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An orphaned boy escapes from the terrible dark cellar where he is apprenticed to grind spellstones, stones which can be shaped to wield great magical power. Escaping this shadowy world is punishable by death, but when captured the boy claims a stay of execution under an old and almost fogotten law. If he can reach the coast and flee the country within eight days, he will be free. But the boy's daring escape has also come to the attention of the most powerful man in the land, the Protector, and he believes there must be far more to the boy than his humble spellgrinding background. The Protector is convinced that the boy possesses some skill in earth magic, the magic which the Protector tried to irradicate and replace with the unnatural and unstable spellstone wizardry of his own. If this boy can wield earth magic, then maybe others can too. The boy must be captured at all costs - the Protector must learn what the boy knows, and whether he is the harbinger of the Protector's downfall. The chase begins. The characters are vivid, the world NM Browne creates - the politics, religion, the landscapes are utterly convincing, and the many layers of sophistication to explore, are tied together brilliantly.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Spellgrinder's Excellent,
By
This review is from: The Spellgrinder's Apprentice (Paperback)
This is a very good book that follows in the tradition of 'children's' books that are suitable for young or adult audiences. Good characters and pacing. The magic's a bit different and the secret of the human-headed birds is well done. I'll be very happy to read a sequel and will have a look at the author's other work!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
really excellent,
By Paul M "Paul M" (Middlesbrough, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Spellgrinder's Apprentice (Paperback)
I'm an adult reader but have found that books for older children have provided some of the best reading I've had in recent years. This is well up with the best. Strong and believable characters, fast plot and some really nice subtle humour. Can't say I care much for Arthurian literature but I might just go back and look at her earlier work set in Roman and post-Roman era.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A chase that reads more like a crawl,
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This review is from: The Spellgrinder's Apprentice (Paperback)
Tommo, the young boy at the centre of this story, is a spellgrinder's apprentice. His life is confined to a dark cellar where he grinds stones which can be used to wield great magical power. His life is a miserable one; not only are the grinders mistreated, but the stone dust also gives their hair a strange silvery sheen and their hair becomes bleached.
Tommo escapes from his cellar, something that is punishable by death. But Tommo calls upon a largely forgotten law which allows him 8 days sanctuary - if he is able to reach the coast and then leave the country, he will remain free. However, Tommo's escape and dash to the coast has not gone unnoticed by the most powerful man in the country. From Tommo's actions, this man seems convinced that Tommo is more than a mere spellgrinder's apprentice. He sees Tommo as a threat, and so it becomes imperative for him to find and capture Tommo, so that he can do no harm to his world. That is the basic plot. After reading reviews for this book, I was convinced that it woul be an enjoyable, quick read. But I unfortunately cannot bestow the same praise upon this children's piece of literature as the other reviewers have done. For me, the story was too slow. I also disagree that the characters are well developed - nearly a third into the book, I do not think that the man chasing Tommo, Fallon, has been explored enough. This results in them feeling flat, rather than well thought out. This, in turn, does not make me overly concerned about what heppens to them. Although I realise that this book is meant for younger readers, I read a lot of this genre, and there are certainly far superior books out there at the moment.
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