L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

In 2114, a young astrophysicist is working not he far side of the moon, tending to some large telescopes, when she by chance finds a strange object at the far reaches of the solar system, heading inwards. At first they think it's a comet, but as it resolves, it's clear it's something else. At the same time, there are increasing tensions between the three powerful governments of the earth, which are being manifested by some arming of space. A young Noram space pilot is sent on a mission to the new object, in secret and arrives there before anyone else. He has a burgeoning relationship with the young physicist. His exploration of the object, as he follows its orbit towards and around the sun is the bulk of the book, as is the danger of war and conflict at the object.

It's a solid book, realistic, but in the end didn't add up to a lot for me. Modesitt's description of the Big Dumb Object are good, and cause quite a puzzle and a dramatic end. Of course a book like this owes something to Rendezvous With Rama (the great Big Dumb Object book); I liked the two main characters, and the author made you feel like you are with them.… (more)

While I enjoy the (some would say formulaic) nature of Modesitt's "Recluce" series, its clear to see why that and his one off science fiction is really his bread and butter.
Imager is supposed to be a brand new fantasy world/epic series. What it ultimately feels like is a low stakes knock-off of his own Recluce series. We lose the overarching themes of order, chaos, and balance with nature, the interplay between those concepts and 'good' and 'evil' and motivation, and are instead left with a world and magic that feels similar but stripped of anything approaching a thought provoking ideology. Even the magic feels the sames, but with essentially no risk/reward...no intrinsically limiting factors to the otherwise mad power fantasy of this entirely internal system of magic and imagination. I'm going to read the second book, just because I have it, but I would skip this series entirely.… (more)