The Magic Thief: A Proper Wizard

Magic Thief #3.5

by Sarah Prineas, Antonio Javier Caparo (Illustrator)

In this short-story follow-up to The Magic Thief: Home, Verent is sent to Wellmet to learn from a great and powerful wizard, and when he arrives he comes face-to-face with Conn. While he isn’t exactly what Verent expected, Conn may be exactly what he needs.

The Magic Thief: A Proper Wizard by Sarah Prineas has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Magic, Middle Grade, Fiction, Young Adult, Adventure

49 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 2014

About the author

Coming in April 2021 from Philomel, Trouble in the Stars! It's a middle grade science fiction adventure about a shapeshifter kid.

And Dragonfell is out in paperback in April 2020.

Happy reading!

My website: www.sarah-prineas.com

Reviews

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Short story in the world of Magic Thief, a wizard comes from another city to ask the great wizard Connwaer for help with a magical problem they're having. He's rather surprised to come across Conn - not at all the proper wizard he was expecting.

I really enjoyed this story. Lots of wry humor, which made me wish there was more of this humor/style in book 4 (which I read before this). It was fun to watch Verent come to see that a proper wizard isn't about the beard or the robes, but the magic and learning and trying new things.

It was cool to see that other magicians have read Conn's treatise on the connection of magic and dragons and find it worthwhile and true, and aren't as short-sighted and doltish as the Wellmet magisters.

[Denae Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny how it doesn't take long to forget a story. The pov MC was some uppity fellow wanting to find the great wizard Connwaer and finding a boy instead. There were explosions.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick short story written for a popular young adult series. Unfortunately, the story is just a vignette featuring a chubby, clumsy kid from another city coming to see Conn about a magic problem. It doesn't do much, there's no resolution, it doesn't add anything to the world building already established.

Not recommended.

[Victoria Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful read, and something that leaves me even more excited for Book 4 to come out! Conn is just as clever as ever, and I loved his explanation for Danivelle's "problem". I was already a fan of Pip when it was introduced in Book 3, but this short story had me falling even more in love with the little dragon. Well written, The Magic Thief: A Proper Wizard has left me even more excited (if that is even possible) for Book 4 to be released this Fall.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a neat idea on the author's part, showing us what Conn would look like to someone expecting to meet a "great" wizard. Young Verent (still older than Conn) is scandalized and dismayed to find that the ragged youth he mistook for a servant is in fact the savoir of Wellmet and celebrated wizard Connwaer. However Conn soon proves his intelligence and unique understanding of magic, helping Verent to understand himself a little better along the way. Nicely done!

[Farseer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story set in the Magic Thief universe, and showing us how a visitor from a different city might see Conn.

It's a fun short story, and I appreciated getting another point of view on the character.

[Thomas Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was cool because we got to see Conn from a different perspective, and it hinted at new problems.

[TheOdd1sOut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice short story. Get Shrekt, Verent!

[toya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not enough for a even a short story.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious!

[Lucy]

bedtime read to my son.

[Jo!☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I SOBBED

[Diana Ault · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet. It was interesting and enjoyable to see Conn from someone else’s perspective, someone who was just meeting him for the first time.

EDIT: this is numbered as 3.5 but I wonder if it shouldn’t be read perhaps after book 4...

[Barb Middleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kind of like these little short books in between novels. It makes me want to pick up book 4 and it is a good review for my remiss brain that remembers details about as well as I cook. At least I don't blow things up cooking like Conn does with his experiments. Not only is Conn back, which I didn't expect since the trilogy wrapped up nicely, but he's still blowing things up. Yeehaw! The absent-minded risk-taker is hard-working and more observant than it would appear. He fools many by his appearance and when Verent, apprentice to a wizard that is seeking Conn's help on a magical problem, meets Conn he is ready to turn around and head home. Verent's elitist attitude is a turn off as the snobbish Verent wants nothing to do with the poorly dressed Conn and his low-class accent. But Conn isn't offended and he includes Verent in his experiments teaching him how to turn a mistake into a positive experience.

Verent doesn't know what to think of Conn and makes comparisons to the current wizard he's apprenticed to in the city of Danivelle. This is a nice study of character development as the author shows how to birth a one-dimensional character into a complex, three-dimensional one (sounds like an alien). Verent's views hide his insecurities about his lack of skills as a wizard. He is never praised nor encouraged in a steady progression of mastering wizardry skills. Instead he is shamed and browbeaten by his master creating a person that puts others down so that he can feel good about himself. Conn teaches him that he has worthwhile skills and must allow himself to make mistakes and take risks. Otherwise he will never reach his potential as a wizard. Prineas does a great job showing this through dialogue and action. Plus I got a refresher on Conn and Nevery's background. I forgot quite a bit because book 3 was published in 2010. My brain is befuddled with too many other books to remember that long ago. If you want a quick read (49 pages), a refresher on the series, and a little depth regarding mistakes and risk-taking then give this a go.

[Nicole Gozdek · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Ordnung, es war nur eine Kurzgeschichte, dennoch hätte ich mir ein bisschen mehr von "A Proper Wizard" erhofft. Der Zauberlehrling Verent kommt nach Wellmet, den Kopf voller Vorstellungen, wie ein richtiger Zauberer zu sein hat. Er erhofft sich von dem großen Magier Connwaer Hilfe beim magischen Problem seiner Stadt - und trifft auf Conn, einen Jungen, der 2-3 Jahre jünger ist als er, dessen Kleidung Löcher hat und der alles in allem ganz anders ist, als man sich einen großen Zauberer so vorstellt. Die Ausgangslage bietet also eine Vielzahl von interessanten Möglichkeiten für Konflikte, die Sarah Prineas leider nicht nutzt. Die Spannungen zwischen Verent und Conn sind recht schnell überwunden und ob sie nun wirklich eine Lösung für Verents Problem gefunden haben, kommt auch nicht recht heraus. Insgesamt hatte ich mir einfach mehr erhofft, weil die Reihe an sich super ist. Schade. :-(

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short, sweet and cute story from the point of view of an as of yet unknown character. Verent reminds me a lot of Keeston when we first met him in The Magic Thief, a complete jerk that you kind of enjoy the idea of bad things happening to him. He's snobby and judgemental and well he's got no reason to be so. The story serves to give an outside perspective of what Conn is like and surprisingly I ended up liking Verent by the end of the exceptionally short story. I wouldn't say he's my favorite character ever, but I stopped completely loathing him.

I haven't read Home yet, but as far as I can see this short story isn't really needed to understand the series but it does offer an entertaining fifteen or twenty minutes of an outsider's perspective of Conn and Wellmet.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a quick little short story, but it reveals Conn's leadership skills. And apprentice, Verent, learned there is more to being a wizard than doing everything properly. "I am going to be a wizard who makes excellent mistakes." That's something we'd all benefit from...allowing ourselves to make 'excellent mistakes.'

[Stas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is in the middle of book 3, I think. *looks thoughtful* The birds are still black.

A lovely glimpse into Conn's life through outsider's eyes. And what a lovely boy this visitor is! I bet you anything Verent and Conn became jolly good friends.

Lovely!

[Tantri 0314 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seru dan suka dengan kerendahan hati Conn. Conn tidak berubah, tetap menjadi dirinya sendiri.
Sayang buku ini sangat pendek sehingga saya hanya memberikan tiga bintang. Namun, seri ini layak dikoleksi menurut saya.

[marketta m nunley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good light read

Verent, a wizard apprentice, is sent to ask Conn, the greatest wizard of the age, for help with his city's magic problem. Verent's problem is that Conn doesn't look like a wizard.

[Eleftheria · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

[katayoun Masoodi]

not rating as it was a short, short ebook, though there was chapter one of The Magic Thief:Home at the end and can't wait!!

[PJforaDay]

I neeed this!

[Orangetails · Rating 3 out of 5]

So cute! I loved it!

[Toua Thao · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. I think I would've enjoyed it more if I remembered books 1-3 better.

[Maraya21 (The Reading Dragon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short story, alas a bit too short! It had humor but left few tiny questions unanswered. This book series is great!

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very short read. Added nothing to the series.

[Beka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice look at Conn in his new position.