The Magic of Recluce

What can I say about The Magic of Recluce?  It's 501 pages of many many questions, but few answers. It centers around Lerris, a bored, but inquisitive teenager, who must leave his home in Recluce and travel to Candar so he can learn how the world works and decide what path to take in his life. He also must decide whether to return home to Recluce after he completes his quest or if he will be forever exiled. Soon Lerris finds he possesses a natural talent for magic, and much of the book explores white magic versus black magic.  

Lerris' path throughout the book. There are other continents in future books apparently.

You would think white magic would be good, right? Wrong. White magic centers around chaos while black magic centers around order. This has to be the only work I've ever read or seen that has black be good and white evil. I still don't quite understand why the author did it that way or how the magic is supposed to work because it was a bit confusing.

Overall this book was a fun read. The characters are realistic and there is a clear development as the story moves on. The author uses a lot of imagery to help the reader see his world. My one qualm with the book would be that the author constantly uses sound effects. Here's an example:

"Tharoom...thud...tharoom... Walking the white fir was walking across a massive drum. Antonin's coach must have vied with the real thunder when it rumbled across his bridge...Tharummmm...
Creaaakkkk...The heavy wooden gate, set on massive bronze hinges, eased open even more widely as I watched."

Sometimes I felt like I might be reading this:

Okay, so the sound effects weren't that bad and overall I did really enjoy the book. The author definitely hooks you in and it is a very exciting adventure; however, I probably won't be reading any sequels.