A Plague of Sorcerers (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As wizard's apprentice Jermyn Graves delves deeply into his studies of practical magic, he helps thwart a diabolical scheme to kill all of the wizards in the land. Even though this novel threatens to collapse under the weight of its numerous plots and counterplots--creaking loudly as they are jammed together--somehow events are righted and coherence achieved by the final page. Zambreno's greatest accomplishments are the creation of a highly believable world where magic follows an intriguing set of laws and a cast of delightfully eccentric, constantly feuding characters--including a temperamental Weather Wizard, a feverishly verbal master Herbalist, a brilliant Theoretician and the shrewd and talented Jermyn himself. Ages 9-14.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10-- A fairly well-crafted fantasy flavored with a touch of mystery. After he forms a connection with an unusual familiar (a skunk), 15-year-old Jermyn Graves is ready to begin his apprenticeship as a wizard. When his fiery Aunt Merovice launches a damaging feud with Fulke, a cantankerous and ill-tempered weather-making magician, Jerymn continues his training with the renowned Master Eschar, a powerful wizard who will help him use his fledgling magical talents. Jerymn faces a number of challenges: extracting Aunt Merovice from Fulke's debilitating curse, moving safely through circles of court intrigue, controlling a tempest that threatens the city, and saving the Empire from a mysterious and deadly spell-induced plague. At the same time, he wrestles with personal and magical insecurities and his growing attraction to Master Eschar's attractive young ward. Unfortunately, Zambreno's well-made characters are set adrift in a convoluted plot confused by muddled scenes of magic, an undefined social hierarchy of wizards, and a complicated relationship between two conflicting kingdoms. Despite these flaws, Jerymn is an endearing character who will appeal to fantasy fans. --Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 257 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P; 1st edition (September 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152624309
• ISBN-13: 978-0152624309
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,203,652 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lovely gentle story, March 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Plague of Sorcerers, A: A Magical Mystery (Paperback)

For all those people who enjoy magical tales this would be a great read. A good story centering around a boy coming into his magical powers in a society run by wizards and sorcerers. The characters are sympathetic and the story line is consistent and well written. All in all a great story that will keep younger readers (and many older ones!) invoved to the end!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice story, May 30, 2002

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Plague of Sorcerers (Library Binding)

Though not the most gripping or imaginative tale of wizardry, "Plague of Sorcerers" is a nice read with some decidedly cute moments, nice twists, and a mystery that will keep readers guessing till the end.

In a country of wizards ruled by a council of wizards, a boy Jermyn wants to become one more than anything else. An orphan living with his Aunt Merry, he struggles to perform magic and can't even attract a familiar. When a feud between his aunt and the snobby weather-wizard Fulke ends in a vicious curse, Jermyn sends Fulke back to his home, and by doing so attracts an animal. Except it isn't the cat that was expected, but a skunk. Jermyn reluctantly accepts the skunk Delia as his familiar.

But the curse from Fulke has rendered Aunt Merry unable to do magic. She sends Jermyn to be apprenticed to the Theoretician Eschar, and for a while things seem to be working out fine. But then wizards begin to fall into strange magical comas, hideous weather threatens to destroy the city, and a malevolent Marquis from an anti-wizardry land seems to be connected to it all. Jermyn and Delia must uncover the truth about the magical plague before it's too late.

Jermyn is the classic "bright kid who just doesn't work well under normal circumstances." He has a lot of power, but it works under peculiar circumstances, usually under stress. Aunt Merry, Fulke, Eschar, and Eschar's pretty ward Meggan are a little less developed, but they are easily recognizable with individual personalities. Unusually endearing is Delia, with her baby-talk thoughts and willingness to spray anyone that she sees as being a threat to "Je'm'n."

The only problem, perhaps, is the pacing. Zambreno keeps pretty much the same pace throughout the book, regardless of the situation. She also needs to work a little on atmosphere. The descriptions are pretty average, while the humorous situations and dialogue are excellent. And, of course, her idea about a country that wizards emigrated to from a repressive homeland is brilliant. The mystery is twisted and well-written, with hints sprinkled through the book as to who the guilty party is, but readers probably won't guess who it is until the climax.

A nice, suspenseful story for fans of wizards and mystery. Now, if only they'd bring "Journeyman Wizard" back into print...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An all night read, January 18, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Plague of Sorcerers, A: A Magical Mystery (Paperback)

"A Plague of Sorcerers" is an easy and fun read. It is about boy who is supposed to become a sorcerer but has a skunk for a familiar. Shunned by the magical community he and his skunk play a crucial role in discovering the source of a magical plague.
A good and interesting book, though the mystery is hard to figure out it hasn't got an unreasonable conclusion. It has a good plot and is in parts humorus.