Wellspring of Chaos (Saga of Recluce)

by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

Book Overview

"An intriguing fantasy in a fascinating world." --Robert Jordan , New York Times b estselling author of The Wheel of Time (R) series Kharl is the best cooper in Brysta, one of the major cities in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076534808X
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 0.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.7" x 1.3" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Another Excellent Recluse Novel

To be honest, I don't know that I could ever give this author anything less that 5 stars. The Saga of Recluse has captivated me like no other fantasy setting out there. Modesitt has created a world with endless possiblities and continues in The Wellspring of Chaos. This novel stands out from all the others for several reasons. First, the story is set in a different part of the world. Second, the main character, Karl the cooper, is middle-aged - not a youth. Third and foremost, Karl has a completely different attitude from all previous heroes. Karl stands out in that he is not frustrated by his lack of knowledge. Of every main character, Karl starts out with less information about order, chaos, and how to use them. Unlike the other novels, Karl shows patience in his growth and values the little tidbits of information he gleans along the way. STill, the same mechanics of the Saga of Recluse are still here. Karl sees a problem and he fixes it - patiently. In fact the detail and patience each main character has shown throughout this saga is what ultimately draws me back to this fantasy again and again.

Another Chaos/Order Winner

As I find all of the books in this series, a true delight to read. Modesitt writes a tale of a cooper (barrel-maker) coming into his order senses/powers after a series of tragic events. He finds that being order sensitive is a hinderance to living in the world as it is. As he matures in his knowledge of order, he creates a path that lets him be true to himself... with new powers explored not seen before in the series. Unlike the other books, the main characters events aren't grandiose in nature and by themselves won't play a large role in the overall history of Recluse. This book has a lot of references to the other events in the series, so it begs you to go back and read them again. If I had one disappointment it would be that the ending was not really an ending, but as many books are, an opening to a second novel.

Modesitt's Best Main Character Yet

Wow! This is by far my favorite book, not only in the Saga of Recluce, but my favorite by this writer. I have read every book in the Saga of Recluce, the three books from the Chorean Chronicles, and four of the books from the Spell Song series. From all, Kharl is by far my favorite. The first and (I find) most interesting point in this character, is that he is totally different from all of the other leading men (or women) in Modesitt's stories. For one, he is tall, broad, and even has a slight paunch, where as all of his other characters are shorter and slight of figure. I think this is what made me like this character in the first place, his solidness. He is also a very honest man (der, a must for an Order Master), and he goes above and beyond constantly, and never expects a reward. Please, please, Mr. Modesitt, write a sequel to this!

Very entertaining

In the city of Brysta in the realm of Nordla, Kharl is contented with his work as a highly regarded cooper, loves his wife and two sons. When Kharl hears a cry he comes to the rescue of a neighbor's daughter who is being attacked by two men. He finds out that one of the attackers is nobleman Captain Egen of the City Guard. Egen considers Kharl an enemy so when a young woman is murdered, the captain arranges for Kharl to be arrested for the crime.Testimony proves that Kharl couldn't have murdered anyone but his wife is convicted of the crime and he has to helplessly watch her execution. His sons flee because they know Egen is waiting to kill them. Kharl leaves the country and begins to realize that he has the powers of a mage. He learns how to harness that power which comes in handy when battling pirates or being involved in a civil war.WELLSPRING OF CHAOS takes place in the Recluse universe but that country is hardly involved in the storyline so this is a book that can be read by people who haven't perused the other novels of L.E. Modesitt, Jr. (though they come highly recommended).. The protagonist is a hero in the true sense of the word because he does what is right no matter the personal cost and does not seek revenge for the crimes against him. Kharl grows into his powers slowly as an outgrowth of his profession so the audience believes that his mage power is real. The author once again writes a fantasy novel that is simply superb.Harriet Klausner

A Mage In Spite of Himself

Wellspring of Chaos is the twelfth novel in the Recluce Saga, but the events therein occur about a half century after the destruction of Fairhaven in The Order War and before the events in The Magic of Recluce. In this novel, Kharl is a cooper in the port town of Brysta on Nordla. One everning, he interrupts an assault on a neighbor's girl by two rich youths and drives them off. Later, he finds an assaulted female blackstaffer, a wanderer from Recluce, in an alley near his shop and takes her into his home; his wife Charee believes that blackstaffers are evil and will not allow her to be taken upstairs to the family residence, so Kharl lays her down on the apprentice pallet in his workshop. Charee treats her injuries, repairs her clothing, and prepares to take her to the local priest of the one-god. However, someone starts a fire and kills the girl during the confusion. Captain Egen of the Watch arrests Kharl for the murder and has him confined in a cell. However, a neighbor testifies at the trial that Kharl was within his sight throughout the fire incident and thus could not have killed the girl. So the Justicer and the local lord decide, from the testimony of Captain Egen, that Charee must have been the murderer and she is sentenced to hang. They also decide that Kharl has resisted arrest and was disrespectful, so he is sentenced to thirty lashes. After this misjustice, both of Kharl's sons blame him for the death of their mother and move away from the home. Kharl's taxes are raised to double that of prior years and his customers are going elsewhere for barrels. Then his neighbor is murdered and Kharl intercepts the fleeing killer and stops him dead. Grabbing what coins he can and the dead girl's staff and backpack, Kharl flees his home and his troubles. In this story, Kharl is the victim of a mean, nasty and vindictive person, Captain Egen, who is the son of the local lord and who has come to thoroughly hate Kharl. Despite all that has happened to him, Kharl is still naive and trusting. However, he is taken in hand by Jekat, a local urchin and beggar, and introduced to the seamier side of Brysta, including Egen's misdeeds and a ritual killer white wizard who is after Jekat. Kharl finally escapes Brysta on the Seastag, captained by Hagen of Valmurl on Austra. He becomes a carpenter's assistant and visits ports throughout the world. He also reads a book from the dead blackstaffer's pack, The Basis of Order, and ponders the nature of order and chaos. In his travels, he meets a number of people who help him understand the principles behind the book and he eventually finds a minor black mage who describes some of the "tricks" that black mages can perform. This story describes Kharl's development as a black mage. While he never relinguishes his previous occupation as a cooper nor his current one of carpenter's mate, he reluctantly adds the skills of mage to his repertoire. He is very stubborn and only gives up ideas and associations as absolute