Conor thought he was an average teenager. Okay, so his father only had one hand, spoke to him in ancient languages, and was a bit on the eccentric side, but, other than that, life was fairly normal. Until, that is, two Celtic warriors on horseback and wearing full armor appear at his front door and try to kill him. Don't you hate when that happens? Join Conor as he grapples with typical teenage problems, like how to deal with a father's high expectations, how to survive in the world on your own, and how to woo a beautiful girl who wants you dead.
Shadowmagic - Shadowmagic
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 7–10—Conor is enjoying his life until the day his aunt shows up on horseback and tries to run him through with a spear. He and his father are carried off to Tir na Nog, where he learns that he is a prince and that nearly everybody he meets wants to kill him. With the help of the mother he has never met, the teen and his dad escape captivity, and Conor begins to learn more about the land he has been brought to and about his uncle's evil plot to destroy it. With the help of two new friends, one who rarely speaks and one who never shuts up, Conor sets out to defeat his uncle and save the ancient Celtic land. Along the way he meets a variety of imps, banshees, leprechauns, and elves—and one very pretty girl who, like so many others, wants him dead. The story moves quickly with a lot of action and humor, but occasionally background information and characterization are sacrificed to the fast-paced plot. Readers will enjoy Conor's romp through Tir na Nog but will not pick up a lot of detail about the mythology surrounding that legendary land. This is a fun tale for readers who are looking for another light fantasy.—Misti Tidman, Boyd County Public Library, Ashland, KY
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
From Booklist
Conor’s dad is quite eccentric—he speaks in ancient languages and trains Conor in swordplay—but the 17-year-old never dreamed it was because his father was actually from the land of the ancient Celts. Conor is spirited away to Tir Na Nog, and life suddenly moves at a frantic pace. He meets his mother (a sorceress working in Shadowmagic), befriends an imp and a banshee, and must somehow survive the prophecy of his death long enough to help his dad claim his rightly deserved throne. Though some of the rescues and escapes are almost too easy, they still work, and Lenahan throws in some unforeseen twists. The characters are fully developed and the dialogue witty and full of spunk. With the pace and thrill of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, a sense of place worthy of Narnia itself, and Conor’s dryly humorous first-person narration, this novel is a fast read that will engage reluctant readers. A less-than-tidy ending will have readers begging for more. Grades 7-11. --Melissa Moore
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A delightful tale,
By A Texan (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Shadowmagic (Paperback)
I see I'm not alone here with the recent reviews. Probably like the others, John has put out the word that the sequel to this novel will be coming out soon, and that in itself is great news. But, it made me realize that I never gave any kind of review for the original, which was not available except by import when I got my copy. I'm glad to see that it's available on Amazon now.
This story is a fun and interesting twist on the hero's quest. A boy, Conner, grows up in our world, having never known that it is not truly his home...until that home comes through a portal to try and kill him. This leads Conner to return home with his father and the story races on from there. John brings a wry wit to his story telling that is fun and playful without being bitter. Is it Lord of the Rings? No, this definitely falls to the lighter side. But that's no knock. It is what it sets out to be, a fun adventure tale with characters that will draw you in and that you will enjoy getting to know. You would do yourself well to check it out.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Debut Novel,
By
This review is from: Shadowmagic - Shadowmagic (Kindle Edition)
His name is Conor and he is 18 years old. He has a girlfriend named Sally, who he likes quite a bit. He goes to high school and for the most part is fairly normal. His father, however, is a bit of an eccentric lunatic and has his son learning ancient Gallic and fencing from a young age. Everything changes the day that Conor and his father got attacked in their living room and were whisked away to Tir na Nog, the mystical land of the ancient Celts, where it turns out Conor's father is the usurped heir to the throne and everybody wants Conor dead because of some prophecy. Well, at least Conor gets to meet his mom! The Pros: I think the best part of this story are the characters. They aren't overly complex, the story is quite light hearted, but they are likable and you care about them, quite a few of them actually. Conor in his travels in the magical land of Tir na Nog meets some interesting people, the Banshee, Fergul, the Imp, Ararat and lets not forget the girl, Essa, oh don't forget the girl. Even the villain in Shadow Magic is great and just like a villain should be, bad! The story and plot line are pretty basic, conor's father, the rightful king, has a brother, who is a bad bad man. He basically wants to kill everyone. Why, I'm not really sure to be honest, but the reason doesn't seem to be important because he carries out his plan with such single minded efficiency that the reason doesn't really seem to matter. You hate him and thats all you really need. Shadow Magic is fast too a quick read that leaves you satisfied but wanting more (what can I say its a complex emotion). The Cons: The magic system is a mess. I know its based on gold but I still don't think it was explained very well. Luckily it isn't relied on as much as you might think so the confusion surrounding the magic isn't as important as it could be. Conor felt a little scattered, he's 18 with the maturity of a 14 year old and often acts like he was even younger than that. He could be annoying at times. That however, may not be a flaw in the writing because that could have been what the author was going for. The ending felt a little rushed to me as well. Conor makes some decisions at the end that I didn't really understand and therefore it felt forced. Those are my chief complaints Overall: Shadow Magic is a light hearted thrill ride. Confusing at times yes, but at the same time, straight forward and engaging. You don't have to think alot in this book and some of the side elements like the humor and relationship development more than make up for any weaknesses. This fantasy is a bit off the beaten path and if you like stuff like that, you'll like Shadow Magic. Collin Earl Author of Harmonics: Rise of the Magician
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing Wrong With A Little Magic,
By Trish H (Aberdeen, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shadowmagic - Shadowmagic (Kindle Edition)
This is just a fun, intelligent, frequently funny, occasionally tear-jerking, YA book. If you like young-ish fiction (which I have ever since my first meeting with Robert Heinlein's YA stuff) do yourself a favor and grab this one.
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