The Novice (Book sent by www.writeaway.org.uk)

Picture Provided by Fantastic Fiction

Author: Trudi Canavan

Genre: Fantasy

Age Range: 12+

Theme/Subject: magic, fantasy, politics, adventure

Publisher: Atom

ISBN: 9781905654116



Synopsis: After a reluctance to join the Guild of Magicians, Sonea – the slum girl – begins training within the great buildings of Imradin’s magical University. Her induction is painfully difficult as she is consistently bullied and ostracised by almost the entire guild. Meanwhile, intrigue and mystery involving the actions of the High Lord of Magicians himself causes worries that could not only threaten Sonea’s life, but also the lives of every inhabitant of Imradin.

Review: After having read the first book in this trilogy, I was slightly reluctant about attempting the second. I had found ‘The Magicians’ Guild’ to be all-too similar to many other fantasy books out there. However, to my complete delight, ‘The Novice’ was an excellent read with a great blend of magic, politics, stimulation and discovery. Canavan spent a lot of time building up the land of Kyralia in her first book and I now understand that this was a clever and well-rewarded move which helped to make ‘The Novice’ an exhilarating read.
Readers are taken through multiple stories throughout the book. Intrigue and Politics heavily feed the journey of Dannyl, whereas Bullying and Tension thread through Sonea’s story. These aspects melded with a host of other minor, but crucial storylines help drive the narrative’s pace.
Canavan’s style of writing is easy to read and although the trilogy could be seen as young-teen introduction to adult fantasy, I feel that the language at least is accessible to a younger reader who might be interested in these themes. Although a whopping 550+ pages, the text is large and there is a sense of quick progression through the book. The characters are well created and my only wish would have been that even more detail was added to a world that is already clearly painted.
‘The Novice’ is an assured stamp that Canavan is here to stay. Her writing has much improved since her first book in the trilogy and I look forward to reading more about Sonea’s journey and the outcome of the High Lord’s future in ‘The High Lord’: the final book in the series. Although too big to read to a class, the trilogy would make a great addition to a secondary school library or as a gift to a budding reader who enjoys reading fantasy novels.