The Glasswrights' Apprentice (Paperback)

by Mindy L. Klasky (Author) "Rani Trader pushed through the throngs in front of the cathedral, sparing only the Pilgrims' dusty robes from her sharp-elbowed thrusts..." (more)
Key Phrases: mind yer caste, merchant child, lead stripping, Thousand Gods, First Pilgrim, Prince Tuvashanoran (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
If you want to be safe... mind your caste.

In a kingdom where all is measured by birthright, moving up in society is almost impossible. Which is why young Rani Trader's merchant family sacrifices nearly everything to buy their daughter an apprenticeship in the Glasswrights' Guild - where honor and glory will be within her reach.

But being in the wrong place at the wrong time places Rani in the middle of a terrible conspiracy that leaves the Royal Prince dead - and her guild torn asunder. Branded a traitor, she slinks through the city streets, changing her identity to avoid being caught. And as Rani rises from the city slums to the royal household, she uncovers an elusive brotherhood whose deadly venom reaches out to stain the heart of her guild, the heart of her family - and the heart of her king....

From the Author
Rani Trader's story grows out of my own love of fantasy fiction. Rani is descended from the heros and heroines I've met and admired in the novels of Anne Bishop, Katherine Kurtz, and Patricia McKillip. At the same time, Rani is a unique, high-spirited individual - a proud, strong young woman who takes charge of the often-mystifying world around her. I hope that you will come to enjoy Rani's company as much as I have and follow her on her adventures in and around Morenia!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Roc (July 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451457897
• ISBN-13: 978-0451457899
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #286,815 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Plot, Disappointing Herione, July 12, 2000

By	Renee Brosius (East Norriton, PA USA) - See all my reviews

Mindy Klasky's first novel, The Glasswright's Apprentice, tells the story of Rani, a merchant girl in a caste-controlled society whose family sacrifices most of its wealth to buy her way into the guild. The book opens with Rani mostly feeling sorry for herself due to mistreatment by the guild instructors. In a moment of rebellion, she decides not to return to the guild one afternoon after being sent on a errand, and goes instead to the glamorous religious ceremony honoring the realm's prince. In an unfortunate twist of fate she finds herself the accidental accomplice in the assassination of the prince, and a sudden fugitive from the king's justice. She goes into hiding in the city streets both to survive, and with the hope of clearing her name by unraveling the conspiracy that murdered the popular prince. She will discover the conspiracy is far more complex than she would suspect, involving a secret Brotherhood who seem to have members everywhere she turns. I enjoyed the book for the most part. The many twists of the murder conspiracy kept the book interesting and the fantasy kingdom of Morenia, or at least this one city, was well-drawn. However, I had a hard time finding Rani a likeable heroine. As she moves from caste to caste, person to person, throughout the book, she makes and betrays loyalties, steals, lies, and even kills without too much of a backward glance. She also seems to get over too easily the deaths, mutilations and misfortunes that her family and friends suffer in her name. I'm sure we're meant to admire her for her "survive at all costs" attitude, and survive she does, but I found her to be a bit too cold-blooded and self-serving. The end of the book tries to patch more of a conscience onto her character a little too late. Traditional fantasy fans may also be a tad disappointed to discover there isn't a scrap of magic or any fantastic elements to the tale other than that it is set in a fantasy kingdom with its own religion and pantheon of a Thousand Gods. I don't need magic to find a fantasy satisfying, but without it, and without a lovable character to cheer for, too much depends on the plot alone. Still, it is an enjoyable book and an admirable first effort.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, ambitious, but ultimately frustrating, August 3, 2000

By	Molly's 20-Word Reviews "short & sweet" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

Klasky's first novel is set in a single city, rigidly divided into castes. Rani Trader falls afoul of the royal family and must use all her wits to survive.

I wanted very much to like this book. I enjoyed the atypical paucity of magic (although, contrary to a few other reviewers' comments, there is a minute amount of magic). Rani is an interesting, resourceful character whose effectiveness as a protagonist is somewhat hampered by her virtual amorality. Yet Klasky doesn't cast Rani as an anti-hero; rather, her deeds are apparently meant to give the impression that Rani is a good person struggling in difficult circumstances.

While the social setting was initially intriguingly described, it didn't seem to me that it held up well under scrutiny. I was disappointed by the ease with which Rani moves between the supposedly rigid castes, and I couldn't understand why the ruling family, described as ruthless and calculating, was apparently so vulnerable to outside attack. I also thought that the characters' motives were frequently unclear or unrealistic.

Klasky's writing is competent but not stellar. She frequently repeats words or phrases, and uses an enormous number of clunky dialogue attributions. (One character "grunted" two or three times on a single page.) The book was engrossing, although I frequently found myself shaking my head, and I would recommend it primarily to die-hard fantasy fans or to aspiring fantasy authors.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars stupid character spoiled the book, October 13, 2004

By	sarah voss (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

The main character of _The Glasswright's Apprentice_ is Rani, an apprentice to the Glasswrights' Guild. When the prince is assassinated, Rani, who is in the wrong place at the wrong time, is blamed. Rani runs and has to fend for herself.
I did NOT like this book, mostly because Rani was such a dunce. If a stranger stopped her on the street and told her that the moon is made of cheese, she would believe it. It never seems to occur to her that not everything people tell her is true. In one part of the book, a man she barely knows (and the little she does know is not good - he betrayed one of the characters and knowingly caused her death, which, by the way, the author never explains) tells her that a certain character, a soldier who has shown nothing but kindness to Rani, is plotting to kill her brother - he doesn't give her any evidence or reason - and instructs her to kill him. Rani willingly and unquestioningly does as she is bid, with almost no qualms about committing murder and hardly any regret before or after she acts.
Rani's stupidity wasn't the only problem I had with this book -the whole story, the setting, and all the characters were unbelievably unrealistic. In short, the book was almost ( though not quite) as stupid as Rani herself. DON'T read it, because it is NOT worth your while.