Silverboy [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

N. M. Browne (Author), N.M. Browne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 2007

A spellgrinder’s apprentice like Tommo rarely survives long enough to become a spellgrinder. Most of them die of the quivers, or from wounds suffered when their turn-knife slips. Working, sleeping and eating in the cellar with magical stones, their skin acquires an eerie silvery sparkle. It’s practically impossible to escape from their underground prison, and if they do, the phosphorescent glow of their skin shines like a beacon for all to see. That’s why Tommo is running, running as fast as he can to the coast. He has been granted sanctuary for eight days and must leave the shores by then, or face the hangman’s noose.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up–After watching his friend die of the quivers, a disease caused by spellstone dust, Tommo, a spellgrinder's apprentice, runs away from his forced servitude at the first opportunity. Having gone without food or water for several days, he is near death when he is saved by Akenna, a girl with her own troubles. She agrees to help him escape, but they have to contend with her brutal father and Tommo's own case of the quivers. Unbeknownst to Tommo, he is displaying some thaumaturgical powers, which makes him dangerous to the Protector. Using spellstone magic, the Protector has had most of his enemies killed and his wife ensorcelled to ensure control of the land and of thaumaturgy. When Akenna also begins displaying powers, the teens think that maybe their destiny is to help overcome the Protector's hold on their country. After trials and adventures, the two are instrumental in restoring the balance of power, and everyone realizes that it would be unethical to continue to use spellstones for magic. The characters are largely archetypes who follow the expected courses of action, and most of them just aren't that exciting. The most interesting person is the Protector's wife, and readers will become engrossed in her struggle to regain her identity and freedom. The author's writing is fluid and includes high-level vocabulary, but the story development is somewhat choppy. Insatiable fantasy fans will read this, but it may not attract many others.–Cheri Dobbs, Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Fifteen-year-old Tommo, suffering from the quivers, his skin already pale with a sickly phosphorescent glow, runs away from his apprenticeship as a grinder of magical spellstones and joins forces with Akenna, the abused daughter of a fisherman. The two attempt to avoid discovery despite being followed by a protective flock of noisy birds with human faces. Their journey is complicated further by the machinations of several powerful adults, including Fallon, the Protector; Gildea, the High Priest of the Inward Power; a thief named Haver-snatcher; and Kalen, Chief Spellstone Wielder. Browne has invested this original fantasy with plenty of mystery and magic, including characters possessing untapped powers, complex relationships, and spellstone forces that unleash evil. Particularly intriguing is the imprisoned Gildea, who conceives a plan to save his world by distributing pieces of his own soul among the birds. Numerous unexpected plot twists are sure to keep fantasy buffs glued to the pages until the book's happy ending. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books; 1st edition (February 20, 2007)
• ISBN-10: 1582347808
• ASIN: B001O2SDS4
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,906,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Could Of Been Better, April 27, 2007

By 

Jessica Martin "Jessi" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Silverboy (Hardcover)

I have to admit that I had rather high hopes for this book when I bought it off the shelf but in the end it left me rather unfulfilled. The story contains a lot of gaps that could have been filled if the story was longer. The characters themselves seemed undeveloped and emotionally flat. I felt the only character that showed any real emotion at all was Akenna, which is strange because the story is suppose to be about Tommo the silver boy. Personally I thought it would of been nice if the author didn't add the quick epilogue at the end and expanded the story in a sequel, to help develop Akenna and Tommo's relationship. I also wish the author would of stretched into the background history of this fantasy world a little more, especially when it comes to the origins of the spellstones, as well as more info on who White Urtha and Red Unga are. A little illustrated map at the beginning would of been helpful too; I found it hard visualizing the geographical aspects of the world that is a major factor to the story. So overall this story is very fast and choppy with an ending that feels very rushed and unrewarding.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh story, April 24, 2008

By 

Djinn - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silverboy (Hardcover)

Five stars for a story that got me absorbed and interested. I like the fact that the author doesn't flesh out all the details, leaving the mythology and magic of this world partly to the imagination. Fantasy books that introduce one to every aspect of their world make me feel like an 'outsider' to whom everything has to be explained. Browne avoids this pitfall in her book and sucks the reader into her story right from the skillfully written opening paragraph. I agree with a previous reviewer about the epilogue. It could have been left out, although I suspect younger readers will like it for the sense of closure it gives. I'm surprised this author isn't better known.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fans of fantasy will find a spellbinding drama here., May 12, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silverboy (Hardcover)

Spellgrinders' apprentices rarely survive long enough to become spellgrinders: most die of an illness before that point - and can't escape from the work. But Tommo refuses to face death and decides to run away to the coast: his journey leads him to a fisherman's daughter and a friendship which will reveal the truths of their lives and, ultimately, change their fates. Fans of fantasy will find a spellbinding drama here.