Magi'I of Cyador by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

Although I was a fan of Moddesit's earlier books, especially 'The Magic of Recluce', 'The Colors of Chaos' and 'The White Tower', I'm afraid to say that I will never purchase another one of his fantasy stories again. I have one of his novels which I didn't finish and cannot even remember the title of, and currently I find his Magi'i of Cyador very 'put-downable'. The problem with his work is that his central characters are largely the same. Sterile, emotionally underdeveloped, and introspective. What amazes me more than anything is that when these characters kill for the first time in their lives, generally during their late teens, there is no emotional chaos or trauma. Moddesit's heroes often appear to dispense death as a logical next step without caring for, or debating, the trauma that we know comes with such an act. A reading of personal accounts from some conflicts from the last century would probably do his writing a power of good, as it would alleviate his accountants logic and introduce much more empathy and, dare I say, realism to his characters and interactions.