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A review by libra17
Agents of Artifice by Ari Marmell
4.0
Great Introduction
Agents of Artifice is a great introduction to the more recent storylines and characters of Magic: The Gathering. In it, we're introduced to Jace, Liliana, and Tezzeret, all of whom go on to play major roles in subsequent stories.
I really only have one big gripe about this book: there are references to Jace's origin that are (I think?) no longer considered canon by Wizards of the Coast. Everything else I've read regarding Jace's past/origin uses the origin given by Absent Minds (a short story posted to the Magic Story Archive on Wizard's website in 2015) and the follow up given in The Flood (a chapter in the Rivals of Ixalan block posted to the Magic Story in 2018). The origin referenced in Agents of Artifice and the origin given in Absent Minds/The Flood are pretty much opposites, and it is confusing that the noncanon (?) one is referenced in a fair amount of detail in two scenes here. I realize this is on the later authors - Agents of Artifice was published in 2009 - who should have used this book as a starting point, but the fact remains that somebody at Wizards decided rewriting Jace's origin was wanted/necessary and gave it the go-ahead. As an ebook, it wouldn't be that much trouble to update the book to make the lore internally consistent and both of those could be either cut or rewritten to keep their plot-bearing parts intact while excising the noncanon (?) bits, and I don't understand why this wasn't done.
That being said, I otherwise enjoyed the book and I'm looking forward to reading the other Planeswalker books.
Agents of Artifice is a great introduction to the more recent storylines and characters of Magic: The Gathering. In it, we're introduced to Jace, Liliana, and Tezzeret, all of whom go on to play major roles in subsequent stories.
I really only have one big gripe about this book: there are references to Jace's origin that are (I think?) no longer considered canon by Wizards of the Coast. Everything else I've read regarding Jace's past/origin uses the origin given by Absent Minds (a short story posted to the Magic Story Archive on Wizard's website in 2015) and the follow up given in The Flood (a chapter in the Rivals of Ixalan block posted to the Magic Story in 2018). The origin referenced in Agents of Artifice and the origin given in Absent Minds/The Flood are pretty much opposites, and it is confusing that the noncanon (?) one is referenced in a fair amount of detail in two scenes here. I realize this is on the later authors - Agents of Artifice was published in 2009 - who should have used this book as a starting point, but the fact remains that somebody at Wizards decided rewriting Jace's origin was wanted/necessary and gave it the go-ahead. As an ebook, it wouldn't be that much trouble to update the book to make the lore internally consistent and both of those could be either cut or rewritten to keep their plot-bearing parts intact while excising the noncanon (?) bits, and I don't understand why this wasn't done.
That being said, I otherwise enjoyed the book and I'm looking forward to reading the other Planeswalker books.