Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse [Hardcover]

Kaleb Nation (Author), Brandon Dorman (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–9—Bran Hambric is a foundling, left in a bank vault and taken in by Sewey and Mabel Wilomas, who live in the town of Dunce. In an effort to preserve the decency of the community, the town has banned even the mere mention of magic. During a harrowing accident involving a truck at the Duncelander Fair, Bran discovers that he is a mage. He also has to face the difficult truth that his mother was a mage as well as a criminal, in league with an underground group with a rather gruesome plan to overthrow the Mages Council. Bran discovers that people are trying to find him so that they can use him to help finish the job she started. This book is a clear reflection of the influence of the "Harry Potter" books on a new generation of writers. Sadly, the author's attempts at creative language and original ideas come across as silly. Nation creates a contemporary world that is a tool for social satire, but that feels flat and uninteresting. Beyond quirks of dialogue, he gives no real sense of who the characters really are, so it is difficult to have any empathy when they are injured or appear to have died.—Tim Wadham, St. Louis County Library, MO END

From Booklist

There’s much that 14-year-old Bran Hambric can’t explain about his life, beginning with why he has no memories that date before he was found in a bank vault at age six. Although he lives with the Wilomas family in Dunce, where magic is forbidden, Bran discovers that he possesses magical abilities, and with the help of an underground magical community, he begins to learn about his past, including difficult truths about his real family, as well as a dastardly plan that threatens himself and many others he cares for. Incorporating magic, mystery, suspense, and some violence, this hefty novel is virtually impossible to read without conjuring up Harry Potter, from the outsider protagonist who finds powers and faces hard choices to the self-centered Wilomas and Voldemort-like villain. Although the pace picks up after an initial slow start, the prose is sometimes dense, and the side stories (an oppressed gnome's plight, adult characters’ experiences) add intricacy but are occasionally distracting. Nonetheless, the abundant magical elements, unexpected plot turns, and light humor will likely attract H. P. readers. Grades 6-9. --Shelle Rosenfeld

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (September 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402218575
• ISBN-13: 978-1402218576
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #953,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When Kaleb Nation was twelve, he telephoned the editor of a major publisher to pitch a book idea... and got to talk with security instead. Unhindered by rejection, he continued to write, and on the third night of the third month in 2003 had a sudden idea for a novel. His debut, The Farfield Curse, was published on 9/9/09, and the sequel, The Specter Key, on 10/10/10, in the US, UK and Canada. One of his publishers is the same that had rejected him years before.

At 13, Kaleb hosted his first radio show, later launching his own nationally syndicated program in 2006 called The Top 5. Kaleb's show grew to be broadcast on FM, AM, Internet and Satellite radio stations in over 20 states and countries. Few of his affiliates realized he was recording the shows in his bedroom. In 2008, Kaleb left radio to focus on writing and viral media.

As a hub for his online audience, Kaleb launched YouTube.com/KalebNation. Kaleb's channel gathered over 69,000 subscribers and 20 million views, and continues to receive 700,000 - 1.5 million views a month. His videos have appeared on MTV, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post and more.

In his free time, Kaleb enjoys photography, making music and posting at Twitter.com/KalebNation. A homeschool graduate and a black belt in taekwondo, he lives in California and turned 22 in 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My 11 Year Old Son Loves 'Bran Hambric', September 9, 2009

By 

John Granger - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse (Hardcover)

My son Timothy, age 11, devoured a book this week, a magical mystery featuring a boy wizard written by Kaleb Nation, age 20. The book, Bran Hambric: The Fairfield Curse, was published in September, and, judging from sales and Timothy's enthusiasm about the book, I suspect we have, if not the "next Harry Potter" (how many times have we heard that prediction?), perhaps another Artemis Fowl or Percy Jackson. Which would be very good news indeed.

The recommended age range for the book is 9-12 so I thought you might be interested in Timothy's thoughts about the book which is touted as a book by a very young man. Timothy wrote the review as a Hogwarts Professor dot com guest post. He read all 464 pages of Bran Hambric in three days and has this to say:

Timothy's Bran Hambric Review

When I first saw the book, Bran Hambric, I did not think, frankly, that it was anything I would be interested in. But then, when I asked Dad what the book was about, he read the back cover to me and I was immediately curious. I mean who is not intrigued when they hear the questions, "What if Your Mother was a Criminal? What if Her Crime was Magic? What if Magic ran in the Family?"

So I started to read the book and found that it reminded me of Harry Potter, the books along with Redwall, Eragon, and Artemis Fowl, that I know best. In the beginning, for example, Bran's only parent dies, he has his mother's eyes, and Bran is taken into the care of two of the meanest people in the city. These parents give their greedy little children everything they wanted (except, of course, the MEGAMES MAXIMAS that Balder wanted so much). Bran can do magic, but he does not know it. Just like Harry, right?

In the second chapter, my Dad told me who he thought that the Shambles character would turn out to be. He was right, though I was surprised when it was revealed much later in the story (it wasn't obvious). I guessed correctly that there was something like a Horcrux in one of the major characters (I don't want to spoil the story for you) but when it turned out I was right, I confess I was still surprised, again.

The story, though, is not just Potter echoes like surprise identities and boy wizards.

The best part? The 'Missives of Magic.'

Netora the Physical, Comsar the Mental, Archon the Elemental, Illian the Illusional and Drimra the Mortal: these are the five Missives of Magic mentioned in Chapter 10 of Bran Hambric. Without giving too much away, each of the Missives is a certain type of magic.

If you have Netora magic, then you are master of things that can be touched. If you have Comsar magic, then you are master of the mind and can control other people. If you have Archon magic, then you can control the four elements; fire, water, earth and air (and as a favorite character says in Chapter 20, "Yes, always good to keep a flowerpot handy for the miniature tasks"). If you have Illian magic, then you have the power of illusions; you make images of yourself or of other people, but if you are Drimra, then you have the power over life and death and can place your very soul in another body. The variety of magic in Bran Hambric is unique and very well done, I thought.

Best, if you have all five kinds of magic, then you are more powerful than any of them. But with great power comes great hardship, as Bran finds out. Fortunately he has good friends like Adi, Astara and Polland. I enjoyed reading their conversations and about their adventures.

Do I look forward to the next book in the Bran Hambric series? Yes, I do. The first book was amazing; it was full of new friends, mages, magic books and much more. Some of the reasons that I would like to read the next book is to see what really happened to Baslyn and Shambles. Could anyone have survived the finish in Fairfield Tower? I would really like to find out, too, what the `S' on Astara's bracelet stands for. I'm assuming that it is not the first letter of her last name, as she thinks.

One of the many things that I like about this book are the "Forty Winks." I love their detecting powers that give them the ability to reveal things about the Mages (read the book to find out what!). When I first heard of the `Fairfield Curse,' I had two ideas of what it might be. The first idea was that it was a plague of some sort that would make you burst into flame or age really fast. The second idea was that it was a sentient being of fire, shadow and energy. What I did not guess it could be - was what it turned out to be! Kaleb Nation wrote a very satisfying and surprising conclusion.

I recommend Kaleb Nation's Bran Hambric to readers my age who like wizard stories and mysteries. A fascinating book filled with magic and mystery, Bran Hambric is guaranteed to cast a spell over you that you will never forget!

Timothy

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Brain Lair on Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse by Kaleb Nation, September 11, 2009

By 

Brainlair "KB" (Granger, IN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse (Hardcover)

Summary
Bran Hambric has no memory of his life before he was found in a locked vault in the bank at the age of 6. We catch up to Bran, 14, living with the Wilomas on Bolton Rd. Bran's not so much a son but closer to a servant. He lives with the Wilomas' and helps out his Accidental Dad, Sewey, with bank business. One night, while helping Sewey, Bran meets Shambles and starts on the journey to finding out who he really is.

My Thoughts
Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse has a very strong start. The prologue opens with action that pulls you into the mystery. Then we jump to Bran at home on the roof with Sewey. We meet Shambles who seems to know more about Bran than Bran himself. He has a sinister air about him and leaves behind a piece of paper that covers up as much as it uncovers.

Things slow down a little as we get into more of the story. We're introduced to Sewey, who found Bran, Mabel, his wife and their two spoiled children. Sewey is obviously "dimwitted" and is determined to find an outlawed gnome. Mabel is obsessed with cleanliness. Rosie, the maid, is stuck in what she sees as her heritage. Her family has always served the Wilomas family. We also meet a host of other characters - the good guys - Adi, Astara, and Polland as well as the bad guys - Joris and his gang. My main problem was the sheer number of characters. There were so many that none of them felt fully formed.

The action picks up again towards the end as we start pieceing together clues to Bran's past. We find out more about his mother and how Bran is tied to the things she'd been involved in. Bran discovers his talents and eventually uses them to great success.

I thought Kaleb's writing showed a sense of humor and creativity.

"What an odd and unusual notion...a store that sells nothing but books..." (105)

I admired the magical language he invented and enjoyed trying to figure out the translations.

"lite yirou diyestini lidea you...adni micagi geuida yirou wiya." (113)

17 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Boring and hard to get in to..., September 9, 2009

By 

Sarah Woodard (Bremerton, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse (Hardcover)

Bran Hambric was found locked in a bank vault at six years old, with no memory of his past. For years, he has lived with one of the bankers, wondering why he was left behind -- until one night, when he is fourteen, he is suddenly confronted by a maddened creature, speaking of Bran's true past and trying to kidnap him.
Bran finds that he is at the center of a plot which started years before he was even born: the plot of a deadly curse his mother created...and one that her former masters are hunting for him to complete.
Haunted by the spirit of his mother's master and living in a city where magic is illegal, Bran must undo the crimes of his past...before it is too late.
Bran Hambric reminded me a lot of Harry Potter. He is an orphan. He has magical powers, and has little knowledge about his parents. His personality was even similar. I am hoping that he develops away from that in future books. I really liked Astra and Adi. They were really interesting and I hope that they are in the book later on. The plot was pretty good. I liked it, but it was really slow until about halfway through and kind of hard to get in to. It was fairly original, but it reminded me a lot Harry Potter. It had very similar components. Nation's writing was pretty good. The style was fairly good. I think that this book would appeal more to Middle Grade readers, then Young Adult readers.