An Unexpected Apprentice

Tildi Summerbee #1

by Jody Lynn Nye

Halfling Tildi Summerbee has led a typical, unexciting life, tending the house for her brothers while they manage the family farm. Her days are boring, but happy...until a Thraik attack decimates her family. In an effort to provide for Tildi, the town's leaders prepare an arranged marriage and take control of her farm's assets. After all, a female halfling is incapable of handling such matters on her own. Tildi sees things differently.
In order to escape her arranged marriage and overcome the prejudices against the "weaker" sex, she decides to pass herself off as a man. Assuming the guise of her brother Teldo, Tildi disappears into the night. She plans to accept Teldo's position as an apprentice to a great wizard. But she soon finds that the rest of the world isn't very welcoming to halflings. And that she is surrounded by fantastic dangers. Dangers that are more than a match for a wizard's apprentice.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Adventure, Juvenile, Young Adult, Novels

464 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Jody Lynn Nye lists her main career activity as ‘spoiling cats.’ When not engaged upon this worthy occupation, she writes fantasy and science fiction books and short stories.

Before breaking away from gainful employment to write full time, Jody worked as a file clerk, book-keeper at a small publishing house, freelance journalist and photographer, accounting assistant and costume maker.

For four years, she was on the technical operations staff of a local Chicago television station, WFBN (WGBO), serving the last year as Technical Operations Manager. During her time at WFBN, she was part of the engineering team that built the station, acted as Technical Director during live sports broadcasts, and worked to produce in-house spots and public service announcements.

Over the last twenty-five or so years, Jody has taught in numerous writing workshops and participated on hundreds of panels covering the subjects of writing and being published at science-fiction conventions. She has also spoken in schools and libraries around the north and northwest suburbs. In 2007 she taught fantasy writing at Columbia College Chicago. She also runs the two-day writers workshop at DragonCon, and is a judge for the Writers of the Future contest, the largest speculative fiction contest in the world.

Jody lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, with her husband Bill Fawcett, a writer, game designer, military historian and book packager, and three feline overlords, Athena, Minx, and Marmalade.

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

He meant to ruin the world. He was almost looking forward to it. It had done him no good. He would have his revenge. All of those people, their homes, their lands, would cease to be! He had long waited for the chance to change the painful reality of his existence, and it had come to him.

This book is a fun, even-keeled, relatively 'safe' introduction to fantasy.

What do you mean by that, Carmen?

Well, things never get too intense. Confrontations that you think will happen, never happen. Jaded or older readers might be disappointed. It's also "easy" fantasy - the plot isn't too complex, the names are pronounceable and not the mishmash of syllables you often see in this genre. I like fantasy, but you have to admit - some of it is an absolute slog, especially when starting a new series. I liked the book, but it is gentle. Relatively gentle (there are still fights and battles).

You see, Tildi is a smallfolk who lives in a smallfolk community. The smallfolk are very traditional and they shun magic and try to avoid the "outside world" for the most part (think a variation on Amish, if you will). However, in being very traditional they are ruthlessly patriarchal, to the point where women must keep their eyes downcast in public and cannot make any decisions for themselves, etc. etc. Tildi had a mother and father and four brothers - all murdered by the thraik (evil demons) in raids. Tildi's brothers' bodies are not even cold when the town council decrees that she must marry Bardol - an anti-social older hermit who lives in the woods. Tildi's pleas for understanding, being able to choose a husband, or even getting some time to grieve are ignored. As a woman with no living male relatives, she must be married off as soon as possible.

As Tildi sadly and silently starts packing away all her beloved brothers' things, she finds a treasure among her closest brother's things. A letter accepting Teldo's application to become a wizard's apprentice! Realizing that life in the small village in servitude to a brute of a husband will hold no joy for her, Tildi cuts off her long hair, dons her brother's clothes, and makes the brave decision to venture out into the great unknown - to seek out the wizard and present herself for apprenticeship!
...

Sounds cute, right? It is cute! And fun. By the end of the book we have a whole cast of characters - wizards, wizardesses, a centaur-woman named Rin, a dwarf-woman, an errant prince, a soldier so scarred and damaged by war that he is barely human any more... A lot of fun characters. And they all go on a journey together to defeat a Big Bad and save the world!

This is a charming story. I would compare it to WILLOW, the old 1988 film with Warwick Davis and Val Kilmer. That sense of adventure, and a rather (if I do say so myself) 1970s/1980s feel to the book adds to this kind of fun, not-too-scary book which is filled to the brim with fantasy characters - dwarves, elves, centaur, werewolves, smallfolk, mermaids, etc. - and fantasy tropes (journey from small town to big city to seek my fortune, journey with a cast of varied characters to bring down Big Bad, kindly old wizard with long beard as mentor, fierce battle centaur-woman who is brave and fun, powerful book that can destroy the world in the wrong hands, etc. etc. etc.).

If you are looking for something SAFE, FUN, and APPROPRIATE to introduce a younger reader to the fantasy genre - look no further! This is it. There are no swears, no sexual content. There are fights and battles - but they are not TOO detailed, gruesome or horrifying. The evil is bad and a real threat but not evil on the level of stuff you usually see in fantasy novels. This is cushioned - the whole book is cushioned. Which leads me to a burning question that my friends and I have discussed.

Is this YA or children's literature?

Unsure at this time. I would not really be able to tell you. It is classified as an adult novel by my library system. The main character, Tildi, is 26 or 27 - not exactly a child or teen (although her small stature leads to people thinking she's a child on more than one occasion!)

This book certainly isn't going to provide the jolt, the heart-pounding, the exciting and frightening confrontations, or the "mature" content that jaded readers are expecting. However, I rather enjoyed this feeling of relative safety and comfort.

I would definitely recommend it to younger readers - but it is not a "kids' book!" Nye's book is smart, funny, and completely accessible and enjoyable for adults - I do NOT feel as if she were 'writing to kids or writing to teens.' Instead, in the way of traditional older 1970s fantasy, it just so happens that an adult novel has been written that is appropriate and very fitting for a young fantasy-newbie who is just getting his or her feet wet in the genre. I hope adults won't shun this book or relegate it to the YA/Children's section without first experiencing this wonderful 400-page tome. It's a good read - and just happens to be one of the very few 'good reads' that I can recommend to my 12-year-old friend who loves books but has Catholic parents who don't want her reading anything 'damaging.' Ugh, that makes it sound like this book is a loser. It's not a loser - it's a great book that happens to be fun for both adults and younger readers, without losing anything - it doesn't have that YA/children's feel that leaves a bad taste in my mouth (adults, you are safe!) and it doesn't have any swears, sexual content, or evil that involves really nasty crap (children, you can enjoy!).

Tl;dr - Adjectives that describe this book: charming, friendly, adventuresome, 1970s-feel, sweet, relateable, comforting, and quest-filled.

Adjectives that DON'T describe this book: frightening, intense, exciting, sexy, dangerous, scary, edgy, and groundbreaking.

So, know what you're getting into and read at your own risk. I, personally, really enjoyed this novel. It was a charming and good read for me. However, I know other people might feel disappointed or let-down when, as they're reading, it slowly dawns on them that nothing really intense is going to happen. That's okay. There are MORE than enough scary and intense fantasy novels out there. This is a calm respite for those who enjoy a journey-driven novel.

NOTES ON FEMINISM:
1.) For a female character to become a capable, strong wizard with NO love interest, NO good-looking males to help her or rescue her - Wow, this is rare. Excellent.

2.) I also think that Nye does an excellent job creating Tildi - a woman who enjoys cooking and cleaning but is ALSO a wizard of great skill and someone who journeys out to adventure and battle. SO OFTEN I feel like in order to make a "strong female character," the author is like: she can't cook, she'd never touch a broom, she can kill a person 294 different ways, she dresses in all leather and has a cutting tongue, etc. etc. etc. Tildi is great and rare in the fact that she is 'traditionally girly' but also powerful and brave. A well-rounded character, not a sloppy, hastily put-together "badass" who is unrealistic and unlikable.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tildi lives a simple life on the farm with her brothers in the land of the smallfolk. But when her brothers are all killed by monsters, the council says that a woman cannot manage a farm by herself, and they say they will force Tildi to get married. So she runs away and travels out into the world of the humans, centaurs, and elves. Before her brother died, he had applied to become an apprentice to a famous wizard, so Tildi dresses up like a boy and takes the letter of apprentice as her own. But first, she has to get to the city where the wizard lives.

I loved the first part of this book where Tildi is running away and then when she is studying with the wizard, but as soon as Tildi goes on a quest with a whole troupe of other characters, the focus shifted a lot more to those other characters, and I lost interest. I wanted more of Tildi and the wizard, but there were a lot of tangents and chapters from other characters' points of view. I ended up skimming some of the other chapters that didn't include Tildi.

The writing is really fun and whimsical, but there is also a lot of violence right at the beginning when Tildi's brothers are killed. It has a good balance of serious themes and light-hearted scenes throughout the book.

The magical setting has all this weight of history behind it. You get the feeling that Tildi is just a very small little blip in all the history of the other characters, because she is so very young compared to the wizards and elves and dwarves who might live for centuries or even longer.

This book ends on a cliffhanger, so I immediately bought the second book so that I could find out what happens to Tildi on her quest!

[Margot · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is, at best, mediocre--at worst, a big waste of time. You might laugh at this, but I had hoped (based on the back-cover description) for a high fantasy, Tolkeinesque, Harry Potter. Yes, I wanted to see the high fantasy(ish) creatures at school to become wizards. But Jody Lynn Nye obviously set out to write a feminist Fellowship of the Ring. The significant variations were that her hobbits are called "small folk," the ring is a book, and all the members of the fellowship are women. All in all, it offered nothing new and hardly anything interesting. I skipped eighty of the last hundred pages just to get through it.

[Doris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up because I am familiar with the author and enjoy her work. It sounded a little like it was based on Lord of the Rings, and reading bore that out. Unfortunately (and I will irritate a few people with this statement) it was, like LOTR, predictable and overdone.

There was a lot of build up in the beginning of the thraik attacks, so much that I started speed reading to get to the end of that section. Then our protagonist, orphaned and without family, is judged by the elders, all male, to be incapable of taking care of herself and her farm because she's female. Still well written except the thraik section.

Then, Tildi spent an entire night wandering around, wasting a chapter or two to decide to run away from the decision of the elders to give her farm, and her, to a deserving male. She took things to remember her brothers, which I thought a good touch, but then she trudged forever through the woods, running across a fire demon along the way.

However, I loved Silvertree. It was a really great touch - a house that adjusts to the thoughts and feelings of the residents. It was something I would like to inhabit!

Olen reminded me of Dumbledore, the head of Hogwarts school, in that he mostly ignored his apprentice. He did help her, but mostly by foisting her off on someone else to train.

I liked the group of people who joined together to hunt down the ring, er - book - all female but one, with power to assist in various ways for the quest.

I thought Magpie and his beloved a little fatuous, and the ending of the book was good but abrupt. For quite a while the story seemed to loll along, then all of a sudden - it was over.

It had some really good parts, but too much writing just to fill space.

[Huhn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tildi Summerbee vom kleinen Volk verliert in einem Angriff der schrecklichen Thraik ihre gesamte Familie. Die Tradition gebietet, dass sie als Frau den elterlichen Hof nicht alleine weiterführen kann. Bevor der Rat sie an den nächstbesten Taugenichts verheiraten kann, ergreift Tildi, verkleidet als ihr verstorbener Bruder Teldo, die Flucht, um Teldos Stelle Lehrling beim großen Magier Olen anzutreten. Auf Tildi, die nie zuvor allein außerhalb ihrer friedlichen Heimat unterwegs gewesen ist, warten sehr viel mehr Abenteuer, als sie sich jemals hätte erträumen können.

Ich könnte mir definitiv vorstellen, der Autorin mit einem ihrer anderen Werke nochmal eine Chance zu geben. Aber dieses Buch war nichts für mich.

[Achtung, Spoiler ahead]

Ich hätte mir anhand des Klappentextes einen Fokus auf Tildis Verkleidung als ihr Bruder Teldo vorgestellt sowie auf ihre Ausbildung beim Magier Olen. Tatsächlich ist das aber fast schon nebensächlich. Tildis Verkleidung fliegt quasi sofort auf und spielt dann keine Rolle mehr (dazu gleich mehr). Die Ausbildung dauert wenige Wochen, bevor Tildi als Außerwählte den Ring nach Mordor bringen … ähm ich meine natürlich das gefährliche magische Buch finden muss.

Ein großer Teil der Handlung behandelt diese Reise – und meine Güte, war die langweilig. Ich hab mich durch die letzten 50 Seiten richtig durchquälen müssen. Wir alle wissen, dass sie am Ende am Ziel ankommen werden, und es liest sich wie eine Seitenvorgabe vom Verlag, dass erst noch 100 Seiten „Und dann kommen sie dorthin und dann kommen sie dahin und dann passiert ihnen das“ folgen, ehe wir endlich die Szene lesen dürfen, auf die wir eigentlich Bock hatten.

Und meine Güte, ist der Antagonist dämlich. Er hat ein mächtiges magisches Artefakt, mit dem er Leute aus der Ferne gezielt umbringen könnte. Das tut er auch. Aber ausgerechnet die Gruppe, die ihm dicht auf den Fersen ist … die will er nicht direkt umbringen und bewirft sie stattdessen mit albernen Hindernissen. Selbst wenn man ihm ein Gewissen zugestehen möchte, dass ihn daran hindert, die Leute umzunieten (nicht, dass ihn die zahllosen Menschen, die er in einem Vulkanausbruch killt, irgendwie gejuckt hätten, aber naja). Selbst dann verhält er sich grenzenlos dämlich. Er hat die Macht, die Welt um sich herum zu verändern. Dude, dann schaff halt ne unüberwindbare Mauer, undurchdringliche Labyrinthe, Falten in Zeit und Raum … whatever. Warum schafft die Autorin so ein spaßiges und übermächtiges Magiesystem, nur damit am Ende die Hauptfigur und der Antagonist wie Grundschulkinder um ein Buch rangeln, statt großartige Magie zu wirken? (Ja, die zerren an dem Buch herum. Wtf.)

Tildi als Hauptfigur mochte ich nicht. Das Buch hat so einen feministischen Anstrich, der aber für mich nicht funktioniert hat und Tildis Entwicklung und der Umgang mit ihr ist Teil des Problems. Tildi stammt aus einer Gesellschaft, in der Frauen ganz offen weniger wert sind als Männer und nicht für sich selbst handeln und sprechen dürfen. Daher auch ihre Verkleidung zu Beginn der Erzählung – Tildi ist der Überzeugung, dass sie als Frau nicht die Möglichkeit hat, Lehrling eines Magiers zu werden. Ich hätte es spannend gefunden, zu lesen, wie sie diese ihr anerzogenen Vorurteile durch eigene Erfahrungen ablegt und durch ein auf Grundlage ihrer Entscheidungen und Fähigkeiten neu gewonnenes Selbstbewusstsein ersetzt. Und eben auch, wie sie die Gefahren meistert, die ihr als Halblingin, Frau und als Person ohne Schutz durch Familie oder Freund\*innen drohen.
Stattdessen wird ihre Verkleidung sofort durchschaut, aber alle unterwegs finden sie niedlich und sorgen für ihren Schutz, ohne ihr das mitzuteilen. Tildi selbst muss auf ihrer Reise zu Olen nichts leisten (etwas, das sich durchzieht durch das Buch). Bei Olen angekommen, enttarnt der Meister Tildi sofort, indem er ihr sagt, dass sie kein Junge sei und die Verkleidung ablegen kann. Das ist auf so vielen Ebenen räudig. Da will die Handlung mir vermitteln, dass Frauen selbstbestimmt leben können und dann wird der Hauptfigur von einem Mann erklärt, wie sie sich zu zeigen und ihr Leben zu leben hat. Enttarnende Runenmagie hin oder her, einfach nein. Es wäre so viel spannender zu lesen gewesen, dass der Meister sie zwar Kraft seiner Magie durchschaut, aber ihre Entscheidung, sich als Junge auszugeben akzeptiert und ihr selbst überlässt, ob, wann und wie sie ihr Geheimnis lüften möchte. Das geht ihn schließlich nichts an. Eine verpasste Gelegenheit, Tildi selbst lernen zu lassen, dass sie selbstverständlich auch als Frau ihrer Stellung beim Magier würdig ist.
Auch sonst trifft Tildi keine Entscheidungen nach ihrer Abreise aus ihrer Heimat wirklich selbst. Klar, pro forma wird sie andauernd gefragt, ob sie sich wirklich dieser oder jener Gefahr aussetzen will. Aber es gibt keinen Plan B. Tildi macht, was nur sie machen kann oder Weltuntergang.

Tildis Reisebegleiterinnen sind wahlweise dämlich oder nervig, was Teil dessen ist, wieso ich die Reisebeschreibung so unleserlich fand. Die große Magierin, der fast am Ende plötzlich einfällt, dass sie ja gar nicht bedacht hatten, dass der Antagonist die unfassbaren magischen Kräfte des Buches auch nutzen könnte, wow. Deren Tochter, die eine bitchige Biatch ist und der das alle zugestehen, weil sie ja so troubled ist. Eine Zentaurin, die Tildi nicht für voll nimmt. Eine Zwergin, die Tildi wie ein Kind bemuttert. Eine Soldatin, die ihren ehemaligen Geliebten dabeihat, den sie nicht mehr lieben kann, weil er jetzt hässlich ist (wow). Ein hässlicher Soldat, der nicht kochen kann und ständig in Panik gerät.

Die interessanteste Figur in diesem „feministischen“ Roman ist der Barde/Prinz Magpie – der Einzige im Buch, der vor wirklich schwierigen Entscheidungen steht, die echte Konsequenzen nach sich ziehen. Aber keine Sorge – damit der nicht zu cool rüberkommt, kriecht er andauernd vor so einer Prinzessin zu Kreuze, deren Motivation zwar grundsätzlich nachvollziehbar, aber so wahnsinnig mies ausgearbeitet ist, dass sie vor allem wankelmütig wirkt.

Ich würde hier nicht so rumranten, wenn das Buch einfach nur schlecht gewesen wäre, aber das war es nicht. Die erste Hälfte mochte ich sogar von einigen Schnitzern abgesehen ganz gern. Aber sobald Tildi in der zweiten Hälfte des Buches auf ihre große Reise geht, mutiert das Buch weg von seinem eigentlich brauchbaren Worldbuilding und seinem interessanten Sprach/Runenmagiesystem zu einem ollen Herr-der-Ringe-Abklatsch. So ein verschenktes Potenzial! Meh!

[Jonathan Appleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn’t really my genre (I am not really into LOTR), but will always look favorably on the recommendation of a good friend. Having said this usually isn’t “my thing”, I would rather read something good than “my thing”.

OK, I enjoyed this. As this set the foundation for a series it had its slow spots where it had to develop its universe. That is number one for me here. It develops its own Universe and breaks some convention with what we think of as elves, dwarves, but especially magic. So many writers take what common views are given on magic, vampires, werewolves. Nye does not.

I think this will be a winner with my daughter as well (and possibly my wife as used to read Anne McCaffery ).

Maybe a week four star for me, but certainly worth checking out.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of promise, but at the end I realized that (dammit) this was the first in a series.

Also, it sounds like it's going to be a fantasy for (ahem) mature people and it's written like it's for 12 year olds. I read a lot of books aimed at that demographic, but this one was kind of cloying. I really wanted to like this because the first couple of chapters were very good. But once she gets to the Silvertree I lost interest. I finished it, but only because I am stubborn.

[Kin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick summary of my thoughts...

So much potential, so little payoff.

I was excited by the potential feminist aspect of this book. A sort of retelling of the Hobbit, but with a mostly female cast? That sounded wonderful, but it didn't really work out. Once Tildi, the protagonist, left her hometown, she was never faced with any sexism but her own internalized sexism--and that was very overt. With a mostly female party, it would have been easy to have them face some sort of struggle because of that, thereby pushing the feminist angle, but instead, it's not mentioned except for when Tildi notices that society is different than her smallfolk home. By bringing up the issue like this and then leaving it to be unproblematic for the rest of the story, it really just seemed rather out of place.

And the issue of characters not facing any trials is a common theme in this book. I think there are perhaps two times when the protagonist is in any mortal peril that she faces with her own devices--every other time, someone is helping her, shielding her, or even literally telling her to hide and that they'll take care of it. When Tildi does have to face a threat using her own powers, the solution comes to her almost immediately. Any problems that arise are dealt with immediately and often by contrivance. I'm going to compare this to The Hobbit, because let's be honest--Tildi is Bilbo, Olen is Gandalf, the book is the ring, etc. In The Hobbit, Bilbo's character progression is genuinely heartening and interesting because he has to fight from the very beginning to earn the respect of the dwarves. He's thrown into uncomfortable situations that force him to use his wit and ability progressively more throughout the story, from the very beginning. Tildi, on the other hand, is treated with nothing but respect by every single person she comes across. If she's ever questioned, a figure with more authority hand-waves it away. So when everyone finds her charming and lovely from the get-go, and even escalating problems are solved almost instantly, it really doesn't make for a very compelling story.

This isn't even mentioning the fact that, aside from Bones of Faerie, this book has the slowest buildup leading to the fastest climax (and no falling action) I have ever read. The central conflict begins with only thirty pages left in the book, and I felt like I'd rammed into a brick wall. I understand that there is a sequel, but when everything went so fast that the villain was still ranting and raving two pages before the back cover, I was both over-and underwhelmed when everything came to a screeching halt moments later. This was especially disappointing because the stakes were so high and so interesting; it could have made for a really intense fight scene, but it just wasn't executed. I won't get into the fact that the villain turned out to be nothing more than an exceptionally childish wizard who decided he wanted to destroy literally the entire world because he wasn't appreciated enough and got fired from his job. I was also really disappointed by the fact that the actually interesting part of the story, where a lot of worldbuilding appeared, was only introduced in Magpie's perspective starting almost three-quarters of the way through the book.

I'm just disappointed because there were so many interesting elements, plot bits, and characters, but none of them came together for me. The writing style was perfectly lovely in my opinion, and like I said some of the worldbuilding was genuinely intriguing. It was like Morag's cooking; good ingredients, inedible outcome.

I do want to try reading more of Jody Lynn Nye's work, though, because I really think that she's a strong writer and I hope that she has other better books that I can love.

#readdownyourbookshelfchallenge: Undecided until I read the sequel someday.

[Nighteye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, a bit of a female the hobbit and lothr Quest but for s Book who can destroy the world due to everyones rune is within it and can be manipulated. Intresting caracters and world

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jody Nye is a master of writing fantasy. From the whimsical to high fantasy, she never fails to deliver a good story.

In this, her latest, she gives us a tale reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings. In this case, the part of Frodo is played by a “small folk” girl named Tildi. Her entire family is killed by nasty flying menaces. She goes to the town meeting after the disaster where the male council pick a husband for her – because everyone knows females can’t take care of land or anything beyond washing and cooking. Rather than bow to their dictates, she cuts her hair, dons a disguise and heads for another land to train as a wizard in her brother’s place.

And thus begins her adventures and her quest to find “The Book”, a tome of runes that controls all. Mess with a rune and you mess with life itself. Since she already has a page from The Book, and knows the pain of holding it, she is especially attuned to it. With the help of good wizards, a crown prince, dwarves, and an assortment of other companions, Tildi sets off on her journey. One that actually takes two books to complete.

Miss Nye creates a world that is both fantastical and believable. Her characters are well developed. While I found the story a bit slower than some of her other ones, it is still a good story. And since this is the first of a duology, I am looking forward to the next one as well. If you love high fantasy, give “An Unexpected Apprentice” a try.

[Mailis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you had a period in your life when you physically lack the time to read a book? Well you know you have found a good one, when even when overcoming the shortage by trying to read it one page at a time, you enjoy it and are still engrossed with the story...every page keeps giving you something new and you cant wait to get a chance and read just one more...
I usually try to avoid mentioning Tolkien in reviews because its borderline blasphemy to compare the master creator with anything, but i can see some semblance in the adventures of Bilbo and learnings of Tildi, although the feminist side of the story absolutely is missing in Tolkiens work, because he was a quite old fashioned type of man...Also Bilbo went there and back again, and Tildi seems to be only starting her journey...and thank god for that,because i love this type of simple and elegant fantasy without delusions that you have to take the world we are living in and mold it to epic fantasy thats seems to have become real popular right now...i say create something new and let me dream of living there...

[Laura Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read this book since I will be meeting Ms. Nye at a writer's workshop later this year. I thought the premise of the novel was so interesting--that everything in this fantastic, LOTR type world bears a mystical rune that describes the object or creature in complete detail, and things, great or small, can be altered magically by changing its rune.

There was a lot of build-up to get to the meat of the story, as well as large spans of extremely detailed descriptions of people, things, and the most tedious tasks. I found myself skimming more than I like to admit, but perhaps I'm just an impatient reader. It has been years since I read anything this high-fantasy, I guess.

Despite all that, I truly became very interested in the characters... especially once I got past the early chapters. And I liked where the story ended up well enough to purchase the second book in the series.

[Dragondreamsjen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jody Lynn Nye is the type of writer that never lets a reader down. The prose in this book is beautifully handled and the way the multiple narratives are woven together are both poignant and masterfully handled. The obvious similarity between her "Smallfolk" and Tolkein's hobbits pales as the novel unfolds and they are revealed to be more than just small. The book had plenty of adventure but the ending was not as satisfying as it could have been. It felt a bit as if this was trying to start a series or leaving a bit too much for the reader to write on their own. When I came to enter the review here, I noticed that the title included (Tildi Summerbee #1)... so I guess I was right about the attempt to create a series.

[Cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. So far -- about halfway in -- this seems quite trite and derivative, but it remains oddly charming (perhaps because I latched onto it when I'd been having such a bad day that nothing but sitting in an armchair in a bookstore could salvage it).

And now I'm to the end of it -- or, at least, the end of the book, which turned out to be the surprise first installment of a series -- and it's still trite, derivative, and charming. I might read the next one, if only because this story is hitting my people-in-disguise-confronted-by-people-they-fooled buttons....

[Lissa Notreallywolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in addition the second volume of the Tildi books. Who knows if there is a third volume. This is a coauthor of Anne McCaffery and her writing talents are evident in her own work. I found her world enchanting and Tildi is an appealing character for those who love Tolkien. There is a nice bar scene in this book with mixed races, a cool but helpful elf, a grandfatherly wizard and an Amazonian centaur, a crass but kindly dwarf- in a sense I felt like the characters were stock, but sturdy.

[Aviva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminded me a lot of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (although I'm sure the purists like my friend Melody would be appalled by the comparison and find it lacking) with a smallfolk heroine who undertakes an epic journey and adventure to try to save the world. Loved it, and plan to give it to my nearly 10-year-old daughter to read. I love the portrayal of strong women in this book, even timid little Tildi who is stronger than she knows.

Can't wait to read the next one and see how the story continues.

[Karie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first couple of chapters and the last two pages just to make sense of the tragedy in the beginning. It's just so...overwritten. The reader is beaten over the head with descriptions of society, place, time, feelings, and character motivations (in the first two chapters!) so much that the plot nearly gets lost. I got bored and I definitely couldn't connect with Tildi, just because the author was so insistent that I MUST like her.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A feminist ripoff of Lord of the Rings. Except this time the fellowship is 6 women and 1 crippled man. Substitute "Book of Life" for the One Ring and you're all set. I swear, I think she even imagined the smallfolk based on the Hobbit costumes from Peter Jackson's movie.

However, an entertaining, quick read. Much better than Boreragon.

[Gina Gallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I found it clever and fun. There was a touch of whimsy, even in the bad guys. You never could hate the bad guy, because he was sort of like Gollum- a sad, tragic figure caught in the spell of a more powerful master. The only thing that I hated is that I didn't figure out it was a 2-parter until the LAST sentence of the book. How frustrating is that???

[Teresa Carrigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a fantasy, probably suitable for YA. Imagine "The Hobbit" with Bilbo as a young girl hobbit who wants to learn wizardry, but hobbit girls aren't allowed to do anything interesting. The ending felt rushed, and it's definitely "to be continued". Not sure I'll bother tracking down the sequel.

[Taldragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a really cute book (basically, as the blurb says, "what if Bilbo Baggins were female?").

the characters were accurately drawn and the humour is gentle but spot-on. recommended as a light 'fluffy' read

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not especially original, but an enjoyable enough read. I was frustrated that it doesn't say anywhere except the last page that it is the first in a series. I'm afraid I'm not interested enough to find the next book.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much liked this book. It was very entertaining with the different interactions, although the racism was a bit sad (although not unexpected) and the halfling backwards culture that treats their women so poorly was infuriating. I'm very much looking forward to finding the sequel.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only get an hour a day or so to read my books anymore... usually at lunch time and only if I put headphones in to keep people from talking to me. So that being said. Decent book, a fun little romp to enjoy in bite sized pieces. Kinda like "brain candy".

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it enough to want to continue the series as it comes out. Very fantasy not horror or sci fi. Fun read.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, easy read. Not at all deep or insightful, but a fun afternoon distraction.

[Lindig · Rating 3 out of 5]

first in a series; sweet, charming, has a YA feel to it.

[Neil Ottenstein]

It is a fun book.

[Kenneth Flusche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good enough characters to make me want to read book two

[Nancy Greger · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting fantasy story. All the major characters are female, who can take care of themselves. Will read the second book.