Customer Reviews

Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

James Ward has constructed some very interesting characters, and done a fair bit of world building in this novel of magic on the high seas. Magic works a bit differently here, with a bit of Newtonian cause and effect, and there are a good assortment of demons, giants, sprites and other assorted standard magical creatures. And setting the story in a Horatio Hornblower-like framework was frankly a stroke of brilliance. The problem comes in that the plot is a choppy grouping of chapters that take you through Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe's training in no particular order, with no foreshadowing of things to come, and little insight to his past. There is no clear beginning, middle and end -- but the reader does stay involved in wanting to find out what is still to come. The ending feels unresolved, probably to signal that further tales are to follow.A worthy novel, with a few structural problems, but still worth the read. Recommended.

Harry Potter meets the Royal Navy is the premise of this new fantasy. I found it shelved in science fiction/fantasy, but it will have strong appeal to younger readers. Given the overall tone of the writing, I suspect this may be its true market, though fans of historical sailing adventures will also be intrigued. My overall impression is more favorable than the comments that follow may seem to indicate. The concept is great, but the execution flags a bit.

Halcyon Blithe is a serviceable protagonist and the events of his first posting, encounters with the crew, etc. are well handled, if a bit clich?; a certain amount of clich? and stereotype are de rigueur in the sailing genre. However, nearly 180 of the 286 novel pages float by before there is any sign of a proper conflict. Most of this is spent orienting readers to everyday life on a sailing ship. Fans of Hornblower & company have been here before, but new readers to the genre may benefit. Blithe's fellow midshipmen are introduced all in one early scene--very promising characters all--but most names are forgotten by the time they play any significant role. As the enemy, the Maleen are rather iconic boogeymen, just so many ducks in a shooting gallery. I expect to see them developed further in sequels.

Ward does a fantastic job with the minutia of sailing and combat at sea. Readers familiar with the tactics and doctrines of Napoleonic naval warfare will appreciate this, but I felt the veneer of fantasy was far too thin. The doctrines of Arcana (British) and the enemy Maleen (French/Spanish) are blatantly obvious to fans of C. S. Forester, Dudley Pope, Patrick O'Brian, and Alexander Kent. I'd like to have seen more imagination at work here. Yet he goes overboard on imagination in the explanation of how the dragonships are designed. This seemed too glib and fanciful to suit me--biologically improbable and impractical.

Ther are nearly 10 pages of songs/sea shanties in the text. Yes, they really sang this sort of thing in days of old, but with no clue as to melody, the songs read as so much nautical blather. A little of this goes a long way--maybe one or two verses at most. Better yet, tie the lyrics into the story with foreshadowing or metaphor. I liked the Articles of War serving as chapter introductions. The chapter titles were a very nice touch--perfect for this type of novel and a practice sadly out of fashion.

Despite the flaws, what this book does well is prime younger readers and perhaps those not familiar with the Hornblower milieu, with a great deal of sailing lore, and ready them for further adventures.

I am a great lover of fantasy and of adventure novels such as the Hornblower series. I read this book thinking it would be a great and original combination of these to genre . . . and I was correct. I really liked the story and characters in this book. The action kept a good pass and the author did not waste time explain parts of Halcyon's world that we really didn't need to know about. A fantstic concept and a really good read! I recommend it for people who love fantasy and dragons in particular and people who love old time adventure novels. You will not be disappointed.

While this is not the best put together book I have ever read, the simplicity captured me from the start. In many ways it reminded me of the books that got me into sci-fi in the first place.

The story of the new, and young navel officer has been a staple of both science fiction and fantasy for the last few years, but the world created here was so..I don't know...fresh, and the characters, while basic, so good at the same time that I could not put it down.

I am glad I got this in hardcover, so it will last to be read again. And I hope Mr. Ward adds to this universe...soon.

This book takes the classic adventure saga of the young man coming of age on the high seas, and embellishes it with a number of imaginative and exciting flourishes. The book has more in common with the Horatio Hornblower series than it does with Harry Potter. Halcyon Blithe is a wonderful character, and he is surrounded by a supporting cast of proper royal officers and shiver-yer-timbers old salts. Blithe is a novice midshipwizard--emphasis on the wizard--on the good ship "Sanguine". But the ship is more than a setting: it is one of the author's most imaginative creations: a powerful man of war built on the back of a mighty sea dragon! All in all, I recommend this book as a fast and exciting read for any fan of fantasy or adventure.

In Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe, the sixteen-year-old protagonist, Halcyon, is a tall, white-haired Arcanian midshipwizard on his marine tour of duty. Before he enters his touring sea dragon ship, the Sanguine, Halcyon Blithe places a good-weather spell on himself to ensure that good weather will smile upon him on his first tour. As expected, the weather is beautiful and the seas are calm. But Halcyon can't hold the bad weather off forever. It seems that a storm has been building up behind Halcyon's spell. When it finally breaks through the spell, the seas and the weather rage. Halcyon's living sea dragon ship is tossed and thrown about on the rough waves. Captain Olden asks Halcyon to check the dragon's heart chamber, to make sure no seawater has touched the heart. Just as Halcyon enters the heart chamber, he sees an officer run out of the other entrance. Halcyon studies the dragon's heart and finds that blast-gel-a gel that is used as gunpowder-has been rubbed all over the dragon's hot, beating heart. He knows that the heart could explode in seconds, killing the dragon that keeps the ship afloat! What should Halcyon do? Who is the saboteur of the ship? Will Halcyon be punished for his well-meaning fair-weather spell that has brought such woe and pain to the sea dragon and its crew? Read Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe to find out!

I really liked Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe. I think that it could have used less profane language, but then again, it is a story with sailors in it! The best part of the book was when Halcyon learned that he could talk to sea dragons, which helps him form a bond with his ship. Since this is a sea-adventure book, I would recommend it to anyone who liked Treasure Island or who enjoys stories of adventure and peril in general and at sea.

Reviewed by a student for Flamingnet Book Reviews

[...]

Preteen, teen, and young adult book reviews and recommendations

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. Positives included an original setting, a good, clear writing style, and an enjoyable story. While perhaps not a negative, the downside is a hero who is uber competent with few (if any) flaws and the world is clearly inspired by Dungeons and Dragons, complete with pixies, dwarves, orcs, giants, etc.... I would describe the protagnanist as a fantasy Hornblower, substituting a large talent for magic in place of an overdeveloped ability for mathematics. If you like fantasy, and want to try something a little different, read this book. I think you'll like it.

We haven't heard from James M. Ward in quite a while. He was responsible for several successful Dungeons & Dragons tie-in novels based on computer games, and he's done a few other things, but to the best of my knowledge, this is his first non-licensed fantasy novel.

Set in an environment remarkably like the Horatio Horblower series with the addition of magic, Halcyon Blithe is a young man on his first tour of duty with the Arcanian navy. He meets characters that are right out of the catalog, and there really is not plot as much as a series of short adventures culminating in a novella at the end. It really isn't a well-constructed book.

And yet I enjoyed it. Ward's style is light and reads easily. There isn't much to think about, because this is a textbook light fantasy. I think the main failing in the book isn't in the writing but in the marketing. If this were marketed for Young Adults instead of older fantasy fans who like their fantasies epic and abounding with purple prose, it would be making a much bigger impact on the market than it has so far.

Even so, Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe is a fun little fantasy adventure, and I look forward to reading more if this book is followed up.

From the crusty old characters on the dock at the beginning of the book, to the magic-play at the end, Midshipwizard grabs you and keeps the pages turning.

The young wizard is a far different character than Harry Potter, thrown into a dangerous situation with a cast of nasty and benign supporting characters.

The book is deftly plotted and moves swiftly. I'm very much looking forward to the second installment.

The island country of Arcania is at war with Maleen, a kingdom that is rapidly absorbing every country it fights into its empire. One of their greatest weapons is the shapechanging monsters that can turn into any human form it wishes. The Arcanian navy is blocking the Maleen ships from entering their waters. Both sides harness sea dragons making the vessels stronger, faster, and more durable.

Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe, who came into his magical powers at the age of sixteen unlike his relatives who developed at the age of twelve, is assigned to the dragonship the Sanguine where he learns battle strategy on both the mundane and magical levels. Because he is the seventh son of a seventh son his powers over air and earth are strong and he thinks he will one day be leading his own battle ship that is if he survives a court martial, a curse and an unknown enemy's desire to kill him; of course there is also the Maleen.

The dragon that is part of the Sanguine is able to communicate with the hero one of the few humans he can talk to and he comes to care for him and helps him when possible. Magic is an everyday occurrence for the Arcanians and they use it in battle just as they would as artillery or a missile. This is a charming high fantasy book that will engage the Harry Potter crowd and those readers who like military fantasy.

Harriet Klausner