Badly needs an editor. I'm beginning to wonder if the first books in this series were as good as I remember?

Is it true, as is often said, that there are no new plots in literature? That every story we hear or read or imagine has appeared countless times before? Whether there is just one basic plot or seven or whatever number one can conjure up -- and the numbers do vary, despite one theory that there are only seven -- it can be argued that pretty much every narrative conforms to an ur-pattern. One might think that there is no need to create new tales when they already exist in one form or another.

Well, of course there are infinite reasons why we continue to invest in narratives, many of them explicable in psychological terms. It's maybe worth looking in detail at our need for novelty: if there are indeed no 'new' plots it's how we dress them up that creates originality, as when mannequins are arrayed in different clothes and accessories. In any given narrative it's the combination of elements, often reminiscent of other narratives, that gives it distinction, and this is certainly true for Robert Silverberg's Sorcerers of Majipoor.

So, at times we are reminded of The Three Musketeers with D'Artagnan, Athos, Aramis and Porthos prefiguring the characters of Prestimion and his coterie of friends involved in court intrigue. Then there are echoes of Robin Hood's story -- his proficiency with a bow, his band of merry men, wrongs to be righted, a monarch to be reinstated. While Robin Hood is fictional, the real life Battle of Hastings furnishes another set of influences for a decisive victory, from the disastrous breaking of ranks in the English shield wall to the arrows that hail down from above. Nor must we forget the darkness at noon that Haggard made a pivotal point in King Solomon's Mines, the Delphic oracle that Croesus of Lydia relied on before attacking Persia (only to find that the 'great empire' to be destroyed was his own), the echoes of Lady Macbeth in the machinations of one character and hints of France's various éminences grises in another.

I am certain that Silverberg was being quite deliberate in his choice of these parallels from literature and history rather than any unconscious borrowing. Neither instance though detracts from the scope of his epic offering: Prestimion's attempt to regain the throne of Majipoor after Korsibar -- despite Prestimion's position as heir apparent -- blatantly usurps the title of Lord Coronal. Does Prestimion succeed despite his many setbacks? Do the outcomes pan out as the reader is led to expect they will? Will there be a happy ending, albeit at great human cost, or will this this turn out to be the tragedy we're led to expect from Greek and Renaissance drama?

What makes this title different from historical novels centred on court intrigue, conspiracies and counterplots is that it's also science fantasy. Set on the giant planet of Majipoor many millennia hence, Sorcerers of Majipoor is, as its title suggests, predicated on magic -- its existence in the face of scepticism and its dark twin superstition, its efficacy where its believers and adherents are concerned, how it differs from applied science as the latter may exist in the future. That Prestimion is sceptical where some of his companions are not is one of the drivers of the story, and here Silverberg cunningly has his cake and eats it -- as all his Majipoor novels ultimately do. Unlike many pulp novelists though his plotting is not simply about goodies versus baddies: he is interested in human psychology, how individuals might react when faced with dilemmas, how they interact with others, how decisive outcomes can rest on whims as much as on careful pre-planning.

Be advised though: this is no great literature. For all its Machiavellian and Shakespearean aspects this remains clever escapist storytelling. Its often slow plotting suits its epic pretensions but occasionally strain credulity; dramatic situations, despite their surprises, too often seem to plod under the enormity of their serious intent; and a clumsy deus ex machina is introduced at the end so as to maintain continuity with later events described in earlier novels. But, as with the best pulp novels, the final judgment must lie with how well the reader's attention is engaged. That was certainly the case with this particular reader.

http://wp.me/p2oNj1-1Sb ( )

A long awaited return to Majipoor, though this book is set in the past of the planet. I liked it, but not nearly as much as the Valentine series. ( )

Confalume, le Coronal de Majipoor, est sur le point de désigner Prestimion comme son successeur lorsque meurt le Pontife Prankipin. Il va donc devenir à son tour Pontife et Prestimion le Coronal en titre. Confalume a un fils ambitieux, Korsibar, qui se verrait bien maître de la planète géante. Mais la loi et l'usage interdisent une telle transmission héréditaire. Poussé par sa soeur, la belle Thismet, Korsibar recourt au talent de sorciers dont l'espèce a proliféré sur Majipour durant le règne du superstitieux Prankipin. La guerre qui s'annonce, dont personne ne veut, risque d'être aussi celle des ténèbres. Les Sorciers de Majipoor est le cinquième volet du Cycle de Majipoor après Le Château de Lord Valentin, Chroniques de Majipoor, Valentin de Majipooret Les Montagnes de Majipoor, disponibles dans la même collection.

This book covers an impressive amount of story. The problem is that it does that. It never goes into the depths of the characters, just the surface, while propelling the plot forward at high speed.

I never felt compelled to turn the page to find out what happened next since nothing was exciting or unique. Adding to this is the long length of the book, utterly bogging down the reader in a mire of averageness.

The world itself seems interesting, yet the descriptions of it don't make it come alive, it more seems like a place the characters happen to be at the time. First at the very end does anything interesting happen, kind of tying back to the history of the world as the characters know it. Spawning an interest almost strong enough to start the next book. ( )