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The Magic Thief
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Product Description
Review
A stunning debut from new author Sarah Prineas … The novel is spellbinding in plot, characters, location and dialogue … a wonderful book which I recommend unreservedly - Bookbag
This a pleasingly fresh and pacy take on some much-visited themes, which will leave many readers eager to know what happens next. The aptly named Conn surely has many more tricks up his sleeve - Guardian.
This a pleasingly fresh and pacy take on some much-visited themes, which will leave many readers eager to know what happens next. The aptly named Conn surely has many more tricks up his sleeve - Guardian.
Product Description
In a city that runs on a dwindling supply of magic, a young boy is drawn into a life of wizardry and adventure. Conn should have dropped dead the day he picked Nevery's pocket and touched the wizard's locus magicalicus, a stone used to focus magic and work spells. But for some reason he did not. Nevery decides to take Conn as his apprentice on the provision that the boy find a locus stone of his own. But Conn has little time to search for his stone between wizard lessons and helping Nevery discover who—or what—is stealing the city of Wellmet's magic. Meanwhile Conn is hiding his own secret - his connection to the sinister Underlord, Crowe . . . The first in a compelling, beautifully written trilogy, with wonderful characters you'll want to read more and more about.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Conn is a street urchin who pick-pockets something of immense magical strength and yet seems unaffected. Intrigued, Nevery the Magician from whom he had tried to steal the stone (or locus magicalicus) takes him on as an unorthodox apprentice.
Prineas, and her main character Conn, has a unique and imaginative take on the essence of magic: its vitality. With dwindling magic in the city, Conn has an unnerving instinct about what is wrong and why, going against city institutions and wizard elders in order to set things straight.
With a dark and Dickensian flavour, this is a gentle introduction to dark fantasy for confident junior readers upwards. The story is lean and linear and has only a fairly sparse cast of characters, making it a real page turner, its gripping nature belying its simplicity. The physical book has a good feel to it too, a neat hardback with a map of the city, interspersed entries from Nevery's journal, and atmospheric illustrations at the beginning of each chapter.
And if you enjoy this, I recommend you try The Toymaker by de Quidt for a darker twistier tale at the same reading level.
Prineas, and her main character Conn, has a unique and imaginative take on the essence of magic: its vitality. With dwindling magic in the city, Conn has an unnerving instinct about what is wrong and why, going against city institutions and wizard elders in order to set things straight.
With a dark and Dickensian flavour, this is a gentle introduction to dark fantasy for confident junior readers upwards. The story is lean and linear and has only a fairly sparse cast of characters, making it a real page turner, its gripping nature belying its simplicity. The physical book has a good feel to it too, a neat hardback with a map of the city, interspersed entries from Nevery's journal, and atmospheric illustrations at the beginning of each chapter.
And if you enjoy this, I recommend you try The Toymaker by de Quidt for a darker twistier tale at the same reading level.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Conn was just hoping for a few coins to buy food when he picked the pocket of the wizard who passed his alleyway. What he gets is an adventure far bigger than he could have imagined. The wizard, Nevery, takes an interest in Conn, and takes him in as a servant and then an apprentice. With regular meals, blankets to sleep under, and enough magical objects and lessons to keep Conn's eager mind occupied, the once-homeless boy couldn't be happier.
Unfortunately for Conn, nothing is as simple as it seems. Before he can truly become an apprentice, he must find his locus magicalicus (the stone which will focus his magical power) in a most unlikely place, convince Nevery that one of his fellow wizards is consorting with the city's cruel Underlord, and figure out why the city's magic is fading away--and how to save it--before the city dies from the lack of it. It's a terribly large task for a boy who has only just started learning his letters, but Conn is nothing if not resourceful.
THE MAGIC THIEF will pull readers in so completely that they'll have trouble setting the book aside. The details of the Victorian-esque world are so vividly drawn that readers will feel the chill of the icy winds and taste the buttery goodness of Conn's favorite biscuits. What makes the book particularly special is Conn himself. His voice is lively, with exactly the sort of street-smart practicality and frankness you'd expect from a boy who has spent most of his life on the streets. Despite his criminal background, Conn is good-hearted, and simply longs for a place where he can make something of himself.
Readers will sympathize with his struggle to prove himself to Nevery and the city's authorities, and appreciate his clear-headed thinking amid all the secrecy and scheming of the adults around him. The novel's conclusion is quite satisfying, while leaving lots open for the second book in the trilogy, which many will be clamoring to get as soon as they have finished this one. An all-round enjoyable read that easily stands out from the many fantasy novels on the shelves.
Reviewed by: Lynn Crow
Unfortunately for Conn, nothing is as simple as it seems. Before he can truly become an apprentice, he must find his locus magicalicus (the stone which will focus his magical power) in a most unlikely place, convince Nevery that one of his fellow wizards is consorting with the city's cruel Underlord, and figure out why the city's magic is fading away--and how to save it--before the city dies from the lack of it. It's a terribly large task for a boy who has only just started learning his letters, but Conn is nothing if not resourceful.
THE MAGIC THIEF will pull readers in so completely that they'll have trouble setting the book aside. The details of the Victorian-esque world are so vividly drawn that readers will feel the chill of the icy winds and taste the buttery goodness of Conn's favorite biscuits. What makes the book particularly special is Conn himself. His voice is lively, with exactly the sort of street-smart practicality and frankness you'd expect from a boy who has spent most of his life on the streets. Despite his criminal background, Conn is good-hearted, and simply longs for a place where he can make something of himself.
Readers will sympathize with his struggle to prove himself to Nevery and the city's authorities, and appreciate his clear-headed thinking amid all the secrecy and scheming of the adults around him. The novel's conclusion is quite satisfying, while leaving lots open for the second book in the trilogy, which many will be clamoring to get as soon as they have finished this one. An all-round enjoyable read that easily stands out from the many fantasy novels on the shelves.
Reviewed by: Lynn Crow
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have wanted to read this book for a while but just didn't get around to it, but having done so I am glad I did. In truth I found the written style a little jarring at first but having kept going it does settle down, or perhaps I just stopped noticing. The story is good; it is well paced and not overly complicated so you get carried along with the adventure. There are no great surprises in the story, but it is still enjoyable. For a fantasy writer I do not think that the author has created a particularly vivid or creative backdrop for the story, the world she has created is not imaginative. But I liked the characters, they are not complex but they are likeable and help facilitate the story.
This was sufficiently good that I immediately read the second in the series, "Magic Thief - Lost", and enjoyed that as well. So this has been a good discovery and worth reading. I will certainly also read the third part in the series.
This was sufficiently good that I immediately read the second in the series, "Magic Thief - Lost", and enjoyed that as well. So this has been a good discovery and worth reading. I will certainly also read the third part in the series.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Magic Thief review
Great delivery at a great price and a very happy boy with his magical book. We new Amazon would not let us down. RESULT!!
Published 4 months ago by Graham
A exciting read
I have not read this book myself but i bought it for our young lad. He loves the book and say's it's very exciting and at some points he does not want to put the book down.
Published 13 months ago by island dweller
Fantastic! Simply magic!
I stumbled across this series on Amazon, and bought the first one for my Kindle. I was hooked before I had finished the first page, and ordered the next two books half way through... Read more
Published 15 months ago by BBCjunkie
A fun, fast-paced magic read
On a cold, wet night in Wellmet, Conn is hungry and on the run from the Underlord (who controls part of the city) when he sees an old man walking by. Read more
Published 19 months ago by quippe
The magic thief
This book I got for xmas and didn't know what it was.Now I finished it a week ago and love it,I'm getting the next one now! Read more
Published on 1 May 2010
the magis thief
It took a while to get into the book but once I did I enjoyed it.
Published on 28 Mar 2010 by est
Quite disappointing
This book isn't very well written and doesn't really draw you in. It's not descriptive at all an the story is quite confusing. Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2009
The Magic Thief
Good story about a boy who was on the streets with no prospects in life other than to survive, when suddenly his life is totally turned around. Great book for all ages.
Published on 10 Sep 2009 by John Sales
good read for kids
Good story-moved along pretty well, not any over descriptive pieces.Fun characters and plots.Big let down, for me, was that the writing was in large type so the 411 pages could... Read more
Published on 26 Jun 2009 by gary wilson
The Magic Thief
I found this book in my local library. The story gripped me from the beginning with sympathetic, believeable characters and an original plot. Read more
Published on 4 Mar 2009 by J. Taylor
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