A Land Without Magic

A Handful of Magic #2

by Stephen Elboz

Kit Stixby is living the normal life of a wizard at the Eton Magical Academy, creating magical whirlwinds to entertain his friends and training pens to write his homework, when he receives the terrible news that his old archenemy, Stafford Sparks, has escaped from prison!Fleeing for his life, Kit finds himself in the strange land of Callalabasa with Henry, Kit's best friend and Queen Victoria's favorite grandson, to attend young King Eugen's coronation. Magic is forbidden in Callalabasa as the townspeople are terrified of it, but Kit desperately needs his Enchanters on black stallions ride in the night, a prisoner of unfathomable power lurks in the dungeon, and Henry's own bodyguard seems absolutely sinister.As King's Eugen's coronation day approaches, it soon becomes clear that he may not live through it if the vengeful Sparks succeeds in loosing his newest diabolical machine on the kingdom. Once again, Kit must find a way to stop technology on the rampage - and that means magic...

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

234 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Florencia Aguilar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Únicamente lo leí porque textual la tapa decía "nadie relata mejor que Elboz, ni siquiera la mismísima J.K. Rowling".
Tengo que avisarles que NO.

[Sonia Alejandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un final que no es final

[Aelvana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now at the prestigious Eton Magical Academy (a reward for his exploits in the previous book, A Handful of Magic), Kit is still doing what he does best: getting into trouble. But life changes when Stafford Sparks, the man Kit helped put in prison, escapes. Kit's father sends him away for his own safety, but Kit isn't about to be sidelined. Little does he know what it will mean for a wizard to tag along with Henry to a land that has banned magic.

The weakest part of the story is still Kit himself. He's spoiled, presumptuous, and always causing problems simply because he can. What was more interesting was seeing him try to cope in a place that despises magical power; with his capacity to cause magical mischief much diminished, he starts using his powers more thoughtfully and to better end.

A couple of surprise plot twists help move the story along a less predictable path than the previous book. Henry's aim is the coronation of Callalabasa's new king, Eugen. Kit gradually gets sucked into the mystery of why Callalabasa hates magic so much (though, being Kit, at first it's more because he's personally offended than because he actually thinks the rule is a problem), and then finds out there's so much more to the story than a superstitious populace.

Overall, it's better than the first book was, but not by a whole lot. Many of the secondary characters were very weak, particularly Eugen himself ("his heart is in the right place" somehow didn't convince me a man who is first seen hiding from his guests is going to make a good king). Magic is good and science is bad, again with no better reason than one or two mad scientists, but it's less forceful than the previous book. Worth reading? You decide. If you liked the first book, this is a better follow up. If you didn't, then no point continuing. I rate this book Neutral.

[Flowersuccess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up and I thought, "oh! This looks alot like Harry Potter." So I read it and found out that it was but not nearly as funny or as thrilling. However, I did enjoy the book and I would recommend it for a rainy day.