The Guardian's Apprentice

Beyond the Veil #1

by J. Michael Radcliffe

Keegan Whitestone never knew he was a wizard, but when he gets a message from the grandfather he thought long dead, he must make a choice. He must become his grandfather's apprentice and help him watch over the worlds of science and magic that have been separated from each other for over a thousand years. Together they must seal the ancient portal before the Shadow is unleashed on mankind!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

207 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 2, 2010

About the author

An avid reader of science fiction and fantasy novels all my life, I began writing The Guardian's Apprentice in 2002. After eight years of on-again, off-again writing, I finally published my first novel in August 2010. I live in rural Kentucky with my family and our six feline companions. When not acquiring recruits for my wife's ever growing cat army (which are terribly hard to train, by the way), I enjoy spinning stories out of the wisps of magic around me.

Visit me online at:

http://michaelradcliffe.wordpress.com
http://www.theguardiansapprentice.com

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I don't usually read this type of fantasy novel, but it really kept me interested and entertained.
Keegan is about 30 years old in a mundane job, feeling bored with his life. Then one day he meets a black cat and his life changes for ever. He is whisked into a world of magic and danger, where wizards rule and magic prevails. Keegan learns something about his ancestry that he didn't know and finds out that he may soon be responsible for saving the entire world. The Guardian's Apprentice is a satisfying fantasy adventure. There are many weird and wonderful characters. I would recommend this to readers of fantasy novels, young adult and adult. I like the way the author has created another world with its own history and rules. There are lots of twists and turns in this story with some gripping action scenes. It's well written with a cast of characters who come alive on the page. This is the first book in the series and I will definitely be reading book two!

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent tale steeped in magic, with wonderful characters that bring alive the story.

The Guardian's Apprentice is very well written and draws in the reader from the first and has all the ingredients that make for successful fantasy novels.

I'm very glad I won this story, for I enjoyed its atmosphere and 'telling' with great relish.

[Sarah Castillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

J. M. Radcliffe's self-published novel, The Guardian's Apprentice is the story of a middle aged guy finding out he's a wizard. This is no Harry Potter though, Keegan's education in the world of magic beyond the Veil is a trial by fire. Three trials by fire to be exact. This is an action packed magical adventure complete with dragons, snarky cats, talking ravens and dark mystery.

All in all this is a very solid fantasy. The world is well developed and we're quickly introduced to it through the trials and travels of Keegan, the main viewpoint character. The magic system isn't well defined, but it's pretty clear that it is the standard fantasy magic far with hexes and spells and incantations and whatnot. The main character and his cohorts are well fleshed out, and though some of the supporting characters are fantasy archetypes.

I was really surprised by a few twists in the story! I thought that I knew what was going on and then suddenly I realize that things got turned on me. Usually I either figure these things out, or the twists are stupid and arbitrary but after looking back I realized that there was a lot of foreshadowing for this one. It was really fun to be surprised like that.

The only problem that I had with this one was that Keegan is taken out of his world(the normal world) so quickly that we don't really get a good impression of what his life is like before he's brought over. There's a little too much telling and too little showing there, and it's all together too brief so that we don't get to fully see how Keegan changes over the course of the novel. We know that he's changing but we were only told how he acted before, we don't get to see it for ourselves. That was a little disappointing.

But it didn't stop my enjoyment of the book! I'm in love with it and can't wait for the next in the series. I'll be picking up his anthology of short stories set in the world; Beyond the Veil Anthology - the world of The Guardian's Apprentice.

Check out my other reviews at my blog

[Maria Haskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books takes the reader on a rollicking and exciting journey into the magical world “beyond the veil” – the world of magic that has been separated (for humanity’s protection) from our everyday world. The story follows what happens to Keegan, a more or less regular office-drone (who is in possession of a rather strange ring…), when he is quite unexpectedly summoned by his wizardly grandfather to join the world of magic. Keegan leaves his mundane existence behind, and goes through a portal to a realm of dragons, spells, curses, oracles, goblins, witches, and wizards.

He is thrown into some pretty serious trouble right off the bat (dealing with dragons and giants and poisons and whatnot!), and has to adjust to not just a different world, but the fact that he himself is different than he previously believed: he certainly never realized that he had magical powers before, and getting used to wielding them turns out to be quite a challenge.

I won’t give away too much of the plot, but this is a terrific fantasy tale, full of great characters that are both evil, good, and somewhere in between, and it also has a sense of humour mixed in with the darkness and the shadows. It appeals to me that Keegan is not a one-dimensional goodie-goodie as a protagonist, but a troubled man who is both thrilled and frightened by the new world he finds and the new powers within him. He is also beset by fears and doubts, and has a temper that turns out to be both a blessing and a curse.

Radcliffe’s dragons also stand out as characters: this tale features several of them, and each one has quite a distinct personality and agenda. As the quote goes: “it’s simply not an adventure worth telling if there aren’t any dragons”.

[Toi Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book a 4, almost a 4 ½, but I’m sticking with a 4.

Keegan Whitestone just found out he is descendent from wizards, which he thinks is a horrible thing, but he soon realizes that it’s just a part of life and he needs to suck it up. Besides, it’s not like his old life was all that great anyway.

This is classic high-fantasy and I like it.

The reasons I didn’t give this a higher rating are:

1. Keegan is a little annoying throughout the whole book. I grew to like him more as the story progressed, but I still found that all the other characters in story were more interesting than him, by the end.

2. The depiction of time felt off to me. There were times when it took some rereading for me to figure out whether a little or a lot of time had passed in between scenes.

3. The whole idea of Keegan’s power overtaking him also seemed a little off to me. He may all of sudden become powerful enough to defeat his enemies, but then he’s told to control himself and hold back. I’m still trying to decide if that’s a necessary subplot or just annoying.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed the story and will be reading more from this series.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Guardian's Apprentice (Beyond the Veil) J. Michael Radcliffe

Keegan Whitestone gets a message from his grandfather who he thought was dead. He finds out that he is Wizard and and his grandfather wants Keegan to be his repentance. They must keep the world of science and magic separate.

Keegan has to keep the portal between two world closed, he has to keep the evil out of his world. Along the way Keegan meets mystical creatures, some want to help him some want to hurt him.

A fantastic tale, filled with adventure, witches, wizards, dragons, goblins and a magical cat. I look forward to the next in the series Bloodstone - The Guardian's Curse

[Lorrie Schumacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fantasy story with a wide variety of characters that are easily connected with. Radcliffe has created a world that co-exists with ours, but we are completely unaware of. Punishments for misdeeds are unique. The world was described well enough that I was able to immerse myself into it.

It has a rather slow pace to it, but once you have been introduced/informed-the action picks up.

So many of the characters I have been rooting for or against-can't wait to see what happens in the next book....

[Darcia Helle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the magical world Radcliffe created here. The characters are all unique and well developed. We have a little bit of everything, from humans with magical powers to dragons and trolls. The world they inhabit is mysterious, fun, and dangerous.

The story concept is fascinating. I found myself asking, "What if?" After all, just because we can't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist!

[Fiona (Titch) Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an immense and brillant story. I loved all the magic and spell binding storyline to how a normal human is really a wizard.

[Sandra Fluck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Between the third and seventh centuries A.D., a religion called Manichaeism originated in the Middle East (Near East) and spread from the Roman Empire to China. Its belief system was based on a dual cosmology of light vs. dark: the spiritual world of light, which was good, and the material world of darkness, which was evil. It faded out around the fourteenth century, but the word “Manichaean” has remained in our vocabulary and is used in its connotative sense as a “dualistic contrast or conflict between opposites,” or in moral terms, a choice between good and evil.

As I began to read The Guardian’s Apprentice: Beyond the Veil - Book 1 by J. Michael Radcliffe, I thought this created world of magic could be a Manichaean setup. By the second chapter, I saw that it was not, although it could have shifted in that direction. Instead, Radcliffe has imagined a more complex world than one that perpetuates a dualistic battle between good and evil. The first book in the tetralogy Beyond the Veil, The Guardian’s Apprentice is based on a configuration of three sects of witches and wizards living on their side of the veil, many of them savoring a longevity unimaginable by those non-magic mortals on the other side. The beliefs of the sects about the nature of good and evil are built into their rules, regulations, and code of conduct, but even in spite of their differences, multi-layered as they are, the sects act as a barrier to The Shadow—their evil foe.

This magical world shares one planet with a non-magic world, and this planet is called Earth. “Separated by a tether of magic,” these two worlds live in their own realities, as if they are two planes or two intertwined circles inhabiting one space. Created by the Blackstar Amulet, the veil powers the action in The Guardian’s Apprentice, keeping the two sides from infiltrating each other; that is, the magical world retains its energy because the veil traps the magic inside their habitat and hides it (for the most part) from that of mortals on the other side—“non-magic outsiders.” If the veil didn’t exist, the two worlds would be as one.

The governing body of this magical world is the High Council, which was first convened one thousand years ago. Located in the capital Innenstadt, the High Council is comprised of three families represented by three different sects of wizards, the color of their stone indicating their particular order: the White, the Grey, and the Black. When the story opens, Phineas Whitestone heads the White Order, or the Order of Good; Alexander Ducat, the Grey Order, or the Order of Neutrality; and Cedric Thornback, the Black Order, or the Order of the Dark Arts—all permanent members of the Council. The three leaders plus nine elected members sit around an “enormous granite table shaped like a twelve-pointed star.”

Political infighting is not far from the surface among the members of this High Council, as the founders discovered long ago. To counter this unfortunate behavior the prescriptions include: First, the Oracle, a blue-white crystal that hovers above the surface of a pool in the center of the granite table radiates pure power, and when the debate turns violent, the orb captures the perpetrator, encasing him or her in crystal. Second, because of the differences and even hatred between the sects, they have maintained the long-standing neutrality of the Council Chamber “in the interest of the greater good of the magical world.”

When The Guardian’s Apprentice opens, political infighting is underway among the members of the High Council, and differences not only of opinion but also of power exacerbate the ideal of the White Order. With the mysterious death of Tobias Follett, “Chancellor of the High Council and head of the Grey order of Neutrality,” intrigue begins in the first pages of the “Prologue.” Phineas Whitestone, by a vote of seven to four, is voted in as the new Chancellor, a position he doesn’t want, and Cedric Thornback, who does, is passed over for the third time. The problem: Phineas is the Guardian and Keeper of the Blackstar Amulet, the talisman that “created the veil of separation and divided the magical world from the non-magical one.” Taking the seat of the Chancellor, Phineas is forced to relinquish his role as Guardian to either Ducat or Thornback, giving one or the other the power to appoint an apprentice guardian of their choice. To counteract this rule, Phineas sends his emissary to the other side of the veil to bring his grandson to him. Thus begins the journey of the mortal Keegan Whitestone, who has no idea that his lineage is none other than that of the powerful magician, Phineas Whitestone.

Keegan Whitestone, some thirty years old, is introduced to the magical side of the veil by Acamar Troelus Wycroft, an assistant to Phineas and in servitude to him. Appearing to Keegan for the first time as a black cat and then transmogrifying into a tall man with wire-rimmed glasses dressed in a black robe, Acamar befriends Keegan and summons him to appear in front of the High Council. Acamar’s appearance on the mortal side of the veil is of a piece with the strange ring Keegan wears on his finger “in the form of a coiled dragon” and a white stone inset that he received in the mail, along with the note, “Guard this with your life, as it will guide your destiny and determine your fate.” Leading a boring, unaccomplished, and mediocre life, Keegan is ripe for adventure. Following Acamar’s instructions, Keegan points his signet ring at a privet hedge and is magically transported through a portal to an unfamiliar habitat, Acamar at his side. Thus begins the trials and tribulations of the guardian apprentice who will soon discover that all is not what it seems.

Courage and insight are two significant lessons Keegan Whitestone learns during his apprenticeship, but he nearly loses his life on more than one occasion. In confronting malevolent forces like Brimstone, the dragon who betrays the High Council, or the Shadow, the embodiment of pure evil, that chases him, Keegan wills his mind to escape and thus finds courage. Likewise, in trusting beneficent powers like Kust, the wood elf who finds him on the edge of the Ebonwood forest, or Nekk’ar, the dragon coiled around his finger that lends the apprentice his superior consciousness, Keegan discovers the insight and purpose he lacked on the mortal side.

Keegan cannot successfully pass the three tests ordered by the High Council or confront the duplicity that materializes at every turn without the proficient use of the tricks of the magical arts: glyphs, staffs, wands, potions, poisons, hexes, defensive maneuvers, offensive attacks, disguises, transformations, transfigurations, transmogrifications, incantations, vortices, portals, gateways, scrying, amulets, talismans, and transportation charms. Employing this magic—sometimes as defensive maneuvers against his rivals, other times as offensive attacks to aid a companion threatened with death—he rises above his internal fear and ultimately seals the veil at Talith Nor that separates the two worlds of magic and mortal beings. No longer a mere apprentice after his grandfather’s death, he must now, as Guardian and Keeper of the Veil, uphold the moral authority of the White Order, as Phineas had instructed him: “You see, there are those who believe that the possession of immense power entitles one to rule over others. That in essence is the crux of our problem.”

The Guardian’s Apprentice: Beyond the Veil Book - 1 is a feast of intrigue that unfolds before our eyes, beginning in the “Prologue” and not stopping until the very last page. Wielding the literary technique of foreshadowing, Radcliffe accomplishes two missions at once: He maximizes the suspense and at the same time deepens the underpinning of this moral tale. The Guardian’s Apprentice is not only a thrilling fantasy, but it is also an allegory about the unquenchable drive for power—an all too familiar ambition that is cold comfort to our hearts and souls.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

It made him seem hopeless never making any progress. Ivan see him trying to protrude that anger can blinded side use so he made progress the best hecould. I in joyed the book. Iwill problem read the next one.