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sparklingreader's review against another edition
2.0
Blurb: There’s a magical and political storm brewing and Aubrey Fitzwilliam is making sure he’s at the center of it. Aubrey is the son of a prominent ex-prime mininster. He’s also brilliant at magic, but he’s stuck at school. Aubrey is also brilliant at dreaming up schemes to get him and his best friend, George, into trouble. A botched magical experiment kills him, though he manages to come back, but only partially. Throughout all the political intrigue going on in the book, this line keeps cropping up as Aubrey attempts to return fully to himself.
Michael Pryor has created an incredible fantasy world – an alternative world of our own. His crafting is rich, inventive, and imaginative. In the story, magic requires almost mathmatical precision of language. There’s no waving of wands in this world. Unfortunately, the world creation is the best part of the story. The main character, Aubrey, seems almost too young for his stated age of seventeen. Additionally, he is a lot like that other famous wizard with dark hair, a slight build, and target for bullies. At least in this one, he gets the girl.
For American readers, the British spelling may be a bit off-putting, but that’s not as bad as the typos and repetitions that a better editor should have caught. In addition, some of the plot twists seem contrived and there is a lot of back story that not only slows the reading down, especially in the beginning, but brings it to a stop. In addition, the ending seemed to lack any oomph. Everything was resolved, but without any real excitement.
I will add a caveat here, though. I have read other Australian books in which some of these things were also an issue for me, but they are not to our mates down under. Something to keep in mind when reading.
I picked this book up with great enthusiasm. After all, I love books about magic and fantasy. Unfortunately, the story did not live up to my expectations, mostly because of the slow pace. Others may enjoy it, especially the struggles Aubrey faces as he attempts to rejoin his soul permanently to his body. Recommended with reservations.
Michael Pryor has created an incredible fantasy world – an alternative world of our own. His crafting is rich, inventive, and imaginative. In the story, magic requires almost mathmatical precision of language. There’s no waving of wands in this world. Unfortunately, the world creation is the best part of the story. The main character, Aubrey, seems almost too young for his stated age of seventeen. Additionally, he is a lot like that other famous wizard with dark hair, a slight build, and target for bullies. At least in this one, he gets the girl.
For American readers, the British spelling may be a bit off-putting, but that’s not as bad as the typos and repetitions that a better editor should have caught. In addition, some of the plot twists seem contrived and there is a lot of back story that not only slows the reading down, especially in the beginning, but brings it to a stop. In addition, the ending seemed to lack any oomph. Everything was resolved, but without any real excitement.
I will add a caveat here, though. I have read other Australian books in which some of these things were also an issue for me, but they are not to our mates down under. Something to keep in mind when reading.
I picked this book up with great enthusiasm. After all, I love books about magic and fantasy. Unfortunately, the story did not live up to my expectations, mostly because of the slow pace. Others may enjoy it, especially the struggles Aubrey faces as he attempts to rejoin his soul permanently to his body. Recommended with reservations.
mirceatara's review against another edition
2.0
Awful book. Poorly written, terrible plot, superficial characters, meaningless descriptions and sterile dialogue. Enjoy!
kraken14's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
novel_nomad's review against another edition
5.0
This book was another of my ‘purchase on a whim’ books, as even though I had met the author, I had never read any of his previous works. I decided that I might as well give it a go... Two days later I came to the conclusion that I thoroughly loved it. It fascinated me from the very first sentence and fuelled my desire to read the book.
Following the story of Aubrey Fitzwilliam, son to a prominent public figure and wealthy family lineage, the story weaves about his life from when he dabbled in the wrong type of magic and killed himself... well in a sense. Not only is he partly dead, he becomes involved in a fairly dangerous plot that is unfolding about him causing many of his friends to be affected.
So Aubrey uses his wits and magical ability to try and discover the root of the problem, with the help of his loyal friend George and the multi-skilled and reluctant Caroline. Strangely enough, I adore Aubrey as a main character. Usually find myself swayed towards a minor character in these types of stories, but his wit and humour entertain me endlessly. This is a wonderful book that I highly recommend, and the magical processes are understandable, in a way, similar to the laws of Physics.
Following the story of Aubrey Fitzwilliam, son to a prominent public figure and wealthy family lineage, the story weaves about his life from when he dabbled in the wrong type of magic and killed himself... well in a sense. Not only is he partly dead, he becomes involved in a fairly dangerous plot that is unfolding about him causing many of his friends to be affected.
So Aubrey uses his wits and magical ability to try and discover the root of the problem, with the help of his loyal friend George and the multi-skilled and reluctant Caroline. Strangely enough, I adore Aubrey as a main character. Usually find myself swayed towards a minor character in these types of stories, but his wit and humour entertain me endlessly. This is a wonderful book that I highly recommend, and the magical processes are understandable, in a way, similar to the laws of Physics.
unreliablebooknerd's review against another edition
4.0
How can this book no one reviews it???!! This book is seriously addicting!!!!! I love the main protagonist!!!
kihadu's review against another edition
2.0
It wasn't terrible, but neither was it brilliant. I did read it all, and if someone handed me the next book I would probably read it, but I'm not about to leap out of my seat to do so. It reminded me of the Monster Blood Tattoo series, only less exotic.
vailynst's review against another edition
4.0
Whoever heard of a hero named Aubrey? Is it terribly American of me to feel that it's a girl's name? Perhaps! I just looked up the origin of the name and Aubrey is a mutation of the name Alberich. The name means Fair Ruler of the Little People. I wonder if the author had that in mind when he picked out the name for the story? Intentional or not, it makes for a good start to an entertaining tale!
Aubrey Fitzwilliam has big shoes to fill. His family is from a titled lineage and both his parents are striking individuals who are one of the best in their careers. In a world of industrialization and magic, Aubrey's curiosity and zeal for pushing boundaries causes him to fall flat on his face--so to speak.
Aubrey Fitzwilliam hated being dead. It made things much harder than they needed to be.
Yup! That's the hero! A young man almost done with his studies and ready to venture into college or something else. He has a little problem. He made a tiny flaw in a magical experiment and accidentally died for a bit. Now his soul is haphazardly tied to his body with several magical slap dashes and no one is the wiser about the whole affair. Well, except for George, who is Aubrey's oldest and best friends.
You would think that would be more than enough for Audrey to deal with but that's not all. Life wouldn't be fair or normal without death, espionage, international intrigue, monstrous beasts, spooky atmosphere, blushing babbles, cool magic enhanced machinery, a carefree sidekick, meandering mysteries and a band of heroes to save the day! It all starts and ends with a brain numbing run about the Hummocks. Take a gander at the story! I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I have.
I'm delighted to find a new author to enjoy reading. I'm excited to see what else [a:Michael Pryor|259548|Michael Pryor|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1309235899p2/259548.jpg] has created and shared in his writing.
Aubrey Fitzwilliam has big shoes to fill. His family is from a titled lineage and both his parents are striking individuals who are one of the best in their careers. In a world of industrialization and magic, Aubrey's curiosity and zeal for pushing boundaries causes him to fall flat on his face--so to speak.
Aubrey Fitzwilliam hated being dead. It made things much harder than they needed to be.
Yup! That's the hero! A young man almost done with his studies and ready to venture into college or something else. He has a little problem. He made a tiny flaw in a magical experiment and accidentally died for a bit. Now his soul is haphazardly tied to his body with several magical slap dashes and no one is the wiser about the whole affair. Well, except for George, who is Aubrey's oldest and best friends.
You would think that would be more than enough for Audrey to deal with but that's not all. Life wouldn't be fair or normal without death, espionage, international intrigue, monstrous beasts, spooky atmosphere, blushing babbles, cool magic enhanced machinery, a carefree sidekick, meandering mysteries and a band of heroes to save the day! It all starts and ends with a brain numbing run about the Hummocks. Take a gander at the story! I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I have.
I'm delighted to find a new author to enjoy reading. I'm excited to see what else [a:Michael Pryor|259548|Michael Pryor|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1309235899p2/259548.jpg] has created and shared in his writing.
cupiscent's review against another edition
4.0
Full of fun and interest, but just a little bit too glib and easy for my tastes - or perhaps a little too smugly boys-own British. Our hero, Aubrey Fitzwilliam, is a child of privilege - son of a politician and former peer, talented in multiple areas, and enjoying the stalwart support of a best friend with complementary skills. While his life is made slightly troublesome by a small matter of being dead (not a spoiler: that's revealed in the first line of the book) his derring-do adventures are otherwise uncomplicated by personal conflicts or self-created challenges. This was probably my only dissatisfaction with the book, which was otherwise thoroughly entertaining. But Aubrey takes his loyal Sam George for granted, blithely excels all over the place in a manner irritatingly reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes, and generally sails through his adventures, and it all leaves me wishing that I could really see his mettle through him being knocked off his high horse and having to struggle along on foot for a while.
thiefofcamorr's review against another edition
Katharine is a judge for the Sara Douglass 'Book Series' Award. This entry is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.
I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.
I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.