Customer Reviews

The Inquisitor's Apprentice

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Picture Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars... Now plop them into New York City, make the Irregulars into a rich girl and a poor Jewish boy, and add a generous dose of magic. Nope, still not a good enough analogy. But it leads you in the right direction, where you'll find Sacha Kessler, a boy from an alternate version of New York's Lower East Side in the days of Thomas Edison, who is a key character in the story.

Chapter One is titled with precision: "The Boy Who Could See Witches." When Sacha blurts out that he can actually see the magic created by Mrs. Lasscha in her bakery, he is caught by a New York Police Department Inquisitor, who proceeds to recruit him. Not that he has much choice! Sacha has to take an IQ (Inquisitorial Quotient) test, which confirms his magical ability. Sacha finds himself apprenticed to an odd, colorful detective named Maximillian Wolf.

Moriarty's premise and world building are utterly delightful. The first few chapters give us a wonderful Jewish neighborhood in a magical late nineteenth-century New York City. There's Sacha's uncle the anarchist and the neighbors who share a flat with Sacha's family: Mrs. Lehrer spends years sewing her savings into the lining of a coat. The baker, Mrs. Lassky, makes mildly bespelled pastries such as "Deliciously Efficacious Knishes...guaranteed to get any girl married within the year." The Wobblies are the Industrial Witches of the World, and the villain of the tale is a scarcely disguised Robber Baron, J.P. Morgaunt, while Sacha's fellow apprentice is gutsy Lily Astral (nice play on the name Aster!).

Then there's the shadowy figure who seems to be following Sacha... what does he want?

Sacha's family is proud of him for getting such a good job, and Sacha tries to focus on learning everything he can from the surprising Inquisitor Wolf. He also begins to tolerate and then appreciate Lily, who is tougher than she looks.

The mystery the team is trying to solve has to do with an attempt on Thomas Edison's life, but that winds up being only a small part of a much more complex and devious plan. Moriarty's plot takes a couple of surprising turns as the story progresses, working its way up to a highly dramatic climax involving Houdini.

The Rag and Bone Man, Hexers, and dybbuks mix it up with other strange magical influences and famous figures (slightly revised) in this well-written, satisfying historical fantasy. (Be sure and watch for an appearance by Teddy Roosevelt.) Although the plot wraps up nicely, we are left with a dark glimpse of the next book. I can't wait to read the sequel!

I was thrilled with the world Chris Moriarty created in The Inquisitor's Apprentice -turn of the century New York City where all sorts of magic flourishes secretly amongst its citizens.

In this New York City, each immigrant group (the Chinese, Italians, Irish, Jewish, etc.) has its own special brand of magic brought over from the Old World and tied to their cultures. But witchcraft is not only confined to immigrant magic; there are also Wall Street Wizardry of the likes of Vanderbilt and J.P. Morgan, as well as of the scientific kind like Edison's. And then there are the regular magicians like Houdini, who practice making magic look artificial and thus acceptable. However, although this world is full of witchcraft, the Inquisitor's office exists to keep its citizens from practicing it.

I like how Moriarty contrasts these different magical groups and their treatment, whether criminalized or protected, to parallel the real plights of immigrants of that era within a magical context: class division, prejudices, economic hardships, labor disputes.

The most colorful parts of this novel, the ones I loved the best, dealt with Sacha's family of poor Jews living in the Lower East Side. His grandpa, the Rabbi; his hardworking father; the strong and loving mother; the feisty sister were the most vibrant characters in the novel. The Inquisitor's Apprentice is full of rich Jewish folkore, mysticism, and cultural details. I could practically smell the onion bialys and the rugelach wafting over from the Lower East Side as I read this book. (And salivating, mind you). The integration of Kabbalist beliefs, the Jewish legend of the dybbuk (a demon), along with other Edison's soul catcher and other sorcery at work made this fictional New York City a very enchanting one.

"'...the assassin was no ordinary killer. It was a dybbuk.'

'Sacha's blood ran cold in his veins at the sound of the word dybbuk. What madman would set a dybbuk loose in New York? A dybbuk was the most terrifying creature in all of Jewish magic. It was hunger incarnate. It devoured souls and grew fat on shadows. The crowded warrens of New York's tenements harbored more souls--and more shadows--than any place on earth."

The Inquisitor's Apprentice is a fantasy set in an alternate New York in the early 20th century. Magic has been added to New York's melting pot with each ethnic group bringing its own type to the mix. The main character is a "nice Jewish boy" Sacha Kessler, who discovers he can "see" magic. This discovery leads to an apprenticeship with famous inquisitor Maximilian Wolf. Another new apprentice, Lily Astral, daughter of one the richest families in the city, and Wolf's secretary Philip Payton round out their team.

On Chris Moriarty's website for the book she states that she created this book for her son because she couldn't find a fantasy series with a Jewish hero for him to read. Isn't that the best gift ever! I wish someone would write a book series for me!

I am neither Jewish nor a New Yorker but I really enjoyed the first book in this series. I loved Sacha and his determination to take care of his family at all costs. You can't help but root for a character like that.

In fact I loved all the characters in The Inquisitor's Apprentice. They are quirky, endearing or in some cases creepy. And Moriarty's city of New York seems to be the most appealing character of all with its mix of ethnic groups, magic, and antiquated technology. I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series.

This is the beginning of a series, and while well-written and interesting, it might be best to wait for the second book before investing too much energy in the characters or story.

First, I'm giving this four stars exclusively on the writing and imagination. Chris Moriarty did a great job at creating an 'alternate' New York City, and those with a decent understanding of history will notice a lot of obvious - and subtle - differences. Thomas Edison for example, the famed inventor in real life, is actually a bit of a villain in this series, although more misguided than anything else.

The main character, Sacha, is an insecure Jewish boy, matched with Lily Astral (as in, Astor). Moriarty also does a good job of making Sacha's Jewish faith and upbringing a pivotal part of the narrative. Too often books like this make a few passing nods to personality traits without making them important aspects. The ethnic neighborhoods of 1890's NYC are brought to clear and vivid life. I would not say it's educational or anything, but it gives the characters a true canvas to live and operate within.

However...

The truth is not much actually happens in the story. Everything feels very much like a set-up for the books to come. The relationships between both heroes and villains are only slightly established by the end, and while that means Book 2 can begin in a much smoother way that means this book takes a long time to get going.

Only by the very, very end does Sacha seem to become a character worth rooting for. For the most of the book he is an insecure little boy, but not in a root-for-the-underdog way, but in a 'dang, kid, let's get it together' way. Maybe that was the author's intention - but if so, it didn't work for me.

And, it is a kid's book. I'm not sure what kid (or, in fact, most adults) who is going to appreciate the esoteric NYC references. So if you get it, it's funny, but if you don't, it won't make any sense at all.

So, it's great writing and I think once it gets another book or two behind it, the reader can go right into the next one with the background of the characters properly established. But to read 300 pages as a prologue, with no immediate next chapter, is a bit much to ask a young reader.

From CyberMom--

What if the Wizards of Wall Street were really wizards? What if Thomas Edison, in addition to inventing electrical lights, invented a machine to record souls? What if the famous NYPD had a special branch for magical law enforcement?

Young Sasha, son of a Russian Jewish immigrant family, living on Hester Street, and Lily, daughter of one of the oldest and wealthiest New York families, living on "millionaire's row," are thrown together as apprentices of Inquisitor Maximilian Wolf in the early twentieth century New York Police Department. The story, narrated from Sasha's point of view, takes the reader on a tour of a New York that might exist in a parallel universe to our own. The landmarks, the famous personalities, the immigrant communities, all are there, but each has a twist. And Sasha becomes part of an investigation to discover the origins of a dark magic which seems to point to his own family...

American fans of wizardry will find this a good read, as will young people interested in the history of the early 20th century. A quick review of the real-world history of New York city will probably enhance their enjoyment considerably. Highly recommended for those enjoy a magical mystery.

I read a lot of children's books last year, upwards of 200...this was one of my favorites...

At the turn of the century in a very different New York city from the one on our Earth: Sacha Kessler is glad he made it through his bar mitzvah without showing any signs of magic. His grandfather is a rabbi and an expert on Kabbalah...but then Sacha SEES magic as its being cast, and he's recruited to be an Inquisitor's Apprentice (the magical wing of the NYPD). Sacha and rich Lily Astral both are assigned to Inquisitor Wolf who has quite the reputation. They investigate attacks on the inventor Edison at the behest of Morgaunt, the richest and most powerful man in New York, maybe the country. There are also attacks that appear to be perpetrated by a dybbuk. Sacha might be a wizard in the making...and he saves the day (with a bit of help) narrowly escaping Morgaunt's machinations...but can he escape the dybbuk?

Full of wonderfully descriptive writing, this book brings to life a New York that never existed but which feels totally real. The characters are memorable and well-rounded and true to their milieu. This is a page-turning adventure story that while fast-paced, suspenseful, unpredictable, and full of quirky humor invites readers to contemplate prejudice, ethics, immigration, classicism, gender stereotypes, and race in a totally inoffensive and age-appropriate manner.

It's sort of like The Prestige mixed with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) mixed with the Disney musical Newsies, but with more Jewish characters. Its protagonist is 13-year-old Sacha Kessler, who lives in the tenements, circa 1900, with his parents, his rabbi grandfather, his uncle and his sister Bekah. Magic is technically illegal in America, but still widely practiced, and one day Sacha learns he can see magic. This rare talent leads to his new job as an inquisitor's apprentice, learning the trade of detecting magical crimes. As an apprentice to Inquisitor Wolf, the most highly respected man in New York's magical law enforcement community, Sacha meets his fellow apprentice, Lily Astral, a society girl who prefers Yankees games to high tea. Wolf, Sacha and Lily are soon thrown into a high-profile crime: shortly after publicly accusing Harry Houdini of using real magic in his stage act, Thomas Edison is the victim of an attempted murder. This amusing alternate-history murder mystery with its likable pair of protagonists and wonderful old-fashioned setting is crying out for a sequel. Fortunately, according to Chris Moriarty's InquistorsApprentice.com website, it's only the first in a series of five.

13 year-old Sacha Kessler is a nice Jewish boy growing up in a Jewish slum of Lower East Side New York in the 1800's. Old World magic clashes with American technology and is "technically" outlawed, although most housewives are all too happy to turn a blind eye to the occasional spell that might make their household chores a little easier. Sacha has a super-rare ability to see magic (it is invisible to most) and as such, gains a high-prestige job with the Inquisitors, New York's anti-magic squad run by brilliant, laconic detective Maximilian Wolf.

This is clearly a parallel world to our own, with the wealthy Astor family renamed "Astral", "Morgaunt" instead of J.P. Morgan, "Pentacle Shirtwaist Factory," instead of Triangle Shirtwaist Factory and so on. I loved the "lie detector test" - conducted by bored clerical assistants who perfunctorily use their magic ability to determine the truthfulness of statements from petty criminals in downtown lock-up. The whole world seems well thought out, with robber barons hoping to stamp magic out for their own gain. Sacha's large, poor, but loving family who live crammed in a tiny tenement apartment seem especially well fleshed out. The book felt like Sydney Taylor's All-of-a-Kind-Family meets Sam Spade with a dash of magic thrown in.

Plenty of real historical figures including Thomas Edison and Houdini make important cameos in this book. Sacha is embarrassed by his family's low means, and is caught in a web of lies - it takes pushy fellow apprentice Lily Astral and Wolf's patience to finally bring Sacha out of his shell. What he hasn't been able to admit to them is that he is being stalked by a dybbuk - a malevolent spirit who appears as his doppelganger and hopes to slowly rob his life from him.

Readers who enjoy historical fantasy, especially books like Patricia Wrede's Frontier Magic series will enjoy this fast-paced, magical detective story. There are enough loose ends to leave plenty of room for a sequel, or even a series.

This one is going into the Channukah basket for every one of my 8-13 year old nephews. Moriarty has written what could be the next Harry Potter or Hunger Games, if the series gets developed right. Even though the main character is Jewish, and has a lot of New York and Jewish cultural references, I think that it will have a lot of cross-cultural appeal even to people outside New York. There's also both a male and a female lead character, so I think nieces might appreciate it too... mine are just too young.

The language is perfect for a young teen or even someone coming close to double digits. It's not nearly as long as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which is good because it's not scary, but at the same time, doesn't give nearly as much room to paint the detailed picture that JK Rowling did. There's little to no violence, no foul language, and even though there are two murders in the course of the book, they're not actually depicted, and are - if I recall correctly - bloodless. Nothing close to the emotional trauma of even knowing that Harry Potter's lost his parents. I can't imagine this getting anything other than a G rating. There's also very little romance, though the posibility for it is there in the interesting relationship between the two main characters.

As an adult reading a kids book, it was interesting to see a lot of current themes in the book in addition to magic, most notably a rich/poor dichotomy as well as an anti-corporate/anti-banker theme (JP Morgaunt, an alternate version of JP Morgan, is a major "evil" character in the book). It was particulary interesting to read just a few hundred yards from the Occupy Wall Street site. It's also great that the book includes historical settings such as Coney Island and lower east side tenements, and characters based on major historical figures like Teddy Roosevelt and Thomas Edison.

This is more of an pilot/origins story, setting up a longer series, than it is a self contained book. The biggest difference between this book and something like the Hunger Games is that it doesn't stand on its own nearly as well. I might have preferred to see a bit of a longer book with more of an exciting initial story, but I'll be sorely disappointed if no more get printed, because it really set up a good cast of characters, in an interesting setting. The best characters are actually some of the supporting comical relief in Sacha's family, including one who refuses to believe in the existence of Brooklyn, and a rabbi who makes a prayer of "Blessed is G-d who took us out of Egypt...but what have you done for us lately???" I can imagine that some people might be offended by that sort of thing, but apparently I find blasphemy hilarious.

This is full of sparkling fun that will keep you entertained as you whip thru the pages letting your mind consider what COULD happen next..... enjoy *smile