James Brady (jbx1967)

I found Magician (the original hardcover) while browsing the shelves of the student union bookstore at Boise State, back in 86. I had $25 in trade credits and wanted a good book to read over the summer. Though I picked up more than one and carried around with me, I kept putting each down in favor of another. I spent a good two hours or more before noticing Magician. Something about the cover illustration attracted me. The medieval-stylized dragon. The simple title. I liked it. The heft felt just right. I read the flyleaf reviews. Yes. This was the one. It quickly became my favorite book. Thirty-six years later, it remains my favorite work of fiction. I've read it and its companion novels many times. I once finished it and immediately began it again. Even knowing the outcome doesn't lessen the adventure. I know the characters. They are as familiar to me as anyone I know in life. I've trekked with them through Mac Mordain Cadal, fought the Tsurani with them, hidden in the fog from the dark brotherhood, supped with dwarves, and spoken with dragons. I have danced at their wedding feasts. I have wept over their graves... Read it twice if you read it at all.