. Cerryl is certainly not an exception to the rule.
I know that battle scenes are part of most fantasy books, but I did find my enthusiasm flagging as the battles stretched on and on. When that was finally finished and we got back to the regular plotting and planning, it was a relief. Cerryl is depicted as careful and cautious, but he would have been an excellent chess player.
Just as an aside, I was somewhat disappointed in the cover art. Darrell Sweet usually illustrates something with horses, which he obviously enjoys drawing. This cover is the White Tower, but I'd rather have more horses.
Book number 403 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.
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