COLORS OF CHAOS

Doorstopper addition to Modesitt’s already huge fantasy series exploring the struggle between White Chaos magic and Black Order magic on a planet colonized by survivors of a spaceship crash. This entry’s a direct sequel to the saga’s most recent addition, The White Order (p. 539), which followed the boyhood of the future wizard Cerryl, and detailed his early adventures, revelations about his heritage, and his destiny to join the great and powerful magicians in the city Fairhaven. Readers will learn all about Cerryl’s subsequent career as a White Order wizard, although, chronologically, the actions take place at the same time as a much earlier volume, The Magic Engineer (1994). Should please the fans. It’s a pity, though, that the talented and versatile Modesitt didn’t choose to write something new.