Customer Reviews

Magickers

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

When Jason Adrian is injured during soccer tryouts, he is devastated that he cannot go to soccer camp with his best friend. He was certain that he was doomed to spending summer eating Jell-O with his grandmother. But his English teacher unexpectedly comes to his rescue and he is off to Camp Ravenwyng. His overprotective stepmother cannot really find anything wrong with a camp for creative and imaginative students, so Jason finds himself on a funky little bus with a small group of kids and two weird-looking counselors. This bus ride is Jason's first tip-off that Ravenwyng isn't an ordinary camp - not when they suddenly went from nowhere to somewhere and night and day became totally confused in the process. Jason quickly finds that this is just the beginning. All of the children at camp were chosen because of their magicial potential and they are being trained to use that magic. As if that wasn't enough, he has to deal with a shape-shifting fellow camp kid, a disappearing best friend and a traitor in their midst. For he discovers that Camp Ravenwyng is the new battleground between the Camp Ravenwyng Magickers and their ancient enemy, the Dark Hand of Brennard and that a member of the Dark Hand is at camp plotting evil deeds...

I resisted buying this book for quite some time because I thought it was a total Harry Potter .... and it both is and it isn't. Jason and Harry have many similarities: their age; they are both being raised by someone other than their parents: Harry an aunt/uncle, Jason a stepmother/stepfather; they both know nothing about magic until they go to school/camp; they both have two best friends: Hermoine/Bailey and Ron/Trent; a klutzy boy in camp: Neville Longbottom and Henry Squibb; they are both sorted into their areas: Harry by the sorting hat and Jason by the wishing well; both have weird scars: Harry the famous lighting bolt on his forehead and Jason a weird moon shaped scar on his hand; both are mysterious targets for evil beings; both have the power to work miraculous things and end up saving the day, etc. This is really too bad because once Susan Drake got past the whole "be as close to Harry Potter as possible without plagarizing" at the beginning of the book, she was able to create a delightful fantasy book. There are some differences, the main one being the way magic works and what it is used for. The evil characters are also different and include both animals and humans. There are also some unexpected surprises in the book. The book is well-written and the reader empathizes with the characters almost immediately. The plot is pretty fast paced and there are plenty of little details to keep the reader amused with sub-plots while they wait for the serious action to occur. If you enjoyed Harry Potter, you will like this book, but I still feel bad that she "borrowed" so many ideas from J.K. Rowling.

Strange words to find when you're locked out after falling off the roof because a crow was attacking your window in the middle of the night. As strange as it is, though, it's only the beginning for the main character, Jason Adrian, who soon finds himself shipped off to a "camp for geeks," because his sprained ankle kept him from soccer camp. Things go from strange to bizarre, as Jason begins to notice odd things around the camp - small items coming up missing, strange animals wandering in the woods, midnight meetings of the camp counselors about something called the Dark Hand. Before long, Jason and his friends would soon find out that it's not a camp for geeks at all, but training grounds for the next generation of Magickers.

This is one of those suspense-filled books, with just enough laughs, and great twists and turns, to keep you from wanting to put it down. I only wish MY summers were this fun!

If you haven't already gotten this one, get it! Who knows? You may already have won!

When I started reading The Magickers I thought that Emily Drake was a good author with a practical idea; to cash in on the Harry Potter craze. The more I read, though, the more I realized how untrue this thought was. While there are certainly similar elements between the two - a lonely young boy finds out that he can use magic in a hidden world that operates within our own - Drake's story is fresh and compelling. Her characters show the complexity and personality that you'd want in a friend (or an enemy), the plot is full of entertaining twists, and Drake skillfully manages to deal with the concepts of good and evil both subtly and realistically.

This book is a great read for both children and adults, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loved the Harry Potter series.

I bought this book thinking it would be a total Harry Potter rip off, but maybe still enjoyable. Not far into it I decided it was worth a read on it's own merit. I look forward to the sequel. It's a nice, light, pre-teen intro into fantasy reading.

Readers picking up "The Magickers" will probably assume that, as a kids-learning-wizardry book released after the wave of Pottermania, that this is merely a clone to cash in on the new popularity of wizard-themed fantasy. Far from it; in many ways, I found "Magickers" to be a superior work of fiction.

n ankle injury has sabotaged Jason;s chances of going to soccer camp, and with his stepfamily going on their own trips, he faces a bleak summer. Until, that is, his English teacher shows up with the application for a special camp called Camp Ravenwyng, for special and talented people. He can either go to "geek camp" or to his weird stepgrandmother's. Jason chooses the camp.

Despite the ramshackle appearance of Ravenwyng, and the slightly eccentric teachers, Jason soon begins to enjoy himself with a cluster of new friends. But on his first night, he ventures outside his cabin -- and is bitten by a wolflike creature that snarls "You're mine" before vanishing. Though the teachers reassure him that it's nothing important, he isn't so sure. And there is an odd feeling about Ravenwyng: a pool of water speaks the name of the cabin he will attend, tiny objects are being pilfered from a certain cabin, strange dreams, and Jason overhears some very suspicious conversations among the teachers and the leader of the Camp, Gavan Rainwater.

Then the teachers reveal the true nature of the camp: It is to train them as Magickers, powerful magicians who will resist the evil Dark Hand of Brennard, Magickers gone bad. As the savage Wolfjackals draw closer to Ravenwyng, and a magical "manna" storm is brewing around them, Jason may be the only person standing between the Magickers and destruction.

This will undoubtedly be an unpopular review, as I find this to be superior to the Harry Potter series. But Drake has better descriptive ability, characterizations, and sense of atmosphere. This book never uses cartoonish characters stereotypes, or low humor. Jason is important, but not hugely unique or adored. Ravenwyng's teachers are realistic and effective authority figures that do not detract from the preadolescent heroes. The bad guys are bad for a reason, rather than being without motive. And, in a twist that is quite refreshing in modern fantasy, the climax does not depend on a deus ex machina, but on the effort of the characters.

Jason is a good hero, thoroughly sympathetic and believable in his characterization; his determination and nervousness about his scar attracting evil forces are extremely evocative, as is his attitude whenever an obstacle is put in front of him, and his willingness to support and help his fellow younger Magickers. Bailey is mildly ditzy, but her pleasantness and helpfulness shine through. Gavan is a good break from the stereotypical mentor wizard, and comes across as a truly strong character. Supporting cast like the timid Henry, fiery Irish cook FireAnn, grandmotherly Aunt Freyah, and the others are all given their own little quirks to set them apart.

Drake shows a skilled hand at description and atmosphere. Though occasionally there is an awkward passage or two, overall she's very effective at evoking responses. One of the most effective scenes in the book is when a boy burns out his magic, and Drake handles his response delicately and very saddeningly. Among the chilling scenes are the Wolfjackal's attack on Jason and its later attempt to lure him over to evil, and the bizarre dreams that are connected to his future as a Magicker. My only real beef is that the response of the kids to learning about the Magickers seems a little too casual.

Fortunately this is only the first of a series of books about the Magickers, and I am definitely looking forward to "Curse of Arkady." Thoroughly delightful and magical.

Jason Adrian is plagued by nightmares of his dead parents, nightmares that feed off his wild imagination and love for books and all things fantasy. While he lives with his stepmother's new family, he can hardly help feeling like he doesn't belong. And as a soccor injury prevents him from attending his long-awaited summer-camp, Jason is all but resigned to spend the entire summer with his dull grandmother while the rest of his family is on vacation and away at camp.

But a stroke of luck; his English teacher informs him that he has been invited to a new camp featuring kids with vivid imaginations, chosen from creative essays they had written. Choosing the better of two evils (his grandmother's, or "geek camp") he decides to attend Camp Ravenwyng.

Camp Ravenwyng, he soon discovers, is a lot more than it appears to be--and not at all the "geek camp" he expected. They do all kinds of interesting things like botany, naming objects; everything the campers do is somehow a test they are being judged on. And then there are weird things, too. Councellors that are strangely out of tune with the world; strange occurances in the night, and weird conversations that Jason alone seems to hear. Not to mention a mysterious cut on his hand that no one wants to explain--what is it the Councellors are trying to hide?

Soon our young campers are thrust into a world of magic, using a magic they never knew they had. But a storm of angry magic lurks ever nearer the campground...will Jason and his friends be able to save the one place they've ever felt they belong? A hearty adventure with a twist along every corner.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! Well-written, well-woven, and well-thoughtout, Emily Drake has created a star-studded cast of characters that we are not likely to forget. Apparently these books are disapearing quickly (note the dwindling availibility right next to the price-tag) so order fast! Its worth your $$$ and your time.
And just wait till you see the sequel...
-Lia

Emily Drake's first novel about middle school kids and magic is great! It's filled with lots of fun and adventures and is great for all ages! Can't wait for her next book!

This was a fun book. Imagine Harry Potter as an American kid at summer camp and you've pretty well got the idea. The ending left room for a sequel and I'm curious to see what Emily Drake does with that.

Camp Ravenwyng is a summer camp seemingly for creative kids - but turns out to be a testing ground for those with magical abilities. Jason finds himself drawn to the real purpose of the camp, and to the problems which arise from awakening new powers in Magickers, a fine story of discovery and confrontations with evil.

Look Yes!! I repeat Yes it is close to Harry Potter but it is still a good read,I will tell anyone to buy this novel because it is very good. And I thank the Author for writing such a nice novel for my youngsters and me! Great Job!!! as mother always told me
"Haters! are Just confuse Admirers" so don't hate on such a great novel...Keep up the good work.