Where I Find the Series Is Still on Solid Ground after Two Books

Imager's Challenge by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoy books by this author, in general. He writes in a very glib way, with a rolling plot that just keeps moving. I especially like the characters (here and elsewhere) and like to see them figure things out and attack problems with the help of allies.

I don't love his long descriptions of the inconsequential (what Rhenn did on almost every day from the start of the book to the end, or the menu of almost every meal in the story) or strange dialog (random meetings turning into long paragraphs of conversation about politics or philosophy). It pads a story that would be plenty long, but that's how he likes it, so that's what you get. If you want the story, you get the quirks.

I like the story, so I'll take the quirks.

Rhenn is a good character. He's a young man with a lot of nerve and imaging skill and a strong ethical sense. He's navigating a world where you can count on some people and not others, which he's figuring out, and he makes unlikely friends because he is fair and reliable. I like his girlfriend, Seliora, and her family a lot, too. They are a business family and members of an ethnic minority, people somewhat oppressed by the majority, and while Seliora and the others are very loving, they also have a very tough mentality that I admire. From the start, they embrace Rhenn in a do-anything-for-you kind of way, which included fighting behind the scenes for him, and become central to the plot. This dynamic between Rhenn and her family is my favorite part of the book.

Imager's Challenge is the second book in the series. The more the world-building gets taken care of, which is a big part of the first two books, the more the action comes to the fore, which I find more fun to read. So after I see to a few other books waiting on my TBR pile, I'm eager to get to book 3 and seeing how Rhenn is doing.

Book and series--recommended.

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