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Magister
A fantasy novel in which an academic accepts a special assignment. The protagonist is an aspiring magician at the Royal Academy who is asked to research the personal papers of a deceased stage magician. He is surprised to learn that his subject of study understood more about sorcery than simple sleight of hand.
- GenresFantasy
388 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
About the author
Jonathan Wylie
26 books23 followersJonathan Wylie is the pseudonym of Mark and Julia Smith, a married couple who live and work in Norfolk. Having met while they were both working for a major London publishing house, they sparked each other into creative life, and began writing as a team a few months after setting up home together. They have been writing full time since 1991. The pen-name they have used most recently is Julia Gray, author of Ice Mage, Fire Music, Isle of the Dead and the popular 'Guardian' Cycle.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 11, 2012
3.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Daniel Gillespie is a talented but impecunious student originator, or magical dramatist. An unexpected opportunity to conduct lucrative research on a deceased but once influential dramatist draws him into a complex history that turns out to involve his own family.
Review
I've warmed considerably to this book since I first read it a score of years ago. Perhaps that's in contrast to the also-about-magical-theater Melanie Rawn Glass Thorns series I just finished, with its many weaknesses. But I also think my earlier view was somewhat unfair to this work.
Magister isn't groundbreaking, and it is a bit slow-moving and philosophical, but it's also an engaging character study of Daniel the student gradually getting more and more caught up in a historic figures magical mystery. There are aspects that feel too predictable - potentially hard to avoid, given the nature of the plot - and it's often too clear just what will happen next. But largely, it's interesting to follow along.
The ending of the story leaves quite a bit to be desired. The wrap-up feels far too quick, and with far too much vagueness about just what happened. An effective closing line mitigates this somewhat, but not enough to rescue the story overall. I'd have wished for a little more action and resolution, and was disappointed that Sophie, Daniel's companion, was not far more fleshed out. The story is, in the end, about him and his obsessions, but Sophie deserved more, if only to balance the story's present with its past.
I've enjoyed many of Jonathan Wylie's books. Never groundbreaking, always enjoyable, and I think this fits that formula pretty well.
Summary
Daniel Gillespie is a talented but impecunious student originator, or magical dramatist. An unexpected opportunity to conduct lucrative research on a deceased but once influential dramatist draws him into a complex history that turns out to involve his own family.
Review
I've warmed considerably to this book since I first read it a score of years ago. Perhaps that's in contrast to the also-about-magical-theater Melanie Rawn Glass Thorns series I just finished, with its many weaknesses. But I also think my earlier view was somewhat unfair to this work.
Magister isn't groundbreaking, and it is a bit slow-moving and philosophical, but it's also an engaging character study of Daniel the student gradually getting more and more caught up in a historic figures magical mystery. There are aspects that feel too predictable - potentially hard to avoid, given the nature of the plot - and it's often too clear just what will happen next. But largely, it's interesting to follow along.
The ending of the story leaves quite a bit to be desired. The wrap-up feels far too quick, and with far too much vagueness about just what happened. An effective closing line mitigates this somewhat, but not enough to rescue the story overall. I'd have wished for a little more action and resolution, and was disappointed that Sophie, Daniel's companion, was not far more fleshed out. The story is, in the end, about him and his obsessions, but Sophie deserved more, if only to balance the story's present with its past.
I've enjoyed many of Jonathan Wylie's books. Never groundbreaking, always enjoyable, and I think this fits that formula pretty well.
August 12, 2007
That Jonathan Wylie can write
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews