ARS Magica [Hardcover]

Judith Tarr (Author), Dean Morrissey (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 210 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; Book Club (BCE/BOMC) edition (1989)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0012LKF4M
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,608,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have a lot of academic credentials (PhD from Yale, MA from Cambridge University, AB from Mt. Holyoke) and taught writing and Latin at Wesleyan University in Connecticut--before I ran away from it all to live on a mesa in Arizona. I breed and ride Lipizzan horses, read and study history (and make up my own alternate and fantastical versions), and write--novels, short stories, articles. I teach writing online (details at http://capriole.smoe.org) and blog on the livejournals as dancinghorse. My alter ego is author Caitlin Brennan, who also has a plog on amazon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Historical Fantasy, October 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Ars Magica (Mass Market Paperback)

Judith Tarr's Ars Magica is wonderful tale of a young monk in the 10th Century who learns the secrets of magic while rising in power and influence within the medieval Church. The mixture of fact (the main charecters are almost all versions of real people) and fantasy is well-developed, and the author's essay on the historical basis of her work is informative and fascinating. Fans of Tim Powers, another master of historical fantasy, may well find much to enjoy in this great novel.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Historical fiction, August 19, 2002

By 

Jeffrey Leeper "kem2070" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ars Magica (Mass Market Paperback)

If you don't read the author's note first, then you would think that this was a typical piece of fantasy. A boy shows a knack for magic, so he begins a long journey towards mastering the power. Along the way, he will meet a girl with similar abilities and will engage in the fight of his life. These are true, but the framework makes this an interesting read.

Judith Tarr did her research into the ancient days of the Catholic church and the Holy Roman Empire. The characters she chooses are Pope Sylvester and Emperor Otto. Each of these had rumors about them insinuating that they were practitioners of magic. Tarr takes this and posits "What if this were true?" Having an actual historical figure to borrow from adds a tinge of authenticity to the book.

At times, I feel that the narrative jumps a little bit. I don't know if Tarr was keeping to the history (for instance, perhaps no record exists of Sylvester at a certain age), or if she was try to keep the book flowing. I would have liked to know a little more about the school of magic he tried to found.

Nonetheless, this is a fairly good read. It is a quick book, so I would recommend reading this.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading For Late At Night, April 12, 2011

By 

Anthony Dunn "le Revenant" (Lubbock, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: ARS Magica (Hardcover)

"Ars Magica" is a strange little book, the tale of a sorcerer's apprentice who got far more than he bargained for. If you pick it up in daylight hours, you will find your mind wandering, unable to concentrate. Later, in the wee small hours of the night. you will take "Ars Magica" up again, when the house is silent. Then you will have a far different reading experience. You'll find yourself reading the beautiful poetic phrases aloud ---almost verse they are, almost an incantation of their own. As the story unfolds, you will be enfolded by it. You will believe that magic exists, the "Great Art" there for the taking, though perilous, perilous!

I will be searching for other books by Judith Tarr ---if I dare!