White Wolf has been alluding to the (somewhat ridiculous) term "Hedge magicians" for years, to distinguish these folks from True Mages. Finally they "clear it up." There's no real difference between the magic of a Sorcerer and that of an Awakened Mage. One is "linear" and the other is "affinative" (whatever THAT means.) Why then, if they cast the same spell, does a Mage incur paradox but a Sorcerer doesn't? Why wouldn't Mages study Sorcery, to have a few paradox-free tricks in their bag? The book even goes as far to claim that "trying to create divisions is a waste of time -- magicians have better things to do." Huh? The Order of Hermes NOT making divisions?

The second part of the book deals with Psychics -- neither Mages nor Sorcerors, who have powers markedly similar to Vampires (i.e. Obfuscate, Movement of Mind, etc.) I'm not sure how they connect to Mages or Sorcery, or if a connection was even intended.

Yet it's still a neat book. What's cool about Sorcerers is their independence -- no Traditions, no Ascension War, none of metaphysical pomp and circumstance of Mage. As far as magic goes, this IS your father's Oldsmobile: alchemy, hellfire, and broomsticks. But the system is coherent and interesting, and as a stand-alone game, Sorcerer might actually be fun.

This is a truly useful book. It describes Sorcerous societies and tells about the roll of Sorcerers in the World of Darkness. It now makes the distinctions between Sorcerers and Mages clear. One type of magic isn't necessarily more powerful than the other, yet the magic is learned differently: mages gain overarching understanding while Sorcerers gain their knowledge in a specific area a little bit a time. Best yet, the book can be used with any game just to give it a little extra flavor. Overall, if anyone is interested in Sorcery (or Linear Magic as the book calls it) or wants to add some extras to existing games, then this book is for you.

I frankly cannot understand how ANYONE could dislike this book. It is well laid-out, well-written, the rules are balanced nicely. Some of the skills are a bit lame, but that doesn't matter. It is an excellent book. I'd recommend you buy it.