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Halcyon Blithe #1
Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe
Halcyon Blithe, being a young man of good breeding and lineage as well as endowed with those qualities and abilities of a sorcerous nature and wishing to fulfill his full potential, is ready to assume his proper place in the world. He aims to seek his fortune among those who tend and sail the awesome nautical juggernauts-the dragonships. With this is mind, Blithe gladly accepts his rank as Midshipwizard and becomes a member of the crew who man the dragonships-vessels which harness the bodies and strength of living dragons with seafaring technology.
Combining elements of Hornblower with Harry Potter, and Robert Louis Stevenson with Robin Hobb, Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe is a nautical tale rich in magic and intrigue. A tale set against a panorama of fantastic naval battle as we follow the career of a young midshipwizard as he moves up through the ranks of His Majesty's Navy.
Combining elements of Hornblower with Harry Potter, and Robert Louis Stevenson with Robin Hobb, Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe is a nautical tale rich in magic and intrigue. A tale set against a panorama of fantastic naval battle as we follow the career of a young midshipwizard as he moves up through the ranks of His Majesty's Navy.
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
2 people are currently reading
238 people want to read
About the author
James M. Ward
116 books56 followersJames M. Ward (b. 1951) is an American game designer and fantasy author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
September 10, 2009
Astonishingly awful fantasy. It's so badly written that I thought the first chapter was a parody or a play within the book--here's a sample line from the first page. "'Hook, me old friend, you've been complaining about storms for as long as I've known you. Here, take this to warm your salty bones,' said the friend while handing Hook a tankard of hot rum." The friend's name is Pegleg. Pegleg and Hook, I kid you not. They exchange a few lines of dialog about how they're hearty sea dogs, and then they meet (and are incredibly impressed by) Halycon Blithe, the newest midshipwizard in the Arcanian fleet. Here's what his dialog sounds like: "'I know I'll have to serve a few years to earn the respect of such men,' Halycon said to himself. 'But earn it I will, because I'm an officer with prospects, no doubt about it.'"
Ye gods! Published by Tor, horribly enough.
Ye gods! Published by Tor, horribly enough.
February 9, 2018
This military novel is all bright and shiny, like its spiffy new midshipwizard. It focuses on the ideals of war, the honor, nobility and code, without balancing it with the bloodshed and death that is the reality of war. The plot is initially overwhelmed by the Articles of War, then once it develops the answer to who the villainous saboteur was is obvious. Of course, I'm not a huge fan of military novels, fantasy or otherwise, so if you love them ignore my review.
March 10, 2013
I really wanted to like this, but the opening passage was not promising. We meet the title character through a pair of dockhands who left me less interested in the overall setting or story and more curious how they, among the vast number of their fellow workers that they say had lost a hand or a leg to the navy, were the ones to end up blandly nicknamed "Hook" and "Pegleg."
Halcyon himself comes across as earnest but a bit dull, and while he's from a naval family and has been trained as an officer, he's still a novice when it comes to ship knowledge. This leaves a convenient gap for his new friend, Midshipman Exposition, to lecture us all on.
The author clearly put some effort into building a world beyond the "Harry Potter as Horatio Hornblower" concept, but the writing is awkward and often downright bad. For example, here's a snippet of dialogue from one of the previously-mentioned dockhands:
"Settle me hearty, the Maleen fleets and our still-in-bed officers can wait for a few grains of falling sand in an Arcanian hourglass for two old sailors to finish their grog."
I kept coming across sentences like that, bits and pieces that made me wish the author or his editor had tried to read them out loud. In the end, the writing style was just too unnatural for me to drag myself through the whole thing.
Halcyon himself comes across as earnest but a bit dull, and while he's from a naval family and has been trained as an officer, he's still a novice when it comes to ship knowledge. This leaves a convenient gap for his new friend, Midshipman Exposition, to lecture us all on.
The author clearly put some effort into building a world beyond the "Harry Potter as Horatio Hornblower" concept, but the writing is awkward and often downright bad. For example, here's a snippet of dialogue from one of the previously-mentioned dockhands:
"Settle me hearty, the Maleen fleets and our still-in-bed officers can wait for a few grains of falling sand in an Arcanian hourglass for two old sailors to finish their grog."
I kept coming across sentences like that, bits and pieces that made me wish the author or his editor had tried to read them out loud. In the end, the writing style was just too unnatural for me to drag myself through the whole thing.
January 21, 2010
I was less than impressed although the person who recommended it,loved it, because as she says she loves the underdog. Halcyon Blithe was far from an underdog. He is tall, good looking and comes from a wealthy, landed, titled family and was sent off to sea with a handful of magic artifacts, talks to dragons and is both an air and water wizard! About the only thing he didn't have going for him was he came into his magical powers until sixteen instead of the usual twelve or thirteen years of age. Oh, I also forgot to mention that Halcyon was the seventh son of a seventh son, poor kid, what an underdog, he has nothing going for him. Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe was like reading a Monty Hall adventure, not really unexpected as Ward is a TSR writer.
June 21, 2012
I really wanted to like this one because of all the Hornblower meets Harry Potter descriptions, having read both series multiple times. But alas, the writing was so horrible that Blithe never made it out of port before I gave up. There are examples in other reviews but one that I particularly recall is Blithe's initial meeting with a senior midshipwizard. There is a sense of impending rank struggle, like embittered Simpson's tyranny in Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, but without explanation in the next paragraph, they have become friends with intimate knowledge of each other's backgrounds. Weird.
I hope that once out to sea, Blithe's fortunes would improve, but I just couldn't cut the bad writing enough slack to find out.
I hope that once out to sea, Blithe's fortunes would improve, but I just couldn't cut the bad writing enough slack to find out.
August 16, 2010
Let me be perfectly honest here:
I love books about ships.
I love books about dragons.
This book has dragonships.
(That gives it an extra star or two).
Otherwise it is my strong belief that Mr Ward should get back to game design.
I love books about ships.
I love books about dragons.
This book has dragonships.
(That gives it an extra star or two).
Otherwise it is my strong belief that Mr Ward should get back to game design.
July 10, 2009
It was awful. Got through thirty or so pages and couldn't take anymore. I believe I stopped at this sentence.
""Hurrah." the boys shouted."
Great enthusiasm, boys.
Head, meet desk.
""Hurrah." the boys shouted."
Great enthusiasm, boys.
Head, meet desk.
November 8, 2020
Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe is a naval fantasy novel by James Ward that follows the eponymous character as he joins the crew of a dragonship during a war against a shapeshifter nation. While the novel was entertaining, and I found aspects of its worldbuilding intriguing, the novel left me wanting due to its reliance on deus ex machina as well as a too-perfect main character.
Let’s start with the good. I really enjoyed the way that Ward imagined and described the dragonships as actual sea dragons that have been turned into ships of the line. That was really cool, and it was rather mind boggling as the process was described early in the novel. I wish the novel pushed the world building more, as the novel was too intent on leaving small teasers about the greater world the book is set in, and we didn’t get that much in-depth description about the magic system, other races, the war, etc. Perhaps that’s something that will be addressed in the sequel more. I appreciated its Tolkien-esque sea chants/songs that the sailors sang.
I think there are three things that hampered my enjoyment of the book. The first is the main character, Halcyon Blithe. Unfortunately, I think Blithe is a Mary Sue (or Gary Stu in this case), as he is in all respects overpowered, lacks significant flaws and what flaws he does have are pretty trivial. He’s the seventh son of a seventh son, has absurd magical potential and power, can manipulate rope magically, can talk to dragons, has a war chest of artifacts, comes from a famous and well-known family, has demonic heritage, is tall and imposing … the list probably goes on. I think his flaws in this book is that he . His perfection detracts a lot from the novel, and the novel lacks a significant character arc to help provide any depth to this. Second, there really is no good character development from any of the secondary characters. They appear here and there as the story demands it, but I never formed any attachment with any of them and therefore felt rather estranged from them (exception being Corporal Darkwater). Finally, the deus ex machina. .
Overall, the book is short and relatively entertaining. I picked up the sequel from the library, so I’ll give that a shot. While the book was entertaining because of its naval setting and the dragonships, its characters and its use of deus ex machine was disappointing. So overall, 3 stars from me for this book.
Updated - I am downgrading this to 2 stars because the sequel novel is awful and really, I don't think this series is worth investing the time and energy into because there is no good payoff for reading the second novel. If anything, the sequel takes the bad of this book and doubles it, with the positive aspects doing even less to redeem it.
Let’s start with the good. I really enjoyed the way that Ward imagined and described the dragonships as actual sea dragons that have been turned into ships of the line. That was really cool, and it was rather mind boggling as the process was described early in the novel. I wish the novel pushed the world building more, as the novel was too intent on leaving small teasers about the greater world the book is set in, and we didn’t get that much in-depth description about the magic system, other races, the war, etc. Perhaps that’s something that will be addressed in the sequel more. I appreciated its Tolkien-esque sea chants/songs that the sailors sang.
I think there are three things that hampered my enjoyment of the book. The first is the main character, Halcyon Blithe. Unfortunately, I think Blithe is a Mary Sue (or Gary Stu in this case), as he is in all respects overpowered, lacks significant flaws and what flaws he does have are pretty trivial. He’s the seventh son of a seventh son, has absurd magical potential and power, can manipulate rope magically, can talk to dragons, has a war chest of artifacts, comes from a famous and well-known family, has demonic heritage, is tall and imposing … the list probably goes on. I think his flaws in this book is that he . His perfection detracts a lot from the novel, and the novel lacks a significant character arc to help provide any depth to this. Second, there really is no good character development from any of the secondary characters. They appear here and there as the story demands it, but I never formed any attachment with any of them and therefore felt rather estranged from them (exception being Corporal Darkwater). Finally, the deus ex machina. .
Overall, the book is short and relatively entertaining. I picked up the sequel from the library, so I’ll give that a shot. While the book was entertaining because of its naval setting and the dragonships, its characters and its use of deus ex machine was disappointing. So overall, 3 stars from me for this book.
Updated - I am downgrading this to 2 stars because the sequel novel is awful and really, I don't think this series is worth investing the time and energy into because there is no good payoff for reading the second novel. If anything, the sequel takes the bad of this book and doubles it, with the positive aspects doing even less to redeem it.
May 17, 2019
If you're looking for Patrick O'Brian or CS Forester-style, wooden ships and iron men kind of historical fiction dripping with accuracy and detail, you should move along. This is straight up historical/fantastical fiction aimed at a young adult audience. Think of JK Rowling's or Riordan's books.
The one refreshing area where this series differs from Hornblower, Harry Potter, and Riordan's protagonists is that Halcyon Blithe is not portrayed as the stereotypical bumbling accidental hero who surprises everyone but himself with his abilities and heroism. Yes, he's new to the navy, but he brings skills and confidence ready to be tempered in this new environment.
Also, why is everybody around 6 feet tall?
The one refreshing area where this series differs from Hornblower, Harry Potter, and Riordan's protagonists is that Halcyon Blithe is not portrayed as the stereotypical bumbling accidental hero who surprises everyone but himself with his abilities and heroism. Yes, he's new to the navy, but he brings skills and confidence ready to be tempered in this new environment.
Also, why is everybody around 6 feet tall?
July 1, 2023
This one is fine. It’s entertaining, and would probably be pretty good for young readers (maybe 5th-8th grade).
The writing is sloppy, and the protagonist is good at everything he does, to the point of it taking away fro most of the stakes. It holds high ideals of serving king and country, and the importance of honor and obedience over personal desires. There’s no romance, which is kinda refreshing.
I did enjoy the fantasy aspects and the idea of dragonships and the enemy shapechangers.
The writing is sloppy, and the protagonist is good at everything he does, to the point of it taking away fro most of the stakes. It holds high ideals of serving king and country, and the importance of honor and obedience over personal desires. There’s no romance, which is kinda refreshing.
I did enjoy the fantasy aspects and the idea of dragonships and the enemy shapechangers.
May 13, 2021
Take the Hornblower saga, add magic, see what happens. This book is interesting for that alone. The writing isn't bad. The characters are worthly of some attention. The fantasy world is describe well enough to get through the story. The feel of the old British navy is a bit overdone.
A fun book filled with fantasy magic a dragons.
A fun book filled with fantasy magic a dragons.
July 6, 2020
Wow, what a lucky main character! He just gets all the breaks! And when something slightly bad happens to him...not much else comes of it.
Oh, and there's really no overarching plot until the last few chapters. Yeah, I guess we need one of those, huh.
Oh, and there's really no overarching plot until the last few chapters. Yeah, I guess we need one of those, huh.
March 20, 2025
Fisrt time at sea, first commission in the Arcanian Navy, first time for a lot of new experiences for Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe. Coming from a long line of Navy men, Halcyon will learn some powerful lessons about duty, honor, and magic.
August 18, 2017
A fun little romp. There is some interesting world-building in the book. All-in-all, a nice little homage to Hornblower, with some interesting fantasy elements.
February 19, 2019
Interesting book. Picked it up on a whim in the lounge at work. Good characters, if a bit thin. Wish there was more to the series to flesh out the world a little better.
July 9, 2019
A good fantasy take on naval fiction, a Horatio Hornblower take with magic and dragons.
October 26, 2020
Very engaging! Strong characters. Vivid battles at sea. Dragons do not overwhelm the story.
September 22, 2024
Even though I don't really like fantasy books, this one had enough history embedded that I enjoyed the mystery of it.
August 13, 2008
Very much a wizard meets Horatio Hornblower book. This book like Harry Potter details the training for a young man who is an officer in training or midshipman, but he also has magical abilities so he holds the rank of midshipwizard. The usage of "quotes" of the articles of war on each chapter is nice touch.
The character of Halcyon is not perfect, but he is an exceptional young man just like Hornblower. He has red eyes that show his demonic heritage, but he is honorable, and holds rare talents not to mention that he inspires his men. Ward though does write the Arcanian navy much on the 18th and early 19th century model of the British navy, and combined with the fantastic elements of magic, dragons who have ships constructed atop of them, and fantastic races such as shapechangers and half-giants makes a new type of story.
His writing style fits in well with the old Forester novels, and the only current writer who writes in a similar vein is Naomi Novik.
If you like sea-faring yarns, and fantasy you'll like this book. If you like militaristic fantasy--sea or not--you'll also like this book.
The character of Halcyon is not perfect, but he is an exceptional young man just like Hornblower. He has red eyes that show his demonic heritage, but he is honorable, and holds rare talents not to mention that he inspires his men. Ward though does write the Arcanian navy much on the 18th and early 19th century model of the British navy, and combined with the fantastic elements of magic, dragons who have ships constructed atop of them, and fantastic races such as shapechangers and half-giants makes a new type of story.
His writing style fits in well with the old Forester novels, and the only current writer who writes in a similar vein is Naomi Novik.
If you like sea-faring yarns, and fantasy you'll like this book. If you like militaristic fantasy--sea or not--you'll also like this book.
July 6, 2008
This series (if two books makes a series) has been called "Harry Potter meats Horatio Hornblower", or "Hogwarts goes to Sea". I can see where a reviewer could come up with these analogies, but to quantify the book like that is a disservice to both. Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe stands well on its own. It strikes me as another young adult book that appeals to oldsters, too.
Set in a world where Arcania (read England) is in a constant state of war with the Maleen (read Napoleanic France, only not human), our hero Halcyon brings his family's naval heritage to his first posting. Personable and likable, he of course makes enemies, fights his way out of situations that cannot be ignored, and faces and defeats evil in all guises. He nearly hangs for violations of the Articles of War, and yet gets promoted for conspicuous bravery at the end of the book. Oh, did I mention that the motive power for first rate ships of the line are dragons?
A good read; I plan on reading the second volume.
Set in a world where Arcania (read England) is in a constant state of war with the Maleen (read Napoleanic France, only not human), our hero Halcyon brings his family's naval heritage to his first posting. Personable and likable, he of course makes enemies, fights his way out of situations that cannot be ignored, and faces and defeats evil in all guises. He nearly hangs for violations of the Articles of War, and yet gets promoted for conspicuous bravery at the end of the book. Oh, did I mention that the motive power for first rate ships of the line are dragons?
A good read; I plan on reading the second volume.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2013
Billed as Harry Potter on the high seas, Midshipwizard Halycon Blithe follows the adventures of the title character as he comes into his own as a wizard and a naval officer (and he has some big shoes to fill considering that all of his family for generations have been wizards and naval heroes in the land of Arcania).
Wasn't a terrible read, but at the same time it wasn't a masterpiece by any scope of the imagination. Ward creates some pretty imaginative fixtures in Halcyon's world (namely the idea of nautical ships powered by sea dragons - the boats are basically built around the dragons and form a protective shell), but also has a maddening habit of describing in detail random scenes and characters that you think will have some kind of bearing on the plot, but end up being non sequiturs
Wasn't a terrible read, but at the same time it wasn't a masterpiece by any scope of the imagination. Ward creates some pretty imaginative fixtures in Halcyon's world (namely the idea of nautical ships powered by sea dragons - the boats are basically built around the dragons and form a protective shell), but also has a maddening habit of describing in detail random scenes and characters that you think will have some kind of bearing on the plot, but end up being non sequiturs
July 13, 2015
Poorly edited (at one point it's said that "all" dragonships are called "it" and "them" and are male, but literally one page later the character who *said* this is referring to the ship with female pronouns, later the main character does magic and passes out before he finds out what happens, wakes up and finds out what he did, is disappointed that it wasn't more impressive, and when later under a TRUTH SPELL is recounting it, states that he "intended" what happened to happen, and NO MENTION is made of that setting off the truth spell).
And the book itself wasn't to my taste, but really, multiple instances of contradictory writing. Bah.
And the book itself wasn't to my taste, but really, multiple instances of contradictory writing. Bah.
September 16, 2012
In a world where ships of the line are carved from the body of living dragons and where officers wield magic comes Midshipwizard Halcyon Blythe. He came into his magic late in life and now has to try and catch up. This does cause him problems with his peers and he also has issues with understand his power and some of the implications.
I enjoyed the read, it did have room for improvement but I did find it an interesting read with characters I cared for.
I enjoyed the read, it did have room for improvement but I did find it an interesting read with characters I cared for.
May 6, 2012
I really don't get why people keep comparing to Harry Potter, is it just because he uses magic? In which case, are all fantasy stories suddenly going to be "Harry Potter meets X"? Started out a bit slow for me which, along with another book I had been waiting for showing up and jumping up in front of the queue, made it take a little longer than usual to read. But over all I enjoyed it and will be happy to read the next book in the series.
August 7, 2007
This books is another Young Reader's Choice Award nominee for 2008. I don't usually enjoy fantasy novels, but I found this one to be engaging and worthwhile. Maybe partly because it contained sailing information and I was excited about remembering sailing terms.
December 31, 2008
All the critics reviews of this book were Horatio Hornblower meets Harry Potter / Hogwarts. Totally true- I am not that into high seas adventure mixed with fantasy- but I liked it and might read the other book in the series.
October 4, 2007
Um... I can really only describe this book one way: it's "Horatio Hornblower" with dragons and wizards. And better than it sounds.
January 10, 2008
Sort of a cross between Harry Potter and Horatio Hornblower, and yet pretty unique. I dug it.
March 10, 2008
This was entertaining and had some cool characters, (the dragon ship) but lacked in some aspects.
October 15, 2008
This is an amazing book! It's kind of like Harry Potter with a mix of sailing and a few other interesting elements (like the fact that the ship they sail in is actually a dragon).
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews