Spellwright

The word play! Dear lord, the word play!

A wonderful read! Cleverly composed and engaging.

Good and almost great

Incredibly cool story and concept, yet somehat too clumsily carried out. But no worries. It is more likely to do with it being the work of a first time writer than anything else. In all actuality, it is as if it is a really well flushed out outline with a lot of writing of the story filled in. The pacing is a bit off, but the amazing and utterly fascinating magic system totally makes up for the shortcomings of the prose style.

Excellent book

Fun read - great character development and interesting plot twists. Unique magiks - not the "same old, same old". I look forward to his future books

Very long in the tooth

I get into a book and can read it in 12 hrs.. Or so. It took me 6 days to read this. I had to go back and reread things several times.
The concept is about a dyslexic magician who could be the savior or the destroyer of the world.
The problem is that Blake Charlton goes way into how the spells are written/work. It is a great concept that could go on into a great series if it isn't so drawn out. In the last 6 chapters of so the book builds up speed and becomes a better read. We'll see what the next is like ,but I'm not spending 25 dollars on the next one.

A most excellent book

Love it! A very interesting twist on Magic and a page turning story. I was especially caught up by the details of this version of how magic works. And the fact that this author has dyslexia himself just makes me want to read more. Looking forward to seeing more books from this author!!! Nicely done good sir!

Looking for a new voice in fantasy? Try this one!

This is a strong opening to a new fantasy series which takes the power of language literally. One of the things I most enjoyed was how complete the worldbuilding is and the many different cultures that populate the novel. Nicodemus is a deeply sympathetic character whose cacography (think of dyslexia but with magical ramifications) not only keeps him from being able to cast spells but also makes it difficult for him to even handle magical artifacts. Too often a character is given a disability which is unrelated to the larger quest, but in Spellwright it is deeply connected to the larger quest.

If you are looking for a new voice in fantasy, give this a try.

terrific fantasy

At Starhaven School for young mages, Agwu Shannon the great Magister thought the lad Nicodemus Weal could be the legendary Halycon of the ancient prophecy who will prevent the magical apocalypse Disjunction that is coming. However, though powerful with just a finger touch, Nico's spell casting never works properly. Instead what he touches turns into a misspelling disaster; leading to others fearing he might be the other side of the ancient prophecy, as the Storm Petrel who destroys magic.

Now twenty-five and still at the school, Nico is a janitor apprenticed to Agwu. Someone murders Nora Finn the grammarian who was Agwu's fiercest academic rival. Amadi leads the investigation as to whom used a misspell to kill the dean. While Agwu fears his enemies from Astrophell have arrived to arrack him and his apprentice indirectly, others believe Nico killed Nora accidentally. As Nico dreams of a city under attack that proves accurate, others die mysteriously inside of Starhaven. Authorities believe Agwu and Nico went rogue.

This is a terrific fantasy with a supporting whodunit amateur sleuth subplot. The story line is fast-paced, but the magic behind this delightful tale is the cast as every key player seems real and in turn makes the Charlton world feel genuine. Especially critical is Nico as his misspelling plays a double purpose. First it makes him the prime suspect in a strong storyline and second his blundering re gargoyles, chimneys, and other ilk enhance the believability factor as he is the magical Murphy's Law, but now must prove his worth. Fans will conclude that Blake Charlton is a gifted Spellwright as he enchants his audience.

Harriet Klausner

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