One of my favorite things to do is sit back in my most comfortable chair and read books that are enjoyable in front of my fireplace. Recently I have been reading this interesting fictional book about an apprentice magician who becomes a powerful warrior. It’s set during a time when they didn’t use fancy HVAC systems. All they had were fireplaces as a means to keep warm during the cold seasons and they had to go swimming and enjoy cool breezes in the warm seasons. They had handmade fans and things of that nature, but definitely no thermostats to adjust to make the place cool. I think the most fascinating thing about the book is the battles that happen. You have all these soldiers going out to fight, and when they get into the heat of battle, it’s a guarantee to lose a lot of lives. There are victories, but certain devastating losses. In some cases there were prisoners. In this book, the apprentice magician was captured by the enemy and turned into a slave. It was a very interesting way of how he made his way through slavery. He managed to survive by not causing problems and obeying orders. There was no reason for him to believe he would ever get out of that life or even live long, but for him there was something of a miracle. He was recognized by the son of the King to have some sort of value. He learned their language and he was able to teach them the ways of their enemy, but he held back as much information as he could manage without being put to death. Ultimately, he was recognized for his talents as a magician and put into a higher office. That’s as far as I have gotten into this book series so far.