MASTER OF THE FIVE MAGICS

'''Master of the Five Magics''' is a fantasy novel by Lyndon Hardy, first published in 1980. It is the first of a trilogy set in the same world; the second book is Secret of the Sixth Magic and the third Riddle of the Seven Realms. While the books feature different characters, each explores, in successively more detail, the same system of magic.

Contents

Plot summary

Characters

Disciplines of Magic

Thaumaturgy

Alchemy

Magic

Sorcery

Wizardry

Plot summary

The book focuses on the adventures of its protagonist, Alodar, in the fictional world of Procolon. Alodar's self-imposed quest for much of the book is to distinguish himself sufficiently to wed the queen, Vendora.
The book is divided into six parts, each of the first five of which corresponds to a discipline of magic learned by Alodar in that portion of the narrative. The final part is entitled "The Archimage" and corresponds to Alodar's mastery of all other forms of magic.
In the first three parts, Alodar learns enough of a particular type of magic to make a notable achievement, but the antagonist of that part usurps Alodar's credit and becomes a recognized suitor to the queen. Alodar is then left with an artifact of some type that allows him to begin learning a new discipline of magic. The first part also introduces Aeriel, a female character important in the second half of the book.
The fourth part does not feature an artifact; instead, Alodar discovers an ancient wizard placed in suspended animation, who reveals the basics of his craft to Alodar at the start of the fifth part.
The fifth part of the book reveals that Alodar's journey was planned by the ancient wizards, who predicted the now-imminent demonic invasion.
In the sixth and final part, Alodar uses his knowledge of all five magical disciplines in combination to defeat the leader of the demon army. However, Alodar spurns both marriage to the queen and an offer by his previous antagonists to support a coup placing Alodar on the throne; instead, he chooses to marry Aeriel and continue his apprenticeship.

Characters

★ 'Alodar', protagonist of the book. His family is stated to have once been noble; however, they have fallen into disrepute by the start of the narrative. Therefore, Alodar is merely an apprentice to a thaumaturge, the least prestigious type of magic-user.

★ 'Vendora', the queen of Procolon.

★ 'Aeriel', advisor to Vendora. She confesses her love to Alodar in the first part of the book, but Alodar does not clearly reciprocate until the final chapter.

★ 'Feston', antagonist in the first part of the book. His father 'Festil' is a nobleman in Vendora's service. They take full credit for the queen's escape from a besieged fortress, ignoring Alodar's important contributions, leading the queen to name Feston as an official candidate suitor.

★ 'Basil', antagonist in the second part of the book. One of his henchmen steals an alchemical potion from Alodar and uses it to gather a vast wealth of gems for Basil. This gives Basil sufficient leverage to court the queen.

★ 'Duncan', a magician appearing in the third part of the book. He completes a ritual on an artifact discovered by Alodar, making it into a powerful talisman. This causes the queen to name him yet another official marriage candidate.

★ 'Kelric', an elderly sorceror who instructs Alodar in the fourth part of the book.

★ 'Handar', a wizard placed in suspended animation. In the fifth part of the book, he instructs Alodar in the basics of wizardry.

Disciplines of Magic

A primary focus of the plot is upon the five magics of the title. In the system devised for the trilogy, each of Thaumaturgy, Alchemy, Magic, Sorcery, and Wizardry allow the user to perform magical actions within a particular set of rules. These rules are specified after the table of contents, and are also stated within the narrative.

Thaumaturgy

★ 'The Principle of Sympathy' - Like produces like.

★ 'The Principle of Contagion' - Once together, always together.

Alchemy

★ 'The Doctrine of Signatures' - The attributes without mirror the powers within.

Magic

★ 'The Maxim of Persistence' - Perfection is eternal.

Sorcery

★ 'The Rule of Three' - Thrice spoken, once fulfilled.

Wizardry

★ 'Law of Ubiquity' - Flame permeates all.

★ 'Law of Dichotomy' - Dominance or submission.