[Danton]

Hi,
I remember basic plot elements of a novel I read when I was quite young. As I would have read this book 15-20 years ago I imagine I may never be able to recall the name. If anyone can help me it will be very appreciated.

Premise: A young, I believe orphaned boy, enters on a quest to become a wizard. I believe he has the ability to speak with animals.

His mother was a famous wizard. I believe she was exceptionally talented in a world where women were not allowed to practice magic. Upon qualification all wizards are granted a color. She was granted a color not shared by any other wizard, I seem to recall it was brown, which contributed to her becoming ostracized from the wizard community. Her eventual fate remains mysterious.

At the close of the first novel the young man had obtained an apprenticeship with a talented but harsh wizard after he had been betrayed by a companion who abused his trust to obtain an apprenticeship with a more desirable teacher.

If you know this book, or it's author or series please let me know. I would like to find out what happened to this character.

[Abhorsen]

It's not Wizard of Earthsea by Usula LeGuin is it?

[Danton]

unfortunately no. that is a great book though. thanks for the suggestion.

[BrianS]

This sounds vaguely familiar to me. Was it perhaps one of the Xanth novels? If not there is another series about wizards that involved different levels of wizardry named after various animals. The boy who is the main character eventually comes to master owls or something, which no one else could do. His people go to war with the evil people beyond the mountains to the west. That's all I remember, and it's probably something different, and I probably just made it worse.

[Danton]

Thanks very much for the suggestion. I read quite a few of the Xanth novels in the past but unfortunately this wasn't one of them. The other book you described isn't it either, but it does sound interesting. No worries though.

[Pellinore]

Could that possibly be a Recluce novel by L. E. Modesitt? It sounds vaguely familiar and Xanth and Recluce were the two series' that came to mind. I'm not sure how long ago those were written though. They might not be that old.

[Alex]

Definatly sounds like a recluse novel by Modesitt.