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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Magic Thief has the makings of a new children's fantasy classic, October 5, 2009
This review is from: The Magic Thief: Lost (Hardcover)
The first book in The Magic Thief fantasy trilogy ended with apprentice magician Connwaer losing his splendid locus magicalicus (or "magic stone") during his battle to rescue the living magic that protects the city of Wellmet. This second installment in the series picks up where its predecessor left off, with Conn desperately seeking a new locus magicalicus to communicate with Wellmet's magic. Unfortunately, no one believes Conn when he insists that the magic is a living being, and magical incantations are merely words spoken in the being's own language.
Meanwhile, Wellmet is under attack by a band of mysterious and deadly Shadowmen whose very touch brings instant paralysis and death. Who has sent them? What do they seek? Conn thinks Wellmet's magic may know the answers to these questions, but he needs a magicalicus to facilitate a conversation between himself and the magical being of the city.
When his attempts to find a magicalicus prove to be unsuccessful, Conn hits upon a new and perilous way to communicate with the city's magic: pyrotechnics. However, the use of pyrotechnics within the city walls is strictly forbidden. Indeed, that was exactly what had gotten Conn's master, the great wizard Nevery, temporarily banished from Wellmet more than 20 years before. Not only that, but a permanently gaping hole was left in the middle of Nevery's island home, Heartsease.
After an acquaintance's life is tragically claimed by the Shadowmen, Conn becomes increasingly desperate to learn who or what lies behind these deadly creatures. But Conn's frenzy to communicate with the magic drives him to ever more reckless measures, putting in peril the lives of those he loves most and eventually causing him to be banished from Wellmet to the exotic and dangerous desert land of Desh. In this thrill-a-minute ride of a book, we learn how the ever-capable Conn manages to discover the secret of the Shadowmen and outmaneuver those who would bring destruction to Wellmet. But will he ever be able to come home again?
The continual ratcheting up of tension throughout LOST (whenever you think that young Conn is in the worst trouble of his life, he quickly lands in more!) makes the mood more serious here than in the first installment. Conn himself is much more tense and subdued, showing less of the impishness that characterized him in THE MAGIC THIEF. The overall tone --- featuring the death of a character and the near-death of another important one --- is fairly somber for a children's book. However, the novel should be fine for the intended group (ages 10 and up). Although tinged with sadness and tension, there is nothing gory or gruesome here.
While the story itself is wonderful, the DVD-like extra features with which the book is jam-packed really make it a worthwhile purchase. LOST features stunning, pitch-perfect illustrations and cover art by Antonio Javier Caparo, inserts of letters from various characters, character guides to orient newcomers to the series, and even some recipes. There is something cozy and inviting to the feel of the book, and what is inside the covers lives up to any expectations one may have about it.
English professor and Tolkien expert Sarah Prineas has now given us two excellent adventures for kids and adults alike, grounded in the children's fantasy tradition and peppered with interesting characters and heart-stopping action. Her use of language is inventive and interesting without being distracting.
Although the storyline features the adventures of a young orphan wizard, the story calls to mind Oliver Twist more than it does Harry Potter. In any case, I find the trilogy to be just as entertaining as J. K. Rowling's series, and perhaps more tightly plotted. The Magic Thief has the makings of a new children's fantasy classic.
--- Reviewed by Usha Reynolds
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Magic Thief: Lost, August 7, 2009
This review is from: The Magic Thief: Lost (Hardcover)
The Magic Thief: Lost
by Sarah Prineas
In Sarah Prineas's fast-paced debut book, The Magic Thief, a crafty street urchin named Conn filches Nevery the Wizard's magic tool - his locus magicalicus - from his pocket yet survives. Intrigued, Nevery takes Conn in as his apprentice and ultimately Conn solves the mystery of Wellmet's weakening magic.
Prineas's equally exciting sequel, Lost, picks up a few months later. Here we once more meet up with Conn and Nevery the Wizard, as well as Benet, Nevery's muscle man (and perhaps Prineas's most unique character). We also become reacquainted with the duchess's daughter, Lady Rowan, and the sinister Shadow men, which turn people into stone.
Again, Wellmet's magic is waning and the Shadow men have returned with renewed strength. Having lost his own locus magicalicus, Conn must resort to pyrotechnics, or fireworks, to speak with the magic that has always protected Wellmet. Nevery warns Conn that pyrotechnics are dangerous and forbidden. After all, they damaged his home, Heartstease. Undaunted and desperate to communicate with the magic the only way he can, Conn perseveres until his hopes are literally blown to pieces and disaster ensues, injuring somebody near and dear to him.
As expected, the magisters of Wellmet banish Conn from the city and he sets off for the city of Desh in search of the source of Wellmet's weakening magic and the mystery of the Shadow men. He is not disappointed.
Lost is an equally fast-paced and exciting fantasy as The Magic Thief, albeit slightly darker. As a streetwise, rough-edged hero with a big heart, Conn makes an intriguing hero with a distinctive voice. Although gray bearded Nevery the Wizard is something of a stock character, he makes an apt mentor for Conn, and Lady Rowan, the duchess's daughter, serves as a strong-willed, sword-wielding foil for Conn.
The setting, an important element of a fantasy, is as dark, intriguing and fully realized as the the story's plot and characters.
Antonio Javier Caparo's small black and white illustrations complement the story's mysterious atmosphere. In addition, Prineas includes some of Benet's favorite recipes, a description of some of the characters and places in the story, some notes on sword craft and a key to the runic alphabet used occasionally throughout the story.
Lost is a well-conceived story and artfully designed book for middle grade kids that leaves some room for the final book in the trilogy. If it's anything like the first two, it's certain to be a bumpy and enthralling journey.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magic Magic Magic, February 13, 2010
This review is from: The Magic Thief: Lost (Hardcover)
I pre-purchased this book for my son after getting the 1st one for my son at a retail outlet. We read it together and id is totally engaging and a excellent read for any 8 year old. There wasn't one word that he didn't know the meaning of or couldn't figure out from the way it was used in a sentence.
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