Imager Portfolio Books In Order

Publication Order of Imager Portfolio Books

Chronological Order of Imager Portfolio Books

Imager Portfolio is a series of fantasy novels written by L.E. Modesitt Jr. The books follow the exploits of a young man who has the power to turn his imagination into reality.

+The Story

When some people think about the Imager Portfolio series, they automatically think of Rhenn, the protagonist of the first book. It isn’t until they read all the books in the Imager Portfolio series that they realize that L.E. Modesitt Jr.’s fantasy world actually has three protagonists.

It is easy to see why Rhenn stands out, though. After all, he is the first protagonist that readers meet. It isn’t that surprising that he would have the most lasting impact.

‘Imager’, the first book in the series, introduces audiences to the fictional world of Terahnar. Rhenn is a young man, the son of a powerful wool merchant that operates out of L’Excelsis, the capital of Solidar.

Solidar is the most powerful country in this fictional world. Rhenn’s father always hoped that he would take up the merchant game and follow in his footsteps. Unfortunately for him, Rhenn was born with the spirit of an artist.

By the time the Imager Portfolio series kicks off, Rhenn is on his way to achieving success as a master artisan. Things begin to really look up for him when he lands a master patron.

But then Rhenn’s world shatters when that master patron dies in a flash fire. And that is hardly the most shocking occurrence to assault the young man’s life. Rhenn also learns that he is an Imager, an individual that can make the things he visualizes a reality.

The country of Solidar isn’t especially friendly to Imagers. Their power is a fearsome force that can cause great destruction. Rhenn learns that if he wants to avoid the short life expectancies of Imagers in the capital, he must attend the Collegium of Imagisle, an institute that not only keeps society safe from the power of Imagers –and vice versa—but also trains them to use their powers.

The first three books in the series tell Rhenn’s story. They follow his journey as he transforms from a confused child to a powerful adult with a wife, children and powerful Imager abilities.

The meat of Rhenn’s story takes place during his days with the author’s version of the police. There he takes up arms and fights the criminal elements that seek to bring his nation to ruin.

Rhenn is paired with Seloria, his love interest and a co-protagonist that plays a significant role in Rhenn’s adventures.

Once Rhenn’s story closes out, the author changes gears and explores the adventures of Quaeryt. Books 4 to 8 take readers seven hundred years into the past, at a time when the world has been fractured into five continents.

Not only has the nation of Solidar not yet been formed but the Collegium of Imageisle is nonexistent. Imagers exist but they are not quite as widespread, primarily because tolerance for their existence is at an all-time low.

Quaeryt is a scholar with imager powers that he keeps a secret. A quiet, intelligent young man, Quaeryt’s story begins when the King of his nation sends him to investigate a disturbance in a distant land.

The undertaking is anything but simple and, despite his desire to live a simpler, scholarly life, Quaeryt is thrust into multiple conflicts. Along with his love interest Vaelora, Quaeryt rises through the ranks to become a significant figure in the history of Solidar that participates in the creation of those institutions that prove so crucial to Rhenn’s upbringing and maturation.

Quaeryt’s story leads almost seamlessly into the adventures of Alastar in book 9. Like books 4 to 8, book 9 is also a prequel to the Rhenn Trilogy, taking place in between the Quaeryt and Rhenn stories.

While the first two sagas are coming of age stories that follow the exploits of two young men as they come into their own, the Alastar saga has a protagonist already at the peak of his powers, a powerful imager that is brought onboard to sort out the chaos that has engulfed the Collegium.

The Imager Portfolio series has been praised for its detailed world building. L.E. Modesitt Jr takes great effort to explore the social, economic, political, and religious minutiae of Solidar.

However, this same strength is often the source of the criticisms that reviewers throw at these books. The author spends so much time building his world that it kills the pace of his stories.

Some of the author’s fans have admitted to liking the Imager Portfolio books more for their wonderfully fantastical world than the author’s plots and stories.

+The Author

Leland Exton Modesitt Jr attended Williams College in Massachusetts. He worked a litany of jobs early in his life from flying planes in the Navy to delivering packages and even dabbling in real estate.

This isn’t even taking into account his efforts in the political arena. The author is best known for the ‘Recluse’ series of novels. When Leland isn’t writing novels, he is contributing articles, technical studies, and poems to various publications.

+Imager

Rhenn was born to a powerful wool merchant in the capital of Solidar. He shouldered expectations of going into the merchant business but Rhenn ultimately decided to become a journeyman artist.

Rhenn knows his worth. He is skilled enough to warrant the status of a master artisan. And with the help of his master patron, he believes that he is guaranteed a bright future.

Rhenn’s prospects change when his master patron dies and he discovers that he is an imager. He has the power to take things from his imagination and make them a reality.

Rhenn is forced to leave everything he knows, his friends and family, to join the Collegium, an institute that will train him in the use of his powers whilst also protecting him from the paranoia of society.

+Imager’s Challenge

Rhenn’s actions in ‘Imager’, the first book, were brave but they also succeeded in catapulting him into the public spotlight, an outcome most imagers would rather avoid.

Now, still recovering from his injuries, Rhenn has joined the Civil Patrol, a law enforcement agency, as a liaison. Unfortunately for Rhenn, the Civil Patrol commander doesn’t want anything to do with the infamous Collegium and its imagers, and it isn’t long before he has Rhenn discarded to the worst district in the city.