The Labyrinth

by Kenneth McDonald

This fantasy novella tells the story of a young wizard who participates in a magical competition that goes fundamentally wrong, pitting him and his fellow competitors against a deadly maze in a desperate struggle for survival. The novella is a prequel to Of Spells and Demons, also available here at Smashwords.

Genres: Fantasy, Ebooks, Novella, Fiction, Short Stories, Science Fiction Fantasy

56 pages, Nook

First published July 1, 2010

Reviews

[Stephanie Manson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this one as a free read on Nook & found it to be just too simplistic & underdeveloped for my tastes. I think this author has potential but needs some work on dialogue, character development, plot development, & world building. I think it could be an okay read for preteens or those who haven't read a lot of the major fantasy authors yet, but if you're used to reading the likes of Tolkien, Martin, Erikson, Gaiman, etc, you'll find this one nearly unreadable.

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story line idea, but lacking details. Disappointed that I didn't really get to be involved with the characters. The book was short and could easily have benefited from more detailed descriptions and involvement of characters. Parts of the book seem to jump from one event to another and seem disconnected.

[Caedy Eries · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's okay. Not the best I've read. A touch predictable in a few places, but all in all a decent enough read.

[Macjest · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a novella and a prequel to a series I’ve not read. As such it didn’t do anything for me. It shows some similarities to Harry Potter. There are students studying magic who belong to different specialties. In this novella they participate in a test. However, due to the length of the piece, characters are not developed enough for me to care.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

a more sinister Goblet of Fire magical challenge

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

McDonald has a smooth easy to read style. His characters are simple, but lots of room exists for future development.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short little story for me. It reminded me of The Goblet of Fire, only darker, if that is possible. Evil wizard with blood spells smells like Voldemort to me.

[DJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's like Wizards meets Hunger games sort of thing. A group of Wizards are put into a Labyrinth. However, before the wizards-to-be test, something severe happened, and the Wizards in the Labyrinth are trapped, so they need to work together to get out of the situation.

133 pages - got it for free, and I'm glad I did though. I wouldn't have bought it otherwise. Short novella.

There was some parts that are a little weird to me. They all have different expertise in spells, and they have a roll of parchment with a spell on it. The odd thing is it's "one time use". Having read books and seen movies with wizards, there's always wands, and they can reuse spells over and over. It takes practice to learn a certain difficult spell, such as Expecto Patronum. I would think it's a waste of time in a dangerous situation to grab a scroll and read off of it. That's just me.

Another thing that seems to bother me the most is descriptions of something. The author put way too much descriptive of actions, objects, magic, etc and not so much on character development and the story concept. While it's only a novella, I think it'll be better with a lot less descriptives and put more of the story/action concept it'll still pull off as a good book.

The novella is okay, it has potential. Perhaps with better editing and tweaking of the story, it'll be good.

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my opinion this novella was an okay read. I would not recommend it, but since it is free why not try something new? It sort of reminded me of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
It was a bit mundane until the exiled blood mage disrupts the annual competition at the University in Sacreth, and the story takes on a whole new and powerful interest. I liked the danger and extreme lose that Keric and the other competitors face in the labyrinth. It was rightly paced and a fun read.
To the potential readers, existing fans of Kenneth McDonald and to some of the reviewers I would like to say that this is a prequel to a full length novel Of Spells and Demons, so please keep that in mind when frustrated by the incredible short length and sudden ending. You will learn more about Keric and the University in Of Spells and Demons.
Overall, this is one of the better free NOOKbooks offered by Barnes & Noble.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Far too derivative for my liking as there were just so many similarities between this and the labyrinth from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Magic school? Check. Four participants? Check? One of them wasn't originally supposed to be there? Check. Gender (and for some of them, personalities) of the participants? Check. The list goes on. There were a few original tidbits buried in there, but overall this novella is solidly a 2 star and no more.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a free nookbook and a prequel to "Of Spells and Demons." The novella is fast paced, jumping into the Labyrinth quickly with not much character development. I think if you read the other Novel they would have been more memorable. I did enjoy the magic system the author used...no wands in this one. Worth a read since it is free.

[P.A. Pursley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story had the potential to be great, but I think it lacked detail. I got lost in some of the descriptions and there wasn't enough explanation to let me know the background of the story. It is a short story so I didn't have too much time invested. I would like to read others by Kenneth McDonald. Authors get better the more they write.

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although short, this novella outlines an interesting world of differing magics that intrigue me and make me want to read more. I will be checking out some of McDonald's other works after reading this.

[Stephani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not worth the read. Confusing and completely lost me no matter how many times I tried to re-read sections. I am amazed I read it through. No offense to the author, but not impressed..and I hate leaving bad or negative reviews.

[Jeanette Hechavarria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book since it was a free download on my nook. It started off rather slow, with poor character development, and the plot was scattered everywhere. This could have been a great novel with proper guideance.

[Harriet Levy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was offered as a free Nookbook, and it was worth every penny. One of the least readable books I've stumbled onto in a very long time. Can I give it less than one star?

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit of a slow start to this story, but once the characters actually got to the Labyrinth, the pace picked up rapidly.

[Sandi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just ok...

[Autumn · Rating 1 out of 5]

The plot was lame. It was hard to read

[Lindley Walter-smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable fantasy novella of the "We're trapped, who can get out alive?" kind.

[Kim Sandlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

fast moving..not that great

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not absolutely terrible for a free book but not terribly great either.