Ian Irvine (1) (1950–)

A short fantasy adventure. The town of Meadowhythe is being attacked by the evil sorcerer who lives in Thorn Castle just beyond the town and the town can't defend themselves for much longer. This was your typical fantasy quest with only one person capable of making the journey (the sorcerer is sensitive to magic so the only person that can get close to the castle is the boy with no magic - Tamly) to retrieve the item (in this case the Book of Spells) and save the town from evil (I think the town is unaware - but they have a red foundation stone/gem hidden under their town hall that can only be possessed if taken without being stolen or bought - hence why the sorcerer has to attack them and convince them all to leave).

I liked Tamly. He was brave, albeit unsure of himself and he was smart, logical and practical in the face of danger. For instance taking his shoes off when the sorcerer sticks his feet to the floor. This book is less about facing the sorcerer head on and more about using their resources to trick the sorcerer into defeat. Tamly is accompanied by his best friend, Kym. I liked Kym. Didn't really make sense for her to go at all - because the whole reason why Tamly had to go was because he's not magical. And Kym is. It worked out in the end - but it annoyed me the idea that one of the adults could have gone and just not used magic.

The plot was fast paced and action packed. The characters were interesting and the lead in further adventures was well placed. I'll likely pick up the rest of the series at some point. 4 stars for target audience. 3 for me.… (mer)