McKillip shines in her presentation of the characters, the city of Kelior, and in her depiction of what magic really means. The varied districts of Kelior, including the mysterious Twilight Quarter, are nearly tangible, rich in sensory heft. And in her evocation of magic as a ceaseless pursuit of knowledge and art, not power, McKillip draws subtle parallels with her own mission as a writer.
— The Washington Post

Delicately skirting the edge of preachiness, World Fantasy Award-winner McKillip (Alphabet of Thorn) demonstrates once again her exquisite grasp of the fantasist's craft in this slender stand-alone novel. Generations ago, the seemingly immortal wizard Od saved the city of Numis from destruction, not out of altruism but because it seemed like a nice place to found a school of magic. Over the years, the practice of magic has come more and more under the king's control. Deciding to stir things up, Od recruits Brenden Vetch, a gardener from the northlands with tremendous raw power and no taste for politics. As Brenden arrives in Numis, so does a fabulous street magician, Tyramin, whose sleight-of-hand looks suspiciously like unauthorized wizardry. King Galin's attempts to control Brendan and arrest Tyramin only scare them away and earn him the scorn of his daughter, Sulys. As with the Narnia books and other fantasy classics with religious or political agendas, if you can shut off your awareness of worldly context, you'll find this an otherworldly delight. Agent, Howard Morhaim. (June 7) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

In the land of Numis, all wizards were taught to serve the king and country, and uncontrolled magic was forbidden. When the legendary wizard Od summons the reclusive Brenden Vetch to her school of wizardry to serve as gardener, she knows that the young man's talent for growing things hides a gift powerful enough to challenge those who pull the wizards' strings. McKillip (In the Forests of Serre) finds poetry in every story she tells, crafting tales that are both personal and universal. Featuring unusual and compelling characters, her latest belongs in most fantasy collections and should appeal to both adult and YA readers. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

More enchantments and wonders from McKillip (The Tower at Stony Wood, 2000, etc.), here displayed in a tale where almost everybody forlornly carries secrets and sorrows they cannot share. Brenden Vetch carries his grief like a sack of stones as he wanders far and wide, learning about plants by literally becoming them. In the snows of distant Skrygard Mountain, he comes upon a strange group of ancient, charred stumps, clearly alive and compellingly magical but impervious to his talents. Then the tall, semi-legendary, 400-year-old wizard Od tells him to go to King Galin's school of magic, where they have need of a gardener. At the school, Brenden meets unhappy teacher Yar Ayrwood, constrained by King Galin's chronic mistrust of unknown magics and unable to entirely rely on his lover, Ceta Thiel, whose cousin, the wizard Valoren Greye, enforces the king's rules. Sulys, Galin's daughter, is engaged to marry Valoren but finds he won't listen to her; Sulys works her own small magics with needle and thread, water and wax, inherited from her grandmother but not approved by the school. In the Twilight Quarter, meanwhile, the dazzling but mysterious magician Tyramin again takes up residence. Tyramin's public face is that of his beautiful daughter, Mistral, who must pretend that her own potent magic is nothing but illusion and spectacle, because it lies outside the royal purview. Od, clearly orchestrating affairs, must prompt a wholesale reorganization of events into a somewhat less melancholic configuration. McKillip's hallmarks are charm and elegance, diminished here by busy, fussy plotting, lack of suspense and little expectation that the characters might solve their problems by their ownefforts.

McKillip demonstrates once again her exquisite grasp of the fantasist’s craft.”—Publishers Weekly

“Lyrical prose, well-limned characterizations, vibrant action, a sense of the wonder of magic, and a generous dollop of romance . . . a story that will bind readers in its spell.”—Booklist

Brenden Vetch lives a solitary life as a gardener until the wizard Od asks him to go to Kelior to tend the gardens at her school of magic. But the king’s wizard, Valarin, believes Brenden to be a grave threat and sets out to constrain him. Gabrielle de Cuir has a light touch with this narration. She maintains the undercurrent of tension surrounding Valarin as he seeks to exercise tight control over what magic is sanctioned and what is to be banished. De Cuir’s voice reflects a fondness for the young princess who is to be betrothed to Valarin as well as for the magician's daughter, who helps keep wonder and true magic alive. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine