- Find all the latest books, toys, games and DVDs from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in our Harry Potter store.
-
Seasonal Offer:
This title is part of our Seasonal Offers promotion.
Magus of Stonewylde
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"Dramatic and exciting story with a brilliant, original setting. Difficult to put down once you've begun." (4.5 stars) (THE BOOKBAG )
Book Description
Deep in the green hills of Dorset lies a hidden place of secrets, passion and fatal conflict.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Magus of Stonewylde, is amazing! The first novel in a series of five by Kit Berry, subtly sucks you into a remarkable world, a seemingly idyllic utopia where the troubles of our world and our lives seem very far off indeed. Stonewylde is a modern feudal society whose citizens live in harmony with nature and revere her in every way. They follow the Old Religion, the Pagan Path, under the stern and watchful eye of the Magus of the title. Yet very soon you can sense the tensions bubbling beneath the surface and are drawn into the magic and mysticism of the world of Stonewylde.
Kit Berry is sublime in her development of the main characters; Sylvie, the outsider, Yul, the Village boy and the Magus himself. I became entranced by them and the emotional roller-coaster she puts you on as the plot unfolds is absolutely thrilling. I found myself so attached to Sylvie and Yul and felt such powerful empathy with them as they confronted each obstacle that was put before them.
The spiritual elements, the true Pagan practices, are intertwined throughout the story in such a natural way so that even if you don't follow the path yourself, you find you can easily and happily accept Stonewylde's customs and practices.
If I was to draw any similarities with other books, it would have to be Jean Auel's Earth's Children series; Clan of the Cave Bear, Valley of the Horses, etc. Although these books are set in mankind's distant past, the spiritual elements Auel writes about; the empathy with The Mother, Shaminism, magic, are all present and Kit Berry recognises these roots of Paganism that were never truly lost in Magus of Stonewylde.
It's not easy to find a real page-turner these days but this book truly is; you are left on a wonderfully frustrating and emotionally charged cliff-hanger. I've already started reading book two, Moondance of Stonewylde but don't want to finish it too quickly because book 3 isn't due out until the autumn and the wait will be too much to bear, to say nothing of the wait for books three to five!
If you are looking for something to read that can stand alongside Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter I say buy Magus of Stonewylde, buy Moondance of Stonewylde now and get your order in for book three!
Kit Berry is sublime in her development of the main characters; Sylvie, the outsider, Yul, the Village boy and the Magus himself. I became entranced by them and the emotional roller-coaster she puts you on as the plot unfolds is absolutely thrilling. I found myself so attached to Sylvie and Yul and felt such powerful empathy with them as they confronted each obstacle that was put before them.
The spiritual elements, the true Pagan practices, are intertwined throughout the story in such a natural way so that even if you don't follow the path yourself, you find you can easily and happily accept Stonewylde's customs and practices.
If I was to draw any similarities with other books, it would have to be Jean Auel's Earth's Children series; Clan of the Cave Bear, Valley of the Horses, etc. Although these books are set in mankind's distant past, the spiritual elements Auel writes about; the empathy with The Mother, Shaminism, magic, are all present and Kit Berry recognises these roots of Paganism that were never truly lost in Magus of Stonewylde.
It's not easy to find a real page-turner these days but this book truly is; you are left on a wonderfully frustrating and emotionally charged cliff-hanger. I've already started reading book two, Moondance of Stonewylde but don't want to finish it too quickly because book 3 isn't due out until the autumn and the wait will be too much to bear, to say nothing of the wait for books three to five!
If you are looking for something to read that can stand alongside Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter I say buy Magus of Stonewylde, buy Moondance of Stonewylde now and get your order in for book three!
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Difficult for me to add to the superlatives that others have already given. I came across this book by accident on a trip to Avebury, and it seemed to jump out at me, so I bought it: and whilst I'd only intended to have a quick preview, once I'd got through the first few pages, I was hooked, and didn't put it down for three days until I'd finished it! (Certainly concur with putting everything else on hold until I HAD finished it)! But woe was me when I eventually did. I felt absolutely bereft! What on earth was I going to do now it over! It was the best read I'd had for ages, and I'm a fussy and critical reader too! Especially when it comes to fiction!
Little need to be, with Stonewylde however. Kit Berry draws the reader in from more or less the first page, and from that point on, one is on a journey. With the characters, with the author, and perhaps most of all, with the place itself, Stonewylde.
There is an enchantment, both to Stonewylde and to the writing, that is hard to put into actual words. The place lives; breathes; whispers on the wind; as if the reader were actually there; experiencing everything that the characters are. There is an enchantment in the air; in the beautiful descriptive passages of the book; in the magic that takes place in and around its borders; in the dusk of the full moons; and the cold light of dawn. It's a descriptive fiction fan's dream. Fabulous writing, beautifully evocative, and thoroughly enchanting. Every character is rounded enough to be convincing, and intriguing enough to make you want to explore them further and plumet their depths to discover their motivations.
I'm loathe to reveal too much more of the story than has already been given in the preview, because I think it gives enough of an idea of what the book is about. I would only add that if you're into ancient ways, earth energy, natural magic, the 'wheel of the year' and all things magical and mystical about the elements, this land of ours, and the things of nature, then this book should be right up your street.
Even if you just love a good story, some fine descriptive writing, and you have the slightest resonance with 'a life less ordinary', then I'd still recommend it.
There is the odd flaw, yes. There is the odd catch point, yes. Some of the brutality really IS brutal, but it is not gratuitous, and I understood its necessity to the story, even if I did flinch in parts. But the magic, and one's rooting for the 'good guys', more than made up for it!
I can't speak for others, but from my own point of view, the book really WAS unputdownable, I just HAD to read on to know what happened next. But my goodness! The misery I felt when it was over! I just wanted to go right back to the beginning and start it all over again!
Can't recommend it highly enough. If you're into Charles de Lint, or magical fantasy with a basis in realism, buy it; read it; love it. This is a book for you.
What else can I say? Except, more please, Ms Berry! And SOON too!
Little need to be, with Stonewylde however. Kit Berry draws the reader in from more or less the first page, and from that point on, one is on a journey. With the characters, with the author, and perhaps most of all, with the place itself, Stonewylde.
There is an enchantment, both to Stonewylde and to the writing, that is hard to put into actual words. The place lives; breathes; whispers on the wind; as if the reader were actually there; experiencing everything that the characters are. There is an enchantment in the air; in the beautiful descriptive passages of the book; in the magic that takes place in and around its borders; in the dusk of the full moons; and the cold light of dawn. It's a descriptive fiction fan's dream. Fabulous writing, beautifully evocative, and thoroughly enchanting. Every character is rounded enough to be convincing, and intriguing enough to make you want to explore them further and plumet their depths to discover their motivations.
I'm loathe to reveal too much more of the story than has already been given in the preview, because I think it gives enough of an idea of what the book is about. I would only add that if you're into ancient ways, earth energy, natural magic, the 'wheel of the year' and all things magical and mystical about the elements, this land of ours, and the things of nature, then this book should be right up your street.
Even if you just love a good story, some fine descriptive writing, and you have the slightest resonance with 'a life less ordinary', then I'd still recommend it.
There is the odd flaw, yes. There is the odd catch point, yes. Some of the brutality really IS brutal, but it is not gratuitous, and I understood its necessity to the story, even if I did flinch in parts. But the magic, and one's rooting for the 'good guys', more than made up for it!
I can't speak for others, but from my own point of view, the book really WAS unputdownable, I just HAD to read on to know what happened next. But my goodness! The misery I felt when it was over! I just wanted to go right back to the beginning and start it all over again!
Can't recommend it highly enough. If you're into Charles de Lint, or magical fantasy with a basis in realism, buy it; read it; love it. This is a book for you.
What else can I say? Except, more please, Ms Berry! And SOON too!
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I first heard about this book after I had been searching on Amazon one day for pagan novels, when this book was recomended. I looked at the reviews and saw how much people loved it and so purchased it.
When I started to read it I had two other books on the go and suddenly found myself in a weird book mood, which left me feeling uninterested in carrying on with the book. I had got 100 pages in at this time, but just felt like I didn't want to read it (I guess that's what you get for trying to read too many books at once).
Over the weeks I kept looking at the book but kept putting it back down. So yesterday I went to put the book back on my book shelf thinking I'd read it in a year or two, when I thought 'oh sod it' and I started to read it again. As I did 'WOW' I was hooked! I found myself unable to put the book down. I was gripped from then on and I totally loved the story. As I read I was able to easily visualize the characters in the book, and the environmental surrounding and I felt at home reading it.
Being a Pagan myself I loved reading about the paganism within this book which I felt was heavily integrated in the book. Well considering it is a pagan based novel written by a pagan author, it's not surprising. However it is not written in a way where it trashes other faiths which was really nice. This book brings the beauty of paganism alive.
I loved the characters, including the nasty one, Magus! Yul and Sylvie are brilliant in this novel, what two wonderful characters. I love them!
I definitely can't wait to read the other two installments, and yet there are two other books waiting to be written and published! As this novel is spread over into five books and only three have been published! I hope the other books are just as good as the first one, as I love this novel.
5/5 from me.
When I started to read it I had two other books on the go and suddenly found myself in a weird book mood, which left me feeling uninterested in carrying on with the book. I had got 100 pages in at this time, but just felt like I didn't want to read it (I guess that's what you get for trying to read too many books at once).
Over the weeks I kept looking at the book but kept putting it back down. So yesterday I went to put the book back on my book shelf thinking I'd read it in a year or two, when I thought 'oh sod it' and I started to read it again. As I did 'WOW' I was hooked! I found myself unable to put the book down. I was gripped from then on and I totally loved the story. As I read I was able to easily visualize the characters in the book, and the environmental surrounding and I felt at home reading it.
Being a Pagan myself I loved reading about the paganism within this book which I felt was heavily integrated in the book. Well considering it is a pagan based novel written by a pagan author, it's not surprising. However it is not written in a way where it trashes other faiths which was really nice. This book brings the beauty of paganism alive.
I loved the characters, including the nasty one, Magus! Yul and Sylvie are brilliant in this novel, what two wonderful characters. I love them!
I definitely can't wait to read the other two installments, and yet there are two other books waiting to be written and published! As this novel is spread over into five books and only three have been published! I hope the other books are just as good as the first one, as I love this novel.
5/5 from me.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
First in a stunning series
The Stonewylde Series by Kit Berry were a self-publishing phenomenon which became so popular; selling online direct from the author that in 2010 Kit was able to secure a publishing... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lisa Redmond
Beautifully written
Beautifully written series, this book kept me captivated the whole way through. The whole book is a 'page turner/can't put it down' I had to immediately buy the next book in the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Patterson
I Loved this book
[...]
After meeting Kit Berry at a creative writing workshop and hearing about her Stonewylde series, I was excited and interested to start reading the books. Read more
After meeting Kit Berry at a creative writing workshop and hearing about her Stonewylde series, I was excited and interested to start reading the books. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Big Book Little Book
Magus of Stonewylde -MUST READ
I started this book on a very very rare 'time to myself ' trip away from work and the family - on the train down to Witchfest 2010 - the first few pages 'got me ' and after three... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Sorcha Lir
Magus of Stonewylde
Absolutely brilliant book. Totally captivated within the fIrst few pages. A book I really could not put down. I could not wait to read the next books in the series. Read more
Published 4 months ago by spookikat
Depressing
Magus of Stonewylde
I am so sorry to say that I really didn't enjoy the sample of this book, and deleted it from my Kindle. Read more
I am so sorry to say that I really didn't enjoy the sample of this book, and deleted it from my Kindle. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Janice Cooke
The start of the journey.
I read this book soon after as it was published after hearing some of it read on BBC Radio Devon and I was hooked! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mrs. E. Scott
Gripping, magical, wonderful
I know it's a cliche, but this book really did change my life. Beautifully written, expertly researched, I devoured the pages with a mixture of anger, sadness, excitement and... Read more
Published 4 months ago by lammaschild
Fabtastic read!
I was recommended to this series after asking friends for a new author to read. My friend gave me a low down on what they were about, and because Ive never been into the Paganism... Read more
Published 4 months ago by JordansMummy
Unputdownable!
From the first page of this book I was swept into a world that I wanted to be in. I could not and would not put this book down and found myself reading into the small hours for... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Sarah E Keane
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
