Because I'm feeling nostalgic and we haven't had this thread in a while, what are your favourite three Magic novels/cycles? Some description of why would be good too, but not necessary.
My opinion:
1) Ice Age cycle - The Gathering Dark in particular. Loved Jodah as a character and these novels gave him some really good development along with an interesting and far-reaching plot. The tie-in to the card game was strong and well done, and gave solid details on how magic really works in the Magic multiverse.
2) The Thran - Yawgmoth is a badass. He's clearly a bastard, but his manipulation of events almost makes you want to root for him at times. I don't know about you, but I felt happy for him when he finally achieved his vision.
3) Kamigawa cycle - No question Toshiro is a cool character with interesting motivations as well as unique and well-written spellcasting, but what made this series really stand out for me was Toshi's relationship with Kiku as well as Hidetsugu's awesome presence.
1) Ravnica: City of Guilds. Nostalgia is the strongest reason for this to be my #1. After spending about 4 years away from Magic, I came back right as Kamigawa had ended and Ravnica was ramping up, so I attribute most of my return to Magic to this excellently designed world. Never mind that the mystery drama style that Herndon used for the first novel really connected you to Kos and his role in Ravnica.
2) The Brothers' War. Magic's first real attempt at telling an overarching story for a set, the war between Urza and Mishra lent itself well in novel form. The fact that the story is written from Urza's growingly paranoid perspective only adds to the intensity of the story.
3) The Thran. Just as Stardust said, Yawgmoth is amazing. The prodigal son of the Thran Empire, I really sympathized w/ the antagonist of the story b/c of his medical background. That he turned out to be a Dr. Mengele made him quite the magnificent bastard indeed.
I'd be surprised not to see The Artifacts Cycle or Thran mentioned in this thread often, but I think it'll be interesting to see what everyone's "third pick" will be.
I could never settle on three. The reason I rage so much about today's feeble excuses for literature is because I have read most of the old books (why haven't I finished Harper-Prism or Armada???) and I've enjoyed many of them. What I consider top of the line: Ice Age Cycle; Kamigawa Cycle; Legends I Cycle; Ravnica Cycle; Arena; Agents of Artifice; The Brothers' War, Planeswalker; The Thran. Trying to ask me to narrow down further is like trying to ask me to narrow down my top 50 favorite cards - it can't be done!
About any "subpar" mechanics or cards: Context is king.
If I make a templating or grammar error, let me know.
The franchise MtG most resembles is Battlestar Galactica. Why? Its players exist in, at most, a dozen different models at any given point in time, with perhaps up to 3% variation, 5% if you're lucky.
I could never settle on three. The reason I rage so much about today's feeble excuses for literature is because I have read most of the old books (why haven't I finished Harper-Prism or Armada???) and I've enjoyed many of them. What I consider top of the line: Ice Age Cycle; Kamigawa Cycle; Legends I Cycle; Ravnica Cycle; Arena; Agents of Artifice; The Brothers' War, Planeswalker; The Thran. Trying to ask me to narrow down further is like trying to ask me to narrow down my top 50 favorite cards - it can't be done!
I know what you mean! It was tough for me to disclude Agents of Artifice, The Brothers' War and Planeswalker in particular, but I figured a top three would force people to really think about it.
In no particular order: The Brother's War, The Ice Age Cycle, & The Thran. Just awesome.
I'll miss the books, but if Wintermute is the best they can pull off now, better to let them go. I hope they do come back in the not too distant future with someone decent like Grubb or King.
1.) Kamigawa Cycle. I loved the world and flavor of Kamigawa, and Mr. McGough really brought it all to life with his books. Toshi is Magic's most badass hero, and Konda is one of Magic's most unique and despicable villains (and my personal favorite). It also included such memorable characters as Hidetsugu and Kiku -- both stellar. And Kiku remains my favorite female character to grace the pages of Magic's canon. She was just so much fun.
2.) The Thran. Yawgmoth just owned this one. Perhaps's Magic's most twisted book -- it was difficult not to root for him. I know he is evil incarnate and all, but you just walk away from this book feeling simultaneously disgusted... and impressed.
3.) Onslaught. Say what you will about Legions and Scourge (I have my own opinions as well), but Onslaught has always struck me as a beautiful addition to the Magic canon. Ixidor and Phage were both characters unlike any seen before in Magic. Dangerous and threatening, yet ultimately sympathetic victims of their own demons, they were not so much villains as they were shattered and heartbroken individuals who bore unhealable wounds. I felt for and rooted for them both. The vengeance/redemption aspects of the plot were very powerful.
1. After reading The Brother's War, I immediately called my own brother up to tell him I loved him. This book was EPIC, and I believe still measures up well against other, "Real" fantasy novels. the plot was nuanced and intricate, the characters were fully fleshed out, and there were no clearcut "good guys" or "bad guys" (well, except for Gix). This book resonated with me more than any other story in the MTG canon.
2. if you want a clinic on how to create and develop an awesome antihero, look no further than Kamigawa. This is a story chock full of great, memorable characters that you just can't wait to see what they do or say next. Toshi is wonderfully unpredictable, as are the guys he encounters: Kiku, Hidetsugu, Marrow-Gnawer, Michiko, Konda, Moshi and Night's Reach all make valiant attempts to steal the spotlight. This is probably the most fun read in mtg canon.
3. And finally, there's Legions, because the dice games were the stuff of legend.
You know I'm kidding about #3, right?
my number three is actually a toss-up between Time Streams, The Gathering Dark and Ravnica: City of Guilds. While Rav and The Dark introduced us to two of the most well-written and likable characters in MTG history in Jodah and Agrus Kos, and while I enjoyed Planeswalker quite a bit, Time Streams edges them all out because I enjoyed watching Urza grow into a hero and leader before my eyes. it also established Jhoira, Karn, Barrin and Teferi as strong supporting characters we've all grown to care about long after their initial appearances. supporting characters don't get to star in their own books, but Teferi and Jhoira were the stars of Time Spiral, and Karn had a whole book named after him. that's a testament to the strength of those characters.
1. I'm a huge fan of the Ravnica cycle. The mystery-esque theme they took with them was done extremely well. Not to mention great character development, and in general it's one of the few time-based frame stories in general I've really liked.
2. I'd like to say I'm a huge fan of the Ice Age cycle, but the third book is almost impossible to find (just look for it online). So, from the two that I've read, I felt it was very good. I like how much time the author spent on the basics of mana; it really builds a good story.
3. It has to be Agents of Artifice/Test of Metal, I guess. The only Magic books I've read apart from the above were the Time Spiral series (terrible), part of the Lorwyn series (so bad I couldn't get through all of it), and that's about it.
1. Chainer's Torment. Decent story and extremely likable characters. A story about my favorite magic character. In addition it started my love for dementia magic.
2. The Thran through Bloodlines. Easily the best stories of magic. To me, this is what magic will always be about, an epic.
3. Nemesis. Too often stories shy away from telling the bad guys stories in detail and Nemesis was purely about the villians.
No, seriously, the Brothers' War, Planeswalker, and the Thran. In that order. The story behind Yawgmoth is amazing. From knowing the great race that the Thran were and finding out how powerful they really were to finding out why Urza is who he is and how powerful a planeswalker should be.
I actually liked the original Mirrodin trilogy the most! I loved how the world was explored.
I do find it underrated, though admittedly not that great, The Darksteel Eye in particular being poor. Further reason why this last Mirrodin excursion was a complete trainwreck.
About any "subpar" mechanics or cards: Context is king.
If I make a templating or grammar error, let me know.
The franchise MtG most resembles is Battlestar Galactica. Why? Its players exist in, at most, a dozen different models at any given point in time, with perhaps up to 3% variation, 5% if you're lucky.
As a disclaimer I have only read "Agents of Artifice" "Alara Unbroken," "The Quest for Karn," and "Test of Metal."
That being said...
1. Test of Metal
2. Alara Unbroken
3. Agents of Artifice
My big thing is my love for Nicol Bolas, not only as a card, but as a character. I find what he stands for (himself) and his manner of dealing with things (over kill?) to be the kind of finesse that few characters in any story, that I know of, can even compare to.
"Test of Metal" Blurb
In "Test of Metal" we were first presented with an almost comical Bolas that did not seem right. I was wondering what the author was thinking. Then I got to the end and almost flipped a $h!t. I knew the end of the story from reading about Bolas on the MTGSWiki but the execution of the ending was epic to me. Not only did I love this part but the book wasn't bad either. It followed Tezzert and his struggle and then ultimately his own downfall. I thought the book was well written and I would love to read more of that work.
"Alara Unbroken" was not the best read of my life. I thought the book was mediocre and lacked many of the potential plot elements that could have been incorporated from Alara. However it did give me a joygasam to read once again about Bolas (is it not clear by now I really like him?) The whole story of Alara unfolding and getting to read about the characters I fell in love with during the set (no one from Bant mind you) gave me some resolution to what happened during the block.
"Agents of Artifice" was well written and gave me some insight into the other Planeswalkers that I did not have before. Since I read this one first, it let me look at the walkers in their card forms a different way. I had a story behind them finally, and not just an internet article that talked about them.
--------------------------------------------
All this said and done, I REALLY want to read all the other books. First thing is first though. I need money. Then I plan on buying the "Invasion" block books, then "Time Spiral" followed by "Ravnica." I am not really interested in Kamigawa and I have not heard good things about the first Mirriodin cycle. Anyway that was my input.
I just wish someone would REWRITE the Alara book. There was so much potential, and it fell so short of the epicness in which it could have achieved. I was just glad Bolas was the highlight of it, otherwise I probably would have hated it as much as most people did :-p
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I have 22 EDH decks. I do not have a single infinite combo nor do I have any Eldrazi. Three of the decks are designed to kill myself as well as who ever else I am playing. I make sure to have at least one dragon in every one of my decks. Not because it's smart, or a good play, but because I play casually and I play to be creative and fun. Not to win. Winning is just a side effect of slamming into someones face with a dragon (or 12) while dealing 30 damage to the board, each player, and myself.
The writing for the Kamigawa books was much better than Alara, Quest for Karn, Time Spiral and Invasion Books. The only bad things about the Kamigawa books was the rather rushed ending and the occasional feeling that the hero, Toshi, was very overpowered in certain parts of the books. Otherwise though, Kamigawa > many other books printed for Magic. Definitely worth reading IMHO.
Also, my list:
1) The Brother's War
2) Chainer's Torment
3) Betrayers of Kamigawa
1) The Brother's War (best magic book ever printed. So good I keep it next to my "classics" like LOTR/Wheel of time/Game of thrones) in my bookshelf.
2) Chainer's Torment
3) The apocolipse novel. Having the war come to its ultimate conclusion after being heavily invested from it from all the other books gave this one the build up needed to be a great read. However it only has that power from synergy.
1. the brothers war
2. the gathering dark
3. and peace shall sleep
reread them about once a year. aside from the dragony bits and the whole dorf/human love story thing that should've obviously been cut... its pretty fun because it goes into detail about what went on during the cooling before the ice age, on sarpadia, which is something that while fallen empires had amazing flavor, the details of things always felt a bit vague.
i like the brothers war and the gathering dark because they're fun and coudl really have their affiliation with mtg cut entirely and still be a good read.
My opinion:
1) Ice Age cycle - The Gathering Dark in particular. Loved Jodah as a character and these novels gave him some really good development along with an interesting and far-reaching plot. The tie-in to the card game was strong and well done, and gave solid details on how magic really works in the Magic multiverse.
2) The Thran - Yawgmoth is a badass. He's clearly a bastard, but his manipulation of events almost makes you want to root for him at times. I don't know about you, but I felt happy for him when he finally achieved his vision.
3) Kamigawa cycle - No question Toshiro is a cool character with interesting motivations as well as unique and well-written spellcasting, but what made this series really stand out for me was Toshi's relationship with Kiku as well as Hidetsugu's awesome presence.
2) The Brothers' War. Magic's first real attempt at telling an overarching story for a set, the war between Urza and Mishra lent itself well in novel form. The fact that the story is written from Urza's growingly paranoid perspective only adds to the intensity of the story.
3) The Thran. Just as Stardust said, Yawgmoth is amazing. The prodigal son of the Thran Empire, I really sympathized w/ the antagonist of the story b/c of his medical background. That he turned out to be a Dr. Mengele made him quite the magnificent bastard indeed.
I'd be surprised not to see The Artifacts Cycle or Thran mentioned in this thread often, but I think it'll be interesting to see what everyone's "third pick" will be.
About any "subpar" mechanics or cards: Context is king.
If I make a templating or grammar error, let me know.
The franchise MtG most resembles is Battlestar Galactica. Why? Its players exist in, at most, a dozen different models at any given point in time, with perhaps up to 3% variation, 5% if you're lucky.
I know what you mean! It was tough for me to disclude Agents of Artifice, The Brothers' War and Planeswalker in particular, but I figured a top three would force people to really think about it.
I'll miss the books, but if Wintermute is the best they can pull off now, better to let them go. I hope they do come back in the not too distant future with someone decent like Grubb or King.
The Thran - Wonderful work tying in events that were already hinted at and facts already known since Magic's beginning. Excellent read here!
Ice Age Cycle - Jodah is an excellent character! I have reread this series several times as well. Smart and well written.
I hate to see the novels disappear, but if their quality continues to diminish, I would be happy to give them the axe myself.
2.) The Thran. Yawgmoth just owned this one. Perhaps's Magic's most twisted book -- it was difficult not to root for him. I know he is evil incarnate and all, but you just walk away from this book feeling simultaneously disgusted... and impressed.
3.) Onslaught. Say what you will about Legions and Scourge (I have my own opinions as well), but Onslaught has always struck me as a beautiful addition to the Magic canon. Ixidor and Phage were both characters unlike any seen before in Magic. Dangerous and threatening, yet ultimately sympathetic victims of their own demons, they were not so much villains as they were shattered and heartbroken individuals who bore unhealable wounds. I felt for and rooted for them both. The vengeance/redemption aspects of the plot were very powerful.
2. if you want a clinic on how to create and develop an awesome antihero, look no further than Kamigawa. This is a story chock full of great, memorable characters that you just can't wait to see what they do or say next. Toshi is wonderfully unpredictable, as are the guys he encounters: Kiku, Hidetsugu, Marrow-Gnawer, Michiko, Konda, Moshi and Night's Reach all make valiant attempts to steal the spotlight. This is probably the most fun read in mtg canon.
3. And finally, there's Legions, because the dice games were the stuff of legend.
You know I'm kidding about #3, right?
my number three is actually a toss-up between Time Streams, The Gathering Dark and Ravnica: City of Guilds. While Rav and The Dark introduced us to two of the most well-written and likable characters in MTG history in Jodah and Agrus Kos, and while I enjoyed Planeswalker quite a bit, Time Streams edges them all out because I enjoyed watching Urza grow into a hero and leader before my eyes. it also established Jhoira, Karn, Barrin and Teferi as strong supporting characters we've all grown to care about long after their initial appearances. supporting characters don't get to star in their own books, but Teferi and Jhoira were the stars of Time Spiral, and Karn had a whole book named after him. that's a testament to the strength of those characters.
Click the pic for more info.
Then Ravnica. So well flavorful.
Then The Thran. Yawgmoth is a god-boss.
How To Keep Your FOIL Cards From Curling: http://youtu.be/QTmubrS8VnI
The Best Deck Boxes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEwgLph_Pjk
The Best Binders: http://youtu.be/H5IauASYWjk
2. I'd like to say I'm a huge fan of the Ice Age cycle, but the third book is almost impossible to find (just look for it online). So, from the two that I've read, I felt it was very good. I like how much time the author spent on the basics of mana; it really builds a good story.
3. It has to be Agents of Artifice/Test of Metal, I guess. The only Magic books I've read apart from the above were the Time Spiral series (terrible), part of the Lorwyn series (so bad I couldn't get through all of it), and that's about it.
GX Tron XG
UR Phoenix RU
GG Freyalise High Tide GG
UR Parun Counterspells RU
BB Yawgmoth Token Storm BB
WB Pestilence BW
2. The Thran through Bloodlines. Easily the best stories of magic. To me, this is what magic will always be about, an epic.
3. Nemesis. Too often stories shy away from telling the bad guys stories in detail and Nemesis was purely about the villians.
1. the Weatherlight Saga
2. The Weatherlight Saga
3. the Weatherlight Saga
No, seriously, the Brothers' War, Planeswalker, and the Thran. In that order. The story behind Yawgmoth is amazing. From knowing the great race that the Thran were and finding out how powerful they really were to finding out why Urza is who he is and how powerful a planeswalker should be.
I do find it underrated, though admittedly not that great, The Darksteel Eye in particular being poor. Further reason why this last Mirrodin excursion was a complete trainwreck.
About any "subpar" mechanics or cards: Context is king.
If I make a templating or grammar error, let me know.
The franchise MtG most resembles is Battlestar Galactica. Why? Its players exist in, at most, a dozen different models at any given point in time, with perhaps up to 3% variation, 5% if you're lucky.
That being said...
1. Test of Metal
2. Alara Unbroken
3. Agents of Artifice
My big thing is my love for Nicol Bolas, not only as a card, but as a character. I find what he stands for (himself) and his manner of dealing with things (over kill?) to be the kind of finesse that few characters in any story, that I know of, can even compare to.
"Test of Metal" Blurb
In "Test of Metal" we were first presented with an almost comical Bolas that did not seem right. I was wondering what the author was thinking. Then I got to the end and almost flipped a $h!t. I knew the end of the story from reading about Bolas on the MTGSWiki but the execution of the ending was epic to me. Not only did I love this part but the book wasn't bad either. It followed Tezzert and his struggle and then ultimately his own downfall. I thought the book was well written and I would love to read more of that work.
"Alara Unbroken" was not the best read of my life. I thought the book was mediocre and lacked many of the potential plot elements that could have been incorporated from Alara. However it did give me a joygasam to read once again about Bolas (is it not clear by now I really like him?) The whole story of Alara unfolding and getting to read about the characters I fell in love with during the set (no one from Bant mind you) gave me some resolution to what happened during the block.
"Agents of Artifice" was well written and gave me some insight into the other Planeswalkers that I did not have before. Since I read this one first, it let me look at the walkers in their card forms a different way. I had a story behind them finally, and not just an internet article that talked about them.
--------------------------------------------
All this said and done, I REALLY want to read all the other books. First thing is first though. I need money. Then I plan on buying the "Invasion" block books, then "Time Spiral" followed by "Ravnica." I am not really interested in Kamigawa and I have not heard good things about the first Mirriodin cycle. Anyway that was my input.
I just wish someone would REWRITE the Alara book. There was so much potential, and it fell so short of the epicness in which it could have achieved. I was just glad Bolas was the highlight of it, otherwise I probably would have hated it as much as most people did :-p
The writing for the Kamigawa books was much better than Alara, Quest for Karn, Time Spiral and Invasion Books. The only bad things about the Kamigawa books was the rather rushed ending and the occasional feeling that the hero, Toshi, was very overpowered in certain parts of the books. Otherwise though, Kamigawa > many other books printed for Magic. Definitely worth reading IMHO.
Also, my list:
1) The Brother's War
2) Chainer's Torment
3) Betrayers of Kamigawa
HM: Ravnica and the Ice Age Block.
1) The Brother's War (best magic book ever printed. So good I keep it next to my "classics" like LOTR/Wheel of time/Game of thrones) in my bookshelf.
2) Chainer's Torment
3) The apocolipse novel. Having the war come to its ultimate conclusion after being heavily invested from it from all the other books gave this one the build up needed to be a great read. However it only has that power from synergy.
2. the gathering dark
3. and peace shall sleep
reread them about once a year. aside from the dragony bits and the whole dorf/human love story thing that should've obviously been cut... its pretty fun because it goes into detail about what went on during the cooling before the ice age, on sarpadia, which is something that while fallen empires had amazing flavor, the details of things always felt a bit vague.
i like the brothers war and the gathering dark because they're fun and coudl really have their affiliation with mtg cut entirely and still be a good read.
2. Chainer's Torment, the story of chainer is touching, and it proves that power corrupts.
3. The Thran, Gix was a hog.