"The Magician's Guild" by Trudi Canavan, first book in The Black Magician trilogy. I started reading her books only recently, starting with the prequel to this trilogy, "The Magician's Apprentice". Having read that first, it's making these books make a lot more sense in some ways, and makes them seem lacking in others.
For example, in this trilogy, the ability to make a small incision into someone's skin and taking their magical energies to increase your own is known as Black Magic and is greatly forbidden. In the prequel, it's seen as something commonplace and the apprentices give over their energies willingly.
Then again, it's set 500 years before this trilogy, so it's understandable how such practices have been lost over the ages.
The reason it's someone lacking is because I know all about said black magic, something that's supposed to be a mystery. It's like knowing how a story ends before you're even half way through it.
Still, can't complain. It's a good series if you like this style of fantasy/sci-fi.
Now I just wish that J.V. Jones would hurry the heck up and release the (hopefully final) book in her Sword of Shadows series >.<
For example, in this trilogy, the ability to make a small incision into someone's skin and taking their magical energies to increase your own is known as Black Magic and is greatly forbidden. In the prequel, it's seen as something commonplace and the apprentices give over their energies willingly.
Then again, it's set 500 years before this trilogy, so it's understandable how such practices have been lost over the ages.
The reason it's someone lacking is because I know all about said black magic, something that's supposed to be a mystery. It's like knowing how a story ends before you're even half way through it.
Still, can't complain. It's a good series if you like this style of fantasy/sci-fi.
Now I just wish that J.V. Jones would hurry the heck up and release the (hopefully final) book in her Sword of Shadows series >.<