Customer Reviews

The Magic Thief: Lost

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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

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.

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.

Magician's apprentice Connwaer has odd ideas about magic that have gotten him in trouble. Not that he minds being in trouble. But dark forces are attacking their city and Connwear and Rowan need to get to the bottom of things.

This book might be the second in the series, but it stands completely on its own! The young orphan Conn, previously of Twilight and presently living with his mentor wizard at Heartsease (I love the names!) has lost his locus magicalicus, which allowed him to use the magic. This leaves him in limbo - not really an apprentice any longer, and no longer wanting to return to the streets of Twilight. His belief that the magic is a living thing, able to speak to him, does not endear him to the rest of the wizards either, though his mentor almost believes him. When Conn uses pyrotechnics to try and speak to the magic, he gets more than he bargained for: not only does the magic shout him a warning, but he also manages to practically blow himself up, and is exiled for his trouble. Conn must journey away from his home and discover to not only restore his honor, but save the magic of his home.

This book is fun from beginning to end. Sarah Prineas has built a world that completely absorbs the reader, and the characters are like old friends even though you've just met. Original and inventive use of fantasy conventions make this story move along without bogging down in details, and the book's pages practically turn themselves. The fun use of her own made-up rune language will have you deciphering the secret messages throughout, which adds to the magic of this book.

You do not need to have read the first book to enjoy this one, but you probably will WANT to once you are finished. Fun for any age!

Ever since wizard apprentice and former thief Conn destroyed his locus magicalicus saving the city of Wellmet's magic, he's been banned from lessons and shunned by all the wizards except his master, Nevery.

No one believes his theory that the magic is a living being. As shadowy beings stalk Wellmet and attack its residents, Conn becomes desperate to communicate with the magic again. But his experiments with pyrotechnics cause a disaster so great he is exiled from Wellmet.

Outside the city, Conn steals a place on a envoyage to a distant city he suspects may be involved in Wellmet's troubles. Along the way he makes new friends and new enemies, and discovers a threat far greater than he ever imagined. Even Conn's great skills of stealth and thievery may not be enough this time.

Fans of THE MAGIC THIEF will love returning to Conn's world and joining him on his continuing adventures. Conn comes off at times more subdued than in the first book, but overall he has the same straight-forwardly charming voice. Minor characters from the first book have their roles expanded, making up for the fact that the wonderful Nevery and Benet are left behind for many chapters.

It's a delight seeing the world further explored and learning all the new and intriguing details about how it works. The enemy Conn faces is truly frightening and unexpected, and the stage is well set for the trilogy's concluding book.

Recommended for all fantasy readers - though of course it's most enjoyable if you've read the first book already.

Reviewed by: Lynn Crow

This book continues where The Magic Thief left off. Former "gutterboy" and wizard-in-training, Connwaer, has lost his locus magicalicus, his wizard's stone. Without a locus stone, wizards, as a rule, can't perform magic. But Conn was never one to follow the rules.

Conn comes to believe that the magic of the city of Wellmet is a living being, an idea that is met by derision from the wizarding establishment. Furthermore, the magic seems to have a job for Conn to do in order to save the city of Wellmet from a malevolent force that threatens its inhabitants. Without his locus stone, however, he can't communicate with the magic. Or can he?

Conn hears faint whispers during explosions, which he believes are attempts by the magic to communicate with Conn. His attempts to hear more, by producing more explosions, have disastrous consequences. Ultimately, Conn must travel to the desert city of Desh to discover the source of the disturbances in Wellmet.

The action is relentless. Conn seems to find himself in deeper and deeper trouble, much of it his own doing. It all builds up to his confrontation with Jaggus, the sorcerer-king of Desh. The ending is satisfying, but incomplete, as the way is left open for the next book in the series.

Some of the characters seem standard-issue, like Nevery, the gray-bearded mentor-wizard and Rowan, the spunky daughter of the Duchess who befriends Conn. Others are more interesting, especially Benet, the knitting, muffin-baking burly bodyguard.

The use of language is playful, with twists on familiar words. For example, slowsilver and darksilver, important elements of magic, play on quicksilver, another name for the element mercury. Tourmalifine, another magical element sounds almost, but not exactly, like the gemstone tourmaline. At times, the language is almost musical, from the crinch-crunch of footsteps on gravel to the clickety-tickety-tick of Benet's knitting needles.

What was most appealing to me was the exceedingly likable narrator, with a perfect balance between naïveté and intuitive wisdom. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of Conn's belief that magic is a living being with his descriptions of his own feelings. He's connected with magic, yet his own body seems unfamiliar, apart, and at times inanimate. Hunger gnaws at him "with little sharp teeth." When he leaves the protection of Wellmet and experiences his first head cold, "the inside of my neck hurt and my head felt watery and strange, like it was going to fall off and roll across the ground."

With its delightful prose, edge-of-your-seat plot, and appealing protagonist, The Magic Thief: Lost was an enjoyable read. I look forward to its sequel, The Magic Thief: Found and to even more from this talented author.

A highly enjoyable continuation of the events of the first book, expanding the cast of characters, the scope of the world, and the complexity of the plot.

Some of my favorite bits:

Conn and his understated personality. He keeps so much inside, but there's just enough insight that I felt for him greatly, particularly at a certain point midway through when some very bad things happen, and at the end. There was one paragraph at the end that just got me in the heart, because the whole book had (at least in my mind) built up to it. I love that!

Rowan. I enjoyed getting to see more of her and (because I am a romantic sap) I am already eagerly anticipating how the relationship between she and Conn will develop in future books as she and Conn get a little older. Especially with Argent in the mix (I was very glad to see Rowan already putting Argent in his place though, heh).

The underlying mystery. I'm intrigued by the way magic seems to work in this series and particularly Conn's relationship to the magic of Wellmet and the various animals that are associated with the magics. I am looking forward to learning more about what is really going on in book 3. Also, the dragons!

This was a sequel to the Magic Thief. It will not be nearly as good if not read after that book. In fact, if you have read the first book, it might help to re-read it before you pick up this one, as there were some bits where I had to remember very hard what had happened in the first book. The first book has Con save the city. (okay, first he steals something from a magician, and becomes sort of an apprentice, and gets magic classes and *then* saves the city. But the important bit for the next book (well, I suppose other than all the rest of it) is that he saves the city, and in doing so he loses his means of doing magic.)

So, this book, MT:L, starts off with Conn trying to find ways to do magic, or at least communicate with what he thinks was communicating with him before. And since he believes that the magic was talking to him in an explosion before, he decides this will be a good place to start. Things go boom, things fall down, he discovers a plot that he thinks traces back to a neighboring city, more things fall down (I think--I may be getting my things fall down out of order), and he is kicked out of the city.

This book was a lot more about growing up than the first one. Conn has to make a lot of very hard decisions in the book, particularly about doing things which will get him in trouble, but may save the city. And there were a lot of places where he could have faltered over the decisions he had to make--the right thing for the city vs the safe thing for himself, for example. The fact that he never has to--and it never feels wrong--is a testament to the clarity of his character, I think, and one of the reasons I deeply loved this book.

Also, unlike the last one, I went to the trouble of translating the notes at the bottom of the messages and journal pages. They're not necessary for the story, but they add nice little hints of emotion to it, and are easy to translate (by the end of the book, I could read boy and at least one other word without looking them up).

"The lizards are watching."

Written in Wellmet's Runic Alphabet, author Sarah Prineas penned this coded message beneath her signature of my signed copy of THE MAGIC THIEF - LOST, the second in the series. This is but one example of the creative, personal touches readers will find throughout her novels: From her unique writing style, to the recipes in the back for Benet's Biscuits.

Enter a world where wizards rely on a living-magic power source and locus magicalicus stones to cast their spells and protect their cities. Connwaer, a wizard's apprentice, thief, and master lock picker, needs a new locus stone (having lost his in book one) to speak to the magic. Until then, he uses pyrotechnics to hear the magic murmur, despite Master Nevery's warnings. With each explosion the magic warns of a threat to Wellmet, and all he holds dear. THE MAGIC THIEF - LOST takes Connwaer out of the only place he's known, to the city of Desh where he must use his wits and will to save the people and the city he loves.

Sarah mixes a pinch of the familiar with equal parts original and extraordinary, creating this wonderful story of magic, belonging, adventure, and friendship. Nothing simply moves, it: jink-clink-kajink, tap-taps, shuffs, or scritch-scritches. The main character, Conn, so consistently honest, even when it is to his disadvantage, breaths freshness and humor into this story.

But it was the number of twists, dangers, and precarious situations Conn finds himself in that had my mouth dropping with each turn of the page. I thought, this has to be the low point for Conn, surely things will start to turn around for him, right? Not so. Again and again, trouble threatens to bury Conn until, honestly, I had no idea how he would ever get himself out from under. This, in combination with the vivid images of darkness, shadows, and the "dreaded magic" makes this tale one any lover of fantasy will stay up all night reading.