5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review of "School of the Ages: The Ghost in the Crystal", October 17, 2010
This review is from: School of the Ages: The Ghost in the Crystal (Kindle Edition)
This was a stunning, original book...I read it in two sittings, and was severely annoyed at being pulled away. The characters were well-drawn, engaging, and diverse--the plot enthralling and fresh...pleasantly unpredictable, and masterfully portrayed. It also presents magic from several different cultural traditions, not as a gimmick but with scholarly accuracy--Mr. Posner shows a comprehension and sensitivity to diverse traditions that are rooted in history and still in practice today. This is perhaps the most educational work of "fiction" I've read since "The Bordeaux Narrative." This is a very rich book, best read slowly and enjoyed more than once...there is pleasure to be found in additional readings. I found myself reflecting fondly upon the characters and remembering episodes from the book for weeks after my reading. The book is meticulously plotted, and I look eagerly forward to reading future installments! Mr. Posner is a gifted author, and his future works will be worth seeking out.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The next Harry Potter series?, September 13, 2011
This review is from: School of the Ages: The Ghost in the Crystal (Kindle Edition)
Note: This review was originally published at Red Adept Reviews on August 25, 2011.
Overall: 4 3/4 stars
Plot/Storyline: 4 3/4 stars
After reading the book description, I figured School of the Ages to be another Harry Potter knockoff. In one respect, it was: teenagers who showed signs of magic ability were recruited for the School of the Ages (STA), located near New York City. Beyond that similarity, however, the stories were quite different. The School of the Ages taught talented teenagers to improve and refine their abilities to perform magic. This didn't mean stage magic, i.e., prestidigitation, illusions, pulling-a-rabbit-from-a-hat magic. STA taught real magic, the act of making the world conform to a magician's wishes. STA taught a different kind of magic than Hogwarts. There were no magic wands, flying broomsticks, or monsters conjured up out of the ether (okay, there was one monster). STA taught a less dramatic, somewhat more cerebral form of magic, although just as powerful in its own right.
Into this environment came Simon, a thirteen-year-old boy who had shown some early signs of having magic abilities. Simon quickly made friends with other first-year students, including his roommate, Robbie, his study partner, Goldberry, and the mysterious Leah. There were also enemies, including Yakov Mermelstein.
Almost as soon as Simon moved into the dormitory at STA, he began to be haunted by an ancient and powerful spirit. How Simon dealt with the spirit, and how he developed a plan to free himself from the spirit's hold on him made up the storyline.
The climax came during a school field trip to Alexandria, Egypt. Ancient Alexandria, that is, since the STA building could travel temporally and spatially to allow students to witness history firsthand. Placed in a potentially lethal situation, it would take all of Simon's and his friends' wits and magic skills to survive, and if they did, it might be at a terrible cost.
I mentioned that the magic at STA was more "cerebral" than at Hogwarts. That doesn't mean that there wasn't as much action--there was--but STA's magic required more brainpower and relied less on props like magic wands.
School of the Ages: The Ghost in the Crystal is the first book in a planned series.
Characters: 5 stars
The were some marvelous characters in the novel, and their relationships played a big part in the story. Simon was a likable fellow just trying to get along with his classmates and survive the grueling curriculum. His roommate Robbie was a sort of comic foil who could never get enough sleep, but he was always there when Simon needed him. Simon's assigned study partner, Goldberry, was a precocious young lady who had already developed some of her magic skills. She was also well-grounded and kept Simon on the straight and narrow path (or tried to!).
Of course, there had to be a heavy, and in STA, it was Yakov Mermelstein, a Chassidic Jew, who was well-versed in the Cabala. Coming from a devout family, his rabbi father had sent Yakov to STA to "civilize" him. Yakov appeared to hate every non-Jewish student, but Simon bore the brunt of his wrath.
And there was Leah, a mysterious, enigmatic beauty who had secrets that would not be revealed until after the startling climax.
Some students and faculty members were mentioned only briefly or occasionally. I'm guessing that they will have bigger roles in subsequent books in the series.
Writing style: 4 3/4 stars
This was a well written novel. The story moved at a brisk pace and kept me reading until the end. Sentence structure was invariably correct, and dialogues were realistic within the context of the story and the age of the characters. Descriptions of places, events, and characters were thorough enough without bogging down in details.
In my opinion, School of the Ages was not a children's book. For the most part, it wasn't crawl-under-the-bed-scary, but the magic wasn't quite as dramatic and colorful as with some books of this genre. Also, the story relied a great deal on Jewish mysticism that might be a bit difficult for younger kids to grasp.
Editing: 4 3/4 stars
Editing and Kindle formatting were very good. I found only a handful of typos.
School of the Ages is a fantasy/paranormal novel with 269 pages (4,122 Kindle locations).
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