The Magician's Apprentice
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fantasy literature |
| Founded | February 2009 |
| Founder | Trudi Canavan |
| Products | Fantasy novel |
The Magician's Apprentice is a fantasy novel authored by Trudi Canavan and released in February 2009 as an independent prequel to her acclaimed Black Magician Trilogy. Set several centuries before the trilogy, the story centers on Tessia, a young sorceress from Kyralia, during the period of conflict with the neighboring nation of Sachaka. This work received the 2009 Aurealis Award for best fantasy novel.
Plot summary
In the village of Mandryn within Kyralia, Tessia supports her father, who serves as the local Healer, despite prevailing social opposition to women practicing magic. A fragile peace exists between Kyralia and Sachaka, founded on longstanding hostility and Sachaka’s ongoing use of slavery. Lord Dakon hosts Takado, a magician from Sachaka known for mistreating his slave Hanara; when Hanara falls ill, Tessia and her father are summoned to provide healing.
During an incident where Takado tries to magically assault Tessia, she unexpectedly responds with her own dormant magical ability, leading to her becoming Lord Dakon's second apprentice. Her intense training opens new horizons, including trips to Imardin, the capital city of Kyralia.
Following a brutal assault on her hometown by Takado’s troops, Tessia finds her parents' graves and dedicates herself to advancing healing magic. She allies with Jayan, Dakon's first apprentice. Together with other Kyralian magicians, they confront the Sachakan 'Ichani,' marginalized individuals targeted in a broader invasion scheme.
Tessia achieves a significant breakthrough by inventing magical pain relief techniques, a departure from the traditional avoidance of healing among magicians. Concurrently, Stara, a woman of mixed heritage living in Arvice—the capital of Sachaka—manages complex political challenges and an imposed marriage. As leader of a neutral faction known as the "Traitors," she seeks sanctuary for her followers amidst the ongoing war.
When Kyralian forces seize Arvice, Tessia employs her healing magic to save an injured Jayan. The pair reunite with their comrades while Dakon remains behind in Sachaka to oversee governance. Lady Avaria takes charge of Tessia’s apprenticeship supervision as Jayan founds the Magician's Guild and Tessia begins teaching healing magic.
Stara and the Traitors retreat to resource-rich mountain ruins where they establish their community. Ten years later, political turmoil in Sachaka results in the deaths of Narvelan and Hanara due to the destruction of a magical storestone; Dakon is assassinated during this period.
Jayan and his associate Prinan survey their domain as Jayan contemplates the establishment of the Magician's Guild. Tessia gains recognition for pioneering healing magic and is expecting their son.
Characters
- Tessia
- A former healer's assistant who becomes a magician and innovates magical healing practices. Co-founder of The Magician's Guild.
- Jayan
- Lord Dakon's apprentice who advances to Higher Magician amid the Sachakan invasion. Co-founder of The Magician's Guild.
- Lord Dakon
- Higher Magician and mentor to both Tessia and Jayan; ruler of Aylen ley in northeast Kyralia. Initially based in Mandryn until its destruction; later involved in governing Sachaka. Assassinated after ten years.
- Ashaki Takado
- Sachakan magician leading the invasion into Kyralia; killed by Dakon in Arvice, Sachaka’s capital.
- Hanara
- Slave bound as a source for Takado.
- Lord Narvelan
- Leader of Loran ley adjacent to Aylen whose unstable conduct intensifies during the invasion and continues after Sachaka’s surrender. Following forced retirement, he steals and shatters a storestone in southern Sachaka causing an explosion that creates a wasteland.
- King Errik
- Young monarch of Kyralia revealed not to possess magical abilities as suspected by the Sachakan Emperor.
- Lady Avaria
- Magician allied with Tessia and married to Lord Everran, an ally of Lord Dakon.
- Stara
- Of mixed Elyne-Sachakan descent, she leads the Traitors—a group advocating for women’s rights in Sachaka. Trained in magic and Higher Magic by her brother Ikaro, she guides her faction to establish a concealed refuge in mountain valleys.