Book Review: Antiagon Fire (Imager Portfolio #7) by L. E. Modesitt Jr.
(Three Stars)
“The worst acts are often justified by the best of reasons.”
Another rousing tale on the imager world. Much repetition of action and angst from previous stories.
“What else can we do but accept what we cannot change?”
Laced with aphorisms which give the tome a sense of wisdom. Many are restatements of well-known adages. Book of Rholan is a boring, intrusive injection of sermonizing.
“What is force? What’s the difference between persuasion and force?” “You know very well, dearest. So does every woman.” “There sometimes is a narrow line….” “Only men think it’s narrow.”
The preceding is perhaps the best dialogue between the primary protagonist couple. Not sure what effect Modesitt seeks, but it comes off as false.
“Justice is what men do, while law is what codes and powers require them to do, and that is invariably less than what they should do or what the Nameless requires of them.”
Sadly, lots of clunky and on-the-nose passages. Gives readers the impression of being written fast and not edited enough. Example: “The subcommander caught sight of Quaeryt and rode straight to the dwelling, where he reined up, immediately dismounted, tied his horse to one of the hitching rings, and stepped up onto the porch.” Everything after “dwelling” is superfluous.
“[I] keep saying I’ve had to do what I’ve done, but sometimes I’m not very good at persuading my dreams to consider things that way.”
As a Matter of Fancy 