Customer Reviews

An Unexpected Apprentice

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

 

 

The best thing about An Unexpected Apprentice is its characters: Tildi is a sweet heroine whose journey is fun to follow, and I especially liked Rin (the courageous centaur), Lakanta (a humorous peddler woman), and Olen (the wizard who takes on Tildi as an apprentice) as well. The mystical, amiable Silvertree (the sentient tree in which Olen makes his home) was also an original and fun "character," in a sense. Jody Lynn Nye does a good job of creating a pleasant world in which her characters live, and I genuinely enjoyed spending time in that world.

That said, this was not the most breathtakingly original story I have ever read. As others have mentioned, you can easily draw a lot of parallels to Tolkien: hobbit protagonist, quest for a potentially world-ending object, council of leaders, magical weather... yes, it's all there. I will throw Jody Lynn Nye a bone, though, in saying that the coolest idea in the book is that of objects being tied to the thing that describes them. In Tildi's world, every object has a rune that describes it precisely, and every object can be altered - for better or for worse - by altering the rune. That premise was really fascinating (and provided the most frightening moments in the story when the power to alter runes was used for ill). So that was really cool, and focusing on that idea was enough to draw me away from nit-picking at the Tolkien similarities.

However, there are other things about this book that I found distracting, such as the also-aforementioned tendency for characters behave inconsistently. Tildi see-saws between being incredibly bold and gallingly timid straight through the final pages of the book, which makes it hard to believe that her experiences have had any profound impact on her. The main villain, Nemeth, also falls into this trap, oscillating between being cold, ruthless, and devoted to his cause and feeling like he'll be sick to his stomach if he has to harm one more living creature. How is a reader supposed to really loathe the "bad guy" when he becomes a blubbering mess between twisting nature to his will and sending his demented creations off to kill his pursuers?

There are also a few subplots that seemed superfluous until the end of the book, like Magpie and his marriage to Inbecca. This whole storyline felt like a placeholder for the author's descriptions and history of Tildi's world... sure, the descriptions were beautiful, but I think they could have been worked into the story much more fluidly. As it is, the chapters on Magpie scattered throughout the text just frustrated me and made me wonder when I'd get to hear how Tildi's quest was going.

The uncanny thing about this book, though, is that even with the negatives, overall I found it to be very charming, and I honestly enjoyed reading it. Now that I know how everything comes together, I'll probably reread it at some point and see what I can pick up on that I missed the first time through. Moreover, since the last sentence declares that Tildi is only half-finished with her task, I'm betting that a sequel is in the works -- and I'll definitely give it a read and see where Tildi goes next.

I read this book after liking the jacket cover's description of a clever girl breaking out of her cultural chains and overcoming prejudice to lead the way on a magical journey. However, this book was a huge disappointment for a number of reasons including its lack of depth and interest and a second half of the story. The biggest downfall of this book is that it is boring. Reading a summary of the plotline would accomplish the same end as reading the entire book. The lack of depth in the characters and the storyline leaves the reader wanting. There is no cleverness to this book. I would recommend this book for an eight-year-old who needs every important detail or character emotion in a blinking Time Square light display that says "Reader, this is important. Feel [put emotion here] for this character or about this scene." Given the length, this gets old quick.

When I finally started to reach the end of the book, I realized the story wasn't over. A half story. I read all that length to get a sequel ending, an ending that was written purposefully for the next piece. Like those movies where you see the supposedly dead bad guy punch his fist through the concert wall that feel on him, setting up a comeback for the next movie. I hate those endings. Such a copout.

After reading the book, I realized that it was a really, really bad version of Tolkien that was less interesting, obviously less original and with none of the original jacket cover-offerings inside (Besides the plot basics; there is a girl and she does lead the journey.).

I bought this book because I thought the gender bending ("what if Bilbo had been a girl?") conceit might justify the unoriginal story. Unfortunately, the author did not deliver the goods: Once Tildi leaves her staid Hobbiton-esque burrow, the fact that she's female isn't important to the very standard desperate-quest-for-the-ultimate-talisman-against-towering-evil-wherin-the-small-but-plucky-protaganist-reveals-her-heretofore-unnoticed-talents story. The plot unfolds in a series of set pieces pretty obviously pulled from the Ring cycle (Flying wraiths...check; Tree houses...check; Council of Elrond...check; Magical snowstorm...check). What is completely missing is any mythological or literary depth (the one or two songs are completely lame). This book failed to evoke any sense of wonder in this reader.

Other reviewers have called this a "comming of age" story. I disagree. Tildi starts and ends the story with a well-realized sense of self. Her character doesn't develop so much as the people around her come to recognise and value it.

Sadly, the best thing I can say about this book is that it is a very handsome volume: The cover art is beautiful, and the book is typeset with nicely illuminated chapter initials. While I haven't quite thrown this book in the reject pile, I might have if I'd had something else to read.

For one thing, the young hero that goes off on a quest isn't a hero, but a heroine. Her name is Tildi, and she's not a lost human princess, either. She a hafling. And she's wonderful! I love this book. I love the characters, especially Tildi and Olen. I also love the world they inhabit and its multi-faceted, multi-magicalspecies citizens. I think Charming, and "I want more, Jody!" sums up my opinion.

Have you ever read a book and felt actively ripped off by the time you were done? First off, be warned: this is half a book. Although there is no indication on the book jacket itself that this is the beginning of the series, the words "her task half finished" do appear in the final sentence-- so if you're yearning to read half a book, this might be what you're looking for. Of course, this book is also a shameless cut-and-paste from Tolkien, telling the story of a hobbit-- called "smallfolk"-- who lives in the Quarters (exactly like the Shire) and yes, she has funny little feet, who falls into a quest for an Object of Power that could destroy the world and corrupts whoever uses it-- plus, thrown in for good measure, scenes where the hobbit gets drunk in a tavern, climbs on a table and sings a song, lizard-like winged servants of the Dark Lord, and a low-rent version of Gandalf's battle with the Balrog. The only thing the author's changed is that it's not a Ring, it's a Book they're chasing-- a sentient book, actually, exactly like the one from the Wishsong of Shannara. I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone rip off other people's books this shamelessly, or this poorly. Perhaps it's only half a book because lawyers made her stop writing? In any case, since both Lord of the Rings and Wishsong of Shannara are already out there, and actually finished, I would suggest reading the originals and not wasting your time on this.

Absolutely delicious! Tildi is not only an unexpected apprentice but also an unexpected heroine. Innocent, loving, kind and rebellious, but not obnoxious in her rebellion. After the loss of her parents and then her four brothers, the elders of Tildi's village decide a lone female can't possibly fend for herself or run the farm on her own and decide to marry her off whether she wants to be married or not. Though it would seem Tildi has no choice, it turns out she does. Her brother, Tildo, had been offered an apprenticeship with a wizard and Tildi decides to take him up on the offer by pretending to be her brother. She innocently sets off to find her future and find it she does! I am eagerly awaiting the second book in what is obviously a new series. Now, all I need is patience. :-)

I was surprised and delighted by An Unexpected Apprentice. I found it to be a fast-paced yet richly detailed fantasy adventure.

Smallfolk Tildi Summerbee gets more than she bargained for when she takes her brother's place as apprentice to Olen, a powerful wizard. No sooner has she completed her last lesson, a crisis looms large on the horizon. Someone has stolen the Great Book which contains the runes describing all of creation. Any alteration to the original rune will result in the same alteration to the living being. Not only is the Book in unknown hands, it is moving across the landscape towards unknown ends. Armed with a copy of a page of the Great Book (and some powerful magic of her own), Tildi leads a party in search of the thief. Along the way, they encounter dangers and temptations greater than they ever imagined.

With an endearing heroine and a lively cast of characters, it's easy to get swept up in Tildi's adventure. This novel has the right mix of suspense, wonder and humor, making it the perfect summer read!

I picked The Unexpected Apprentice up on a remainder table in a local book store for a dollar. I am now ordering the sequel from Amazon kindle. I must say this work is a very good fantasy tale which explores human nature and proceeds forward with few delays and digressions. Some have criticized the characterizations because Nye's characters hold contradicting motives and behaviors. But isn't this human; we all possess dual natures to some extent and our behavior changes with experience; at least I hope so. The author provided ample descriptive detail without overloading the story as some fantasy novels do. Arguably the story and plot are derivative from Tolkien and others but it does stand on its own and provides a feminine view point to events as well as providing some unique detail. While Nye's "little folk" are based on hobbits, I found them to be a very different people; I really never saw a Tolkien hobbit in my mind's eye. The element of evil, Nemeth, was Gollum-like, but again I never visualized him as Gollum. The lead character, Tilda, is very appealing. I think some Amazon customers who are young or young at heart will enjoy this book. It may not appeal to those who are seeking only deep literary values or new and detailed mythic details. I am senior male and thoroughly enjoyed the story; I am also looking forward to its sequel.

While this tale owes a lot to the Tolkein model, recasting it for a female lead is a very nice change. While JRR was drawing so much from his war-time experience in WW1 to inform that series, this book owes a lot more to events and problems that relate to a modern reader. It does seem to drag occasionally, and I can't quite tell if it is a deliberate echo of Tolkein, or the author's own style. Other works by her don't drag as much, so I suspect the core was written earlier. I do recommend it, just for seeing a more balanced view of that kind of world and culture...

Too bad it isn't in print in paperback.

At first, I found the book too derivative for words - Tildi's life in the Quarters ("smallfolk", by the way, does not fool anyone) reminded me an awful lot of the backgrounds of some of Anne McCaffrey's heroines (oppressed orphans or younger daughters in an overly patriarchal society), and I don't think anyone can deny the glaring Tolkien parallels. I didn't really get interested until Magpie the minstrel (or is he?) was introduced, and so I was pretty annoyed that he wasn't going to join in on the Quest. I was impressed by the number of female characters, though, especially since the fact that nearly everyone in the Fellowship - er, I mean, group of adventurers were women just occurred to me now. It was subtly done, not pushed in your face in a Marion Zimmer Bradley kind of way.

Nye's strength lies in her characters. Not in their development or consistency (as has been mentioned in other reviews), but in the characters themselves. It's very rare to see a mother-and-daughter pair in a novel where both are buttkickers, and Edynn's prophecy really made me feel for Serafina without Nye having to make her suddenly feel bad for being a jerk. As I said, I really liked Magpie and his situation, and I would have liked to see more of his story - as it was, I thought Irnbecca was going to take the role of Unfeeling Girlfriend A Cool Guy Puts Up With For No Reason. However, I completely changed my mind by the end of the book.

Nye's big problem is that her writing has a definite tendency to state instead of describe. Several times I felt myself rewriting sentences in my head to make them use more pronouns (two short sentences in a row should not both end in the same word) or to show what a non-viewpoint character was feeling instead of telling it. A smaller problem for me was that Tildi's background and Magpie's father were just too much.

It would have been nice to know going in that I wasn't really going to find out how the story ends, but at the same time I might not have picked it up if there had been a big label on it announcing that this was the beginning of "THE ORONTAE SAGA" or if it had been both books in one. I'm not sure what could be done to make the reader aware of the sequel without coming off like this is going to be a neverending series, but ending this book with more closure would have certainly been more satisfying.