A Forthcoming Wizard

Tildi Summerbee #2

by Jody Lynn Nye

Halfling Tildi Summerbee led a typical, unexciting life, tending the house for her brothers while they managed the family farm...until she was forced to assume the identity of her recently deceased brother and accept his position as apprentice to a great wizard. Now she is on an important quest where the lessons of her apprenticeship pale in comparison to those learned in life-or-death situations. She has become the guardian of a very special book that can alter everything in existence… a race of centaurs gone with an editor's pen, a mountain range flattened with a revised rune, and life as Tildi has known it changed in the blink of an eye. Gone are her preconceptions of society and order. Gone are her trusting ways and belief in her superiors' honesty. But also gone is the shrinking violet smallfolk who masqueraded as a boy to secure an apprenticeship. Tildi has changed too, and she realizes that the fate of the world rests in her hands.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction, Magic

431 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

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 knew she was telling the truth. The thought of torture sickened him, but he would not balk at using it if he believed it would work. He had not the talent for reading thoughts or the ability to scry, as a few minor magicians he had once known. She must tell him. He had the knowledge to cause her to confess. He hated to ruin such an admirable specimen of dwarfdom by making her compliant, but his need was great.

This is the second and last book in Nye's duology (the first is An Unexpected Apprentice). I rather like just having two books. It's more succinct and to-the-point than trilogies are. I highly recommend reading these two back-to-back, BAM BAM like that. Although An Unexpected Apprentice does NOT end on a cliffhanger (instead, Nye neatly wraps up that book's main plotline) you know there is much more to the story, and that this book will face the Even Bigger Bad.

This book was very exciting! I could not turn the pages fast enough, after knowing the characters and the world from spending all that time with them in Book 1, this second book could get straight to the action without preamble. And it sucks you right in.

No spoilers. But I can tell you that I loved getting to know two different species in this book: werewolves and bearkin. We get to spend time with both in this novel - whereas they were barely touched on in Book 1, and I really enjoyed spending time getting to know them and spending time with them in their own villages and cultures. It was very fun.

The book has retained it's rather gentle and very kindhearted nature that was developed in the first tome. So, a warning to all you readers: if you can't stand a book that is very goodhearted and kind, this might not be for you. Yes, there is evil... but not the kind of messed-up disturbing evil that we are used to seeing in fantasy books. There are a lot of battles, quests, journeys, and conflicts. But the overall message of the book, and the overall feeling of the book is one of goodness, compassion, forgiveness, and being merciful. Because of this, I would highly recommend this to not only adults but also to children who are just dipping their toes for the first time in the fantasy genre. These books are very child- and newbie-friendly. These books are not like Harry Potter - they are set in a classic "medieval-type" fantasy setting - but they abound with magical creatures, wizards, and shapeshifters. There's absolutely zero foul language and sexuality in the books. There is violence, e.g. battles and kidnapping and taking prisoners, etc., but nothing TRULY nasty is really explored.

All this being said, I am an adult and I was charmed and very drawn into this world. Nye isn't writing for children or teens - this doesn't leave the bad-taste of YA/children's in your mouth - but it is a boon that her writing is so easily enjoyed by young and old alike. The only people I would warn against reading this are the ones who know that they must have a bite and a nasty element to your fantasy - you know who you are. ;) LOL Both these books have a rather old-fashioned 1970s fantasy feel to them - like the film WILLOW (1988).

Tl;dr - Fun, exciting fantasy adventure which is enjoyable for anyone - child or adult. No bite or nasty undertones here, but that doesn't stop these books from being real gripping adventures that draw a reader into another world. Highly recommended.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tildi and her friends have almost completed their quest to find a dangerous magical book and lock it up where no one can use it for harm. But now Tildi has fallen into the clutches of a radical group called the Scholardom, who believe that only humans are pure. They want to magically change all centaurs, dwarves, werewolves, and other half-human creatures to be completely human. If they gain control of the magical book, it would be disastrous. Tildi is the only one who can touch the book, so she is at the center of all their plans.

I enjoyed the way that all these little threads from plot began to come together in this second book of the duology. The adventure is really exciting and complex as Tildi bounces in and out of trouble. I liked seeing some character development for her as she gains more confidence in her magical abilities and as she works through her grief for the loss of her family.

The writing is really fun and whimsical, but there is also a lot of violence as different magical battles take place throughout the story. 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.

[Clay Kallam · Rating 3 out of 5]

“A Forthcoming Wizard” (Tor, $27.95, 430 pages) is the conclusion of a two-part series that begin with “An Unexpected Apprentice” and it’s a slightly dumbed down version of “The Hobbit.” The hero is Tildi, a member of the smallfolk, and she has possession of an immensely powerful artifact that a powerful evil wizard wants desperately. She is helped by elves, dwarves, werewolves, highly evolved bears and centaurs – not to mention a kindly graying wizard who’s offstage for a while, and various kings, princes and princesses.

In short, it’s Middle Earth, with relaxing breaks in the middle of the adventures, but not nearly as well-written or well thought-out (which is not a surprise, I guess). The series, though, might appeal to a young fan who loved “The Lord of the Rings” and was looking for more of the same – more sophisticated readers, though, should pass.

[Aviva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took a break to read other books that were nearing their due date from the library. But I'm glad I came back to this book to finish it.

The final ending with its wrap up left me a little dissatisfied, but overall an enjoyable read. I hope my nearly 10-year-old will enjoy it too.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked the first one better.

[JoyfulK · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides a stunning finish to this tale, begun in An Unexpected Apprentice. It was very hard to put down. Recommended, but read the first book before you pick up this one.

[Kipepeo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great tale that kept me hooked. Hoping for more adventures to come for Tildi in the future!

[Nancy Greger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pair of books in this series are a fine read. A pleasant "and everyone live happily ever after."

[Kenneth Flusche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than book one, a little wordy but held my attention all the way to the last word.

[Nighteye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and somewhat cute story with a bigger and cooler ending climax than i expected. Feel like I've read a beautiful tale where violence and darkness isn't all that can be found in order to tell a story.

[Kathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conclusion to the duology that began with An Unexpected Apprentice is delightful, what I would call an "old-fashioned fantasy". Yes, characters die, but none of the major ones. Yes, all the loose ends are neatly tied up. Yes, the right couples end up together. Well done!