Customer Reviews

The Magic Thief

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Conn was just hoping for a few coins to buy food when he picked the pocket of the wizard who passed his alleyway. What he gets is an adventure far bigger than he could have imagined. The wizard, Nevery, takes an interest in Conn, and takes him in as a servant and then an apprentice. With regular meals, blankets to sleep under, and enough magical objects and lessons to keep Conn's eager mind occupied, the once-homeless boy couldn't be happier.

Unfortunately for Conn, nothing is as simple as it seems. Before he can truly become an apprentice, he must find his locus magicalicus (the stone which will focus his magical power) in a most unlikely place, convince Nevery that one of his fellow wizards is consorting with the city's cruel Underlord, and figure out why the city's magic is fading away--and how to save it--before the city dies from the lack of it. It's a terribly large task for a boy who has only just started learning his letters, but Conn is nothing if not resourceful.

THE MAGIC THIEF will pull readers in so completely that they'll have trouble setting the book aside. The details of the Victorian-esque world are so vividly drawn that readers will feel the chill of the icy winds and taste the buttery goodness of Conn's favorite biscuits. What makes the book particularly special is Conn himself. His voice is lively, with exactly the sort of street-smart practicality and frankness you'd expect from a boy who has spent most of his life on the streets. Despite his criminal background, Conn is good-hearted, and simply longs for a place where he can make something of himself.

Readers will sympathize with his struggle to prove himself to Nevery and the city's authorities, and appreciate his clear-headed thinking amid all the secrecy and scheming of the adults around him. The novel's conclusion is quite satisfying, while leaving lots open for the second book in the trilogy, which many will be clamoring to get as soon as they have finished this one. An all-round enjoyable read that easily stands out from the many fantasy novels on the shelves.

Reviewed by: Lynn Crow

THE MAGIC THIEF by Sarah Prineas is one of the most elegantly written and touching juvenile fantasy novels I've had the pleasure of reading to my ten year old in some time. The story centers around a young thief named Conn who pickpockets a locus magicalicus (a powerful stone that allows a wizard to unleash great magic) from an old wizard. The fact that Conn isn't struck dead at once interests the wizard enough to take him on as a servant. Conn says apprentice, but that's hardly the job he receives.

The old wizard is as disreputable in his own way as Conn is. Twenty years ago, Nevery was accused of attempting to kill the Duchess of Wellmet where Conn lives. Nevery was run out of town just ahead of the soldiers that would have doubtlessly hung him.

Now, twenty years later, Nevery is drawn back to the city because the magic that powers the place is mysteriously drying up. Nevery uses that predicament to leverage his own return and gets the Duchess to grant him amnesty for his past wrongs, even though he didn't try to kill her.

I love the way Prineas has Wellmet sectioned off into Twilight, Dusk House, Dawn Palace, and the other regions. Illustrator Antonio Javier Caparo's maps and drawings really established the tone well and led my son and me into a wonderful imaginary journey throughout the city. The place just feels real.

The relationship between the characters, though predictable because they are steeped in tradition, are even more wonderful because the reader knows what to expect. Prineas expertly moves those relationships along, teasing the reader with them. I kept wanting Nevery to acknowledge Conn as his apprentice for so long, then - when Conn was in such dire straits - I'd forgotten about it and Prineas delivered that so expertly that I knew it was coming and was so concerned about other things that I'd temporarily forgotten.

That relationship, that push/pull of wills and the need to understand each other, drives this book and I'm sure will drive the other two in this trilogy. The addition of Benet as the hired muscle and his - eventual - doting uncle role with Conn is amazingly portrayed as well.

I have to admit that the first few pages seemed to dawdle a bit, but this is a relatively big world to explore, and there's some history - particularly between the major players - that has to be revealed slowly. Prineas makes the whole thing play well, and it isn't long before she has everything up and running.

Along with all the mystery and intrigue, as well as the duplicitous and suspicious nature of the characters, the author also throws in one-liners that and humor that is to die for. One of the best scenes in the book was when Conn was captured by the duchess's guards, thrown into a prison cell, then lets himself out with his Lockpicking skills. Only to give himself away when he gladly hails Nevery, whom he hadn't expected to see at all.

When Prineas locks onto the final scenes of the book, about the last sixty pages so be prepared to keep reading for a bit, there's just no way to tear yourself free. My son and I were nailed to the pages, pushing way past our bedtimes as we finished up the last one hundred and forty pages in a reading marathon that had us hanging on by our fingernails.

THE MAGIC THIEF ends well, resolving several questions, but it raises several others that will keep my son and I anxiously awaiting the next installment. This is definitely a book to pick up for the kids to read over the summer, and you may find yourself chasing Conn and Nevery through Strangle Street and avoiding the Underlord's minions yourself!

I have never been able to "get into" the Harry Potter books. While the rest of the world raved about them, I could only sit back and listen and, occasionally, "catch the movie". Thus, when Sarah Pirneas, whose short fiction I have devoured for years, announced her first novel was about a young wizard's apprentice, I became a bit nervous. What if, after waiting for years for her to publish a full-length book, I didn't like it? My husband said I should not lie in writing this review, so I will admit, I did NOT like The Magic Thief--I loved it!

My delight began the very moment I laid hands on the book. The slipcover is made to look like blue leather with gold leaf and the pages are deckle-edged, giving it an "old book" appearance. The inside has beautiful illustrations by Antonio Javier Caparo, a map, journal entries by the wizard Nevery written on stationary, and recipes for biscuits at the very end, because inside The Magic Thief there is a great deal of eating biscuits and bacon.

The story had me hooked within the first few pages. Conn is a gutter boy who survives on the streets of the bad side of town by picking locks and pockets. One cold night he unwittingly chooses a wizard as his mark, pinching a magical item that should have killed him, but does not. Intrigued, the wizard Nevery takes the boy on as his servant. Nevery was banished from The Magic City of Wellmet twenty years ago. He has only returned because something is draining the city's magic. Can a former exile and a reformed thief save the great city of Wellmet?

The Magic Thief is well written, delightfully entertaining and, well, magical. It is a book that can easily be read out loud to younger children and the 10 to adult crowd will find it equally enchanting. Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl had best keep a sharp eye on their biscuits and bacon, because I have a very strong feeling that they have met their match in the quick hands of Conn and the imaginative talent of Sarah Pirneas.

In the aftermath of Harry Potter, numerous authors took up the mantle of writing stories of magic and wizardry. And Sarah Prineas offers up her debut novel, THE MAGIC THIEF, as just such an entry into the world of fantasy juvenile fiction.

Conn stumbles across a mysterious figure entering the Twilight side of the city of Wellmet, and the gutter boy picks his pockets and finds a strange stone. When Conn survives an attack from the stone, the mysterious man, Nevery Flinglas, takes the boy in. And thus begins their adventures, as Nevery tries to discover why the magic is draining out of the city and Conn just tries to figure out the mysteries surrounding his own life. Then they both discover the truth: if the magic disappears completely, all of Wellmet will be destroyed. And Conn may be the key to saving them all...

The premise seems promising, and there is mystery and magic enough to keep things interesting, but THE MAGIC THIEF just never quite caught me the way I thought it would. Things begin incredibly slowly, and for about a hundred pages, we follow the barely-speaking Conn around as he describes strange islands and the biscuits he has for breakfast every morning. The plot does pick up about halfway through, but by that time it's fairly obvious what is really going on. And the major plot twist comes at a strange moment, and almost doesn't feel true to the rest of the story.

But not all is lost. The setting, which is highly reminiscent of A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS or one of Tom Becker's DARKSIDE novels, shines in a gothic, turn-of-the-century way. And some of the characters are highly entertaining as well. However, I couldn't help but be reminded of Harry Potter on quite a few occasions, from the school where students learn magic to the snotty kid, Keeston, who is pretty much Draco Malfoy wearing different colored robes. But the setting itself is enough to switch up the rest of the Potter feel.

Prineas has included some fun extras as well. After most chapters, a journal entry or letter from Nevery slides in, complete with secret messages to decipher using a key in the back of the book. There's also a map, character and location profiles, and even recipes for those biscuits that are mentioned non-stop throughout THE MAGIC THIEF.

Setting aside the plodding pace that will surely lose some readers along the way, THE MAGIC THIEF, does get some things right. And fans looking for a different sort of wizard and magic tale might just enjoy this one.

My entire family is reading this book...my 13 yr old daughter and I have finished. We loved the characters, with Conn and Benet being our favorites. Sarah Prineas is a wonderful storyteller...it has fantasy, action, adventure, and she also gives the characters a real human aspect that you can associate with. This is a great read for any age!

The Magic Thief is the beginning of a great new series. Conn, a kid living on the streets, tries to steal from a magician and winds up in a situation that sweeps him up into a world of magic and danger. The characters are unique and interesting. The plot is engaging. I highly recommend this book to all who enjoyed books such as the Septimus Heap series or Fablehaven.
Michelle L. Ross, author of Elysium and the Dominion's Prophesy

The Magic Thief is an outstanding read for children and adults alike. Prineas vividly creates a wonderfully exciting magical world that you join through the perspective of Conn, the tale's resourceful 'quick handed' hero. The book is loaded with details and extras that help you to explore Conn's world, through hidden messages, maps, and recipes of Conn's favorite food. I highly recommend this to all, you will not be able to put it down. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

This is a great read for fantasy lovers of any age, but will be particularly great for younger library patrons with above average reading skills who are thirsting for something to fill the Harry Potter void.
Brief summary: Conn is an orphan pickpocket trying to get enough change to buy a hot meal on a terribly cold night. When he tries to steal the wizard Nevery's locus magicalicus, a stone used to focus magic and work spells, he succeeds, but the resulting pyrotechnics stun him. Nevery, amazed and intrigued because Conn wasn't vaporized on the spot, reluctantly takes him on as an apprentice. Even though Conn is illiterate, his ability to memorize spells he hears uttered enables him to develop his own magic quickly. He, along with Rowena, a student at the local academy are instrumental in discovering who/what is behind the rapidly diminishing supply of magic in Wellmet; a decrease that threatens the city's very existence.
This book flies, has very solid characters, is challenging enough to hold any reader's interest without intimidating juvenile fantasy lovers. It's an excellent first novel by a new author.

Connwaer is a young orphan who has learned to survive on the streets by using his quick wits and nimble pickpocketing fingers. On one cold, wet night, Conn picks the wrong pocket; he comes away not with a few coins to pay for his supper, but with a magicalicus, or wizard's stone, belonging to the powerful and feared wizard Nevery Flinglas.

Much to Nevery's surprise, the magicalicus that should have killed Conn as soon as he touched it leaves him completely unharmed. Conn goes to live in Nevery's crumbling mansion on an island in the river, with the wizard and his "muscle" Benet, a surly and taciturn hired gun who just happens to enjoy baking biscuits and knitting sweaters.

Conn decides that he would make a perfect wizard's apprentice ("a thief is a lot like a wizard"), but it turns out that Nevery thinks Conn would make the perfect servant, except for the fact that he eats too much. However, that little misunderstanding is ironed out to everyone's satisfaction, and Conn is indeed upgraded to a potential apprentice. To be formally accepted as a wizard's apprentice, Conn --- who has had no schooling in his life --- must attend magic school with the best students in the city and locate a magicalicus of his own within the month.

Conn decides to help Nevery find out what --- or who --- is stealing the living magic that runs the city of Wellmet, a task that brings him into contact with the dreaded Underlord Crowe and the enigmatic Dutchess and her beautiful daughter. Conn usually knows just a little more than Nevery and the other adults around him, but can he make them believe that he, a former "sneakthief," is in fact telling the truth?

Conn is a perfect delight --- his general scrappiness, lively curiosity, shrewd observations of people and sly outmaneuvering of the adults around him all serve to make him a thoroughly engaging narrator. His storytelling is interspersed with wry, terse journal entries by Nevery, which make for an amusing counterpoint to Conn's version of the story. Gorgeous and pitch-perfect drawings by Antonio Javier Caparo, scattered throughout the book, capture the very essence of this Dickensian world.

English professor and Tolkien expert Sarah Prineas has given us a work grounded in the fantasy tradition, but with original and interesting characters. THE MAGIC THIEF is an absolute charmer. If the other titles in this anticipated trilogy live up to the promise of the first book (and all indications are that they will), then this series has all the makings of a new fantasy classic for children --- the perfect addition to any young person's library.

Sarah Prineas did the best job. I love this book. Conn, a thief and pick pocket, becomes the wizard Nerey`s apprentice, but there are a couple of problems: 1.Someone is stealing all the magic in the city 2.he has to find a locus magicalicus a stone (or pebble) 3.the captain of the guard has a cell waiting, but Conn is determined to help the magic. This whole series is the best. The plot is thick, the characters are real and alive, but be warned the ending does not end satisfactorily.