In Imager, the first book of the Imager Portfolio, we met Rhennthyl, an apprentice portrait artist whose life was changed by a disastrous fire. But the blaze that took his masterβs life and destroyed his livelihood revealed a secret power previously dormant in Rhenn; the power of imaging, the ability to shape matter using thought. With some trouble, he adapts to the controlled life of an imager.
By Imagerβs Challenge, Rhenn has become a liaison to the local law forces. He finds himself in direct conflict with both authorities and national politics as he tries to uphold the law and do his best by the people of his home city.
Now, in Imagerβs Intrigue, Rhenn has come into his own. He has a wife and a young child, and a solid career as an imager. But he has made more than one enemy during his journey from apprentice painter to master imager, and even his great powers wonβt allow him to escape his past.
From Publishers Weekly
The third volume in the Imager Portfolio series (after 2009's Imager's Challenge), set in a fantasy world with an early modern feel, follows powerful imager Rhennthyl as he polices the streets of L'Excelcis. Though rarely called on to use his power to imagine things into being, its mere existence serves to intimidate those around him as Rhenn investigates a bank scam and a powerful, deadly drug. His cases inevitably dovetail and soon political intrigue and mystery vie with his family for his attention. Even as it becomes clear that Rhenn and all the imagers are under attack, he realizes he can't trust his colleagues. Lengthy discussions and tedious recounting of Rhenn's daily habits alternate with fast-paced action, but fans of the series will enjoy seeing Rhenn come into his own as a husband and father.
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From Booklist
The third novel in the Imager Portfolio picks up about five years after the end of Imager's Challenge (2009). Rhennthyl and Seliora are married and have a small daughter, and Rhennthyl has proven to be an effective patrol captain as well as a strong imager. But problems are increasing: a new addictive drug is destroying more people faster, including a member of Rhenn's family, mysterious explosions rock the city of L'Excelsis, and the country's most powerful enemy is expected to go to war any day. Then one night Imagisle itself is fired on. The death of two senior Masters leaves Rhennthyl one of the most powerful imagers in the countryβand possibly that country's only hope of avoiding defeat. Modesitt has drawn a superb portrait of an honest and powerful man handed a crisis that even he may not be able to handle. Surrounded by overly rigid customs, too many unanswered questions, and just plain greed, he must change Solidar and the College of Imagers if both are to survive. This is an extremely satisfying conclusion to the Imager Portfolio, but given the problems facing Rhenn at the end of the novel, Modesitt fans will be pleased and not surprised if we see more of Rhennthyl in the future. --Frieda Murray