Book Summary

Title: The Ambassadors Mission
Author: Trudi Canavan
Series: Traitor Spy Trilogy (Book 1)
UK Release Date: 6th May 2010
Recommended Prior Reading: The Magicians Apprentice, The Black Magician Trilogy

Background

20 years after the events of the Black Magician Trilogy, The Ambassadors Mission continues the tale of events in the land of Kyralia. While the immediate danger from Sachaka has abated, they could still pose a problem in the future, and the seeds of danger sown in the forgotten past (The Magicians Apprentice) could soon threaten both lands.

My Impression

After the disappointment of Robin Hobbs latest effort I was pleased to read a book that told a tale that felt like it was worth telling. While the book is not likely to win many awards, when I finished the book I did at least feel that I wanted to read the next part ASAP.

The returning characters in The Ambassadors Mission also felt true to how they where described in The Black Magician Trilogy, with any differences being easily explained by the passage of time and the maturation that brings with it. I did think though that there were “death flags” being set up around one character though with references to their age.

If anything there may have been too many recurring characters or at least too much emphasis on them as there was only one new Point of View character that I can recall. There where however several new non POV characters, and it is also possible that as The Ambassadors Mission is meant “merely” to set the stage for later events the second book will expand the role and importance of the new characters and not rely so heavily on the old.

In terms of other gripes about the book, my main one was that while there was a short appendix giving some background information, it was sorely lacking in regards to giving information about events and characters in the earlier books. This meant that I had to go and reread parts of the earlier books to remind myself of people, places and events that could have easily been included in the appendices without giving too much away for anyone who had yet to read them.

My Recommendation

While the Ambassadors Mission was a good read, I thought it to be a bit on the short side given the price and it may be worth waiting for the paperback version to be released instead. In order to get the most out of the book it is also important that the events of The Black Magician Trilogy and The Magician Apprentice are fresh in your mind.

Book Rating

7/10