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A review by seanpatricklittle
Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell
5.0
My first go-round with de Castell's books were his incredible Greatcoats series. Now, I've been reading fantasy since I was six years old. (My mom got me the Dragonlance Chronicles for Christmas and I've been hooked since.) I have sampled all the realms, seen more magic systems than I care to count, and read enough pages about blood-soaked blades to last a lifetime. (Not mine...someone else's, though.)
The Greatcoats vaulted themselves into my pantheon of my favorite books. De Castell now sits on a shelf with Rafael Sabatini, Christopher Moore, Alex Bledsoe, Craig Johnson, Sherman Alexie, Terry Prachett, and Margaret Weis.
The Greatcoats had all the goods: wonderful characters, stupidly heroic stands against impossible odds, and some of the best dialogue I've ever read. Not to mention, the world building de Castell did was fantastic. The idea of Saints and Gods walking among people in a sort of pseudo-18th Century, pre-industrial revolution France-like place was incredible.
When TYRANT'S THRONE came out earlier this year, I pushed everything else off my reading shelf so that I could journey with Falcio, Kest, and Brasti once again. Now, sadly--that journey came to an end. De Castell promised they'd be back...someday.
Well, until that day occurs, we have a new hero in a different world in de Castell's new YA series: SPELLSLINGER.
Kellen is a young mage who is nearing the time of his trials. Pass them--he becomes a mage. Fail them, and he becomes a servant for mages. Only problem: Kellen has yet to spark any of the magical bands on his arms that help him focus his powers. His younger sister, Shalla, has sparked all six. She is growing to be a powerful mage, but Kellen has all but lost any power he once had.
In his quest to prove himself a mage of his clan, Kellen uncovers some hard truths about his people, and uncovers a mystery that threatens his family and society.
Like the Greatcoats series, this had everything I want: a solid hero who is too stupid not to take a punch, humorous banter, exciting set pieces where cleverness beats strength, and squirrel-cats.
I need a squirrel-cat.
It would all be fine and dandy if the book only had this going for it, but like a lot of YA literature, it doesn't stop there. Something YA often does better than stuffy adult fiction is to touch on themes that important to today's society, particular to the YA readership.
In SPELLSLINGER, de Castell finds the time and genius to make us think about oligarchy, about slavery, about living up to our parents' expectations, about what family really means, and about what it means to be true to yourself and accepting of who you are. In this aspect of the book, he delivers the best magic.
In the opening salvo of a new series that's sure to be another hit, SPELLSLINGER paves the way for a grand adventurer into a world that has just begun to be built. The second book in the series is already on the way, and it is at the top of my to-be-read list.
Five stars.
The Greatcoats vaulted themselves into my pantheon of my favorite books. De Castell now sits on a shelf with Rafael Sabatini, Christopher Moore, Alex Bledsoe, Craig Johnson, Sherman Alexie, Terry Prachett, and Margaret Weis.
The Greatcoats had all the goods: wonderful characters, stupidly heroic stands against impossible odds, and some of the best dialogue I've ever read. Not to mention, the world building de Castell did was fantastic. The idea of Saints and Gods walking among people in a sort of pseudo-18th Century, pre-industrial revolution France-like place was incredible.
When TYRANT'S THRONE came out earlier this year, I pushed everything else off my reading shelf so that I could journey with Falcio, Kest, and Brasti once again. Now, sadly--that journey came to an end. De Castell promised they'd be back...someday.
Well, until that day occurs, we have a new hero in a different world in de Castell's new YA series: SPELLSLINGER.
Kellen is a young mage who is nearing the time of his trials. Pass them--he becomes a mage. Fail them, and he becomes a servant for mages. Only problem: Kellen has yet to spark any of the magical bands on his arms that help him focus his powers. His younger sister, Shalla, has sparked all six. She is growing to be a powerful mage, but Kellen has all but lost any power he once had.
In his quest to prove himself a mage of his clan, Kellen uncovers some hard truths about his people, and uncovers a mystery that threatens his family and society.
Like the Greatcoats series, this had everything I want: a solid hero who is too stupid not to take a punch, humorous banter, exciting set pieces where cleverness beats strength, and squirrel-cats.
I need a squirrel-cat.
It would all be fine and dandy if the book only had this going for it, but like a lot of YA literature, it doesn't stop there. Something YA often does better than stuffy adult fiction is to touch on themes that important to today's society, particular to the YA readership.
In SPELLSLINGER, de Castell finds the time and genius to make us think about oligarchy, about slavery, about living up to our parents' expectations, about what family really means, and about what it means to be true to yourself and accepting of who you are. In this aspect of the book, he delivers the best magic.
In the opening salvo of a new series that's sure to be another hit, SPELLSLINGER paves the way for a grand adventurer into a world that has just begun to be built. The second book in the series is already on the way, and it is at the top of my to-be-read list.
Five stars.