Tuning the Symphony Review
Tuning the Symphony by William C. Tracy is primarily fantasy novel with some aspects of the Sci-fi genre. In its world, various species across worlds have joined together through magic. This magic is based through connecting with the Symphony of the universe. Not every majus connects the same: there are different houses of magic that hear and utilize the Grand Symphony in their own unique way.
A potential profession of a magic user is that of psychology. That profession is what the protagonist, Rilan, aspires to be. Rilan at the start of the novel is about to ascend from apprentice to fully fledged majus. She endures trials, competing against Vethis, an elitist apprentice she has contempt for as he is of a higher social standing and holds it above others. Although the worlds of the universe are connected through the Grand Symphony and magic, schisms of old remand. Classism and xenophobia are still alive and well.
But the novel doesn’t primarily dwell on those themes. They are lurking off to the side but it’s mostly about magic and people trying to abuse it. The plot feels like it could have been broken into two distinct parts, instead it sort of just flows and it feels a little bit strange.
But that didn’t bother me that much as I was really enjoying what was going on. The pace was breezy and things were introduced at a comfortable pace. Getting a feel for the world as a treat and I loved the inclusion of artwork of the characters. It helped me visualize the aesthetic and the images were by themselves gorgeous.
The characters were on the flatter side, though. I wished there was more personally about them. Like I wanted a deeper feel into their being. I was left wanting. I want more of them. So the novel really enticed me in that sense.
That it did make me desire more of this world means that Tuning the Symphony was a novel that I enjoyed. So I would definitely recommend it for fantasy fans. The world was intriguing and it was a real page turner for me. Try it out!
