Lens of the World

By R.A. MacAvoy

Book Overview

A New York Times Notable Book: "A coming-of-age fantasy in a late-medieval alternate world . . . Possibly MacAvoy's best work since the Damiano trilogy" (Kirkus Reviews).

"In the absorbing, realistic world depicted in this first volume of a projected series, MacAvoy introduces Nazhuret who, looking back from middle age, tells of the adventures of his youth." --Publishers Weekly

An outcast of small stature and the offspring of unknown parents, Nazhuret is forced out of the military Royal School of Sordaling. He is soon taken under the wing of Powl, a mysterious mentor, madman, and master of optics, who pushes Nazhuret to his mental and physical limits while teaching him the arts of astronomy, languages, swordsmanship, and--most importantly--mind and body control.

When Nazhuret take his leave of Powl, he embarks on a journey through war, darkness, and death, rising above his humble beginnings and taking his destiny into his own hands . . .

"This is a plot and a theme and a character so rich that revelations would be unforgivable. Add to these one of the most surprising supporting characters and plots in years and a fantasy setting that is always intriguing but never intrusive and you have a book that readers won't want to end." --School Library Journal

"Patiently and persistently describes the progress of a young man destined by fate to be a hero. Enticing in its careful world-building and graceful writing, this fantasy is highly recommended." --Library Journal

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1497642272
• ISBN13: 9781497642270
• Release Date: September 2014
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
• Length: 204 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Highly original work from a master of the genre!

In this series, MacAvoy has created a highly complex fantasy world with very little sorcery but plenty of sword play, science, philosophy, and mysticism. It is the story of Nazhuret, a strange looking orphan of mysterious origins who finds himself the pupil of an equally mysterious man known to him only as Powl. Once his time with Powl is done, he sets off on his own and quickly finds himself embroiled in the affairs of others; something Powl has cautioned him to avoid if he wants to be truly free. Nazhuret tries his best to heed this advise after his first encounter with the outside word leaves a bad taste in his mouth. But what kind of fantasy hero would he be were he not somehow the catalyst of major events and circumstances? In his wandering he finds romance with an ambiguous stranger of questionabe morals. He also earns the love and respect of the young king and the contempt of the king's highest ranking noblemen. By the end, the secret of Nazhuret's origins is revealed and the enigma of Powl unraveled in a refreshingly unpredictabe manner.

Powerful start to a beautiful trilogy

Lens is the first book of a trilogy entirely set in a "non-Earth" pre-industrial world, and arguably R.A.MacAvoy's best work to date. She creates a powerful story with realistic characters and situations and wastes no words in her elegant storytelling.The story is about the coming of age of Nazhuret, a natural scientist who is dogged by mysterious happenings that he doesn't particularly want to believe in, as he is converted by his (rather bizarre) mentor into the Lens of the World (a concept that's rather hard to explain). He is let loose on society and becomes a nexus, altering what he come in contact with.It's hard to spell out why this book is so good, but it's a real original in the Fantasy genre and definitely my favourite series (I read an awful lot of F/SF).

Beautiful

Beautiful and engaging. Unusual characters who are brought to life fully and unquestionably took me into another world, which left many impressions upon my mind. It could have done without the introduction, but even with it this is quite a beauty of a book. It has several twists that come out at you unexpectedly. It refrains from making the usual mistakes of a fantasy book- falling into its own world and filling the entire book with descriptions, assuming that everyone knows about this world as well as the author, using the cliched story lines, etc. Plot is ingenious, and the story is one you won't forget for a long time. Read it.

Wonderful to Read Aloud

It's always interesting to see how other people liked or didn't like the books in this trilogy. Of the three, this is far and away my favorite. They are all three worthwhile and engrossing reading for any lover of fantasy fiction, and place and character are evoked vividly in every book, but what really absorbed me about this book, was the writing. This is the only writing, outside of poetry, that I have ever felt compelled to read aloud to myself. The narration is first person (Nazhuret) and his tone is elegiac and self-effacing; the effect is a timelessness that, in my opinion, makes the book more a classic novel than genre fiction. I would love to know what inspired the author to find this pitch so perfectly!

Superb Fantasy

This is the first book of a wonderful, undeservedly obscure fantasy trilogy. IMHO, R.A. MacAvoy is, along with Gene Wolfe, one of the two best authors currently writing in the genre. Most of what passes for fantasy today is cartoonish by comparison.