Not what I was expecting, but a really good book regardless. Interesting and philosophical. ( )

The Magician's Apprentice is a book about a young boy named Baz who lives in a small village. His two brothers have left to go study a trade and find out what they are good at it. There is a man who comes to the town and finds Baz and says he has weavers' hands and says he will be back to tomorrow to find him. He tells his mother and father about the man and they are happy for him. Excited, Baz packs his things and cannot sleep. Then the man comes back the next morning, and they begin their journey, but the man does not speak to him the entire time. When he arrives at the weaver’s shop, he finds that all the boys are working, and no one acknowledges that he is there. So he sits next to a boy, and he tries to copy what he is doing but he fails. Soon it is dusk, and they go to sleep. The next day the boy next to him speaks to him about the master and how to weave. His name is Daggar and tells him that there use to be a kind old master who actually knew how to weave. There is a dog and Daggar pets it but when the master sees the dog he whips it until it can’t get up. That night Baz gets up and gets the masters gun from inside to end the dog's suffering. The next morning Baz is taken to the market because he killed the dog. The master said that he will be rewarded and taken to the market. At the market, Baz is sold for a sword. Baz is now with a magician named Tadis. Baz decides traveling to the mountain with Tadis to discover his destiny. On the way to the mountains, they go through the desert and the jungle to get there. Along the journey, Tadis teaches him different illusions and opens his eyes that everyone and everything is connected. He taught Baz that not every man is bad and there are people that are good in the world. Tadis and Baz run into different people on his way all have gone to study a trade but have always come back to where their home is like the desert wanderer and the boatman. When they scale the mountain Baz sees nothing but darkness. His shoes are parchment Baz knew that he was close to the top. When Baz finally reached the top, he saw the light on the mountain it looked as if were never night. Baz realized his destiny was to be a magician.
I think that this was a good book because it explained in detail how Baz felt throughout the story. For example, Baz regretting killing the dog. This story did not have too much unnecessary information. Another reason why I liked this book was because of the tiny drawings between the chapters it gave a sense of what is going on in the story, and you could predict what is going to happen. One reason I did not like this book was because of the way the author explains the surroundings of Baz. ( )

A bit odd and slow, but kind of pretty.

A very long, boring story that shoves religious philosophy down your throat. ( )

The title of this book was at first deceiving to me. I was expecting a fantasy of magic, about a boy who is apprenticed to a magician. Instead, the novel tells of a boy's spiritual journey in an Asian-like land. At 16, Baz leaves his family home like his brothers before him, to seek adventure and fortune. The nameless man who carries him from home on the back of his beloved horse, Melesh, is kind and gives him a cryptic message from "the birds, the trees, the wind," even his horse: "You will follow the light." He takes Baz to a weaver and leaves. "The Master" has several boys working for him, but Baz quickly learns his cruelty. He uses a whip on the boys and keeps them half-starved. Baz learns to weave well-enough, but realizes it is not his true passion or skill. He makes a friends in Dagar, a true weaver, and a little dog he names Blink. One day, Dagar becomes ill. The cruel Master takes him away and Dagar never returns. Then the Master whips Blink almost to death. Baz, realizing the dog won't recover, steals the Master's gun to end Blink's suffering, then returns the gun. The Master finds out and praises Baz for the killing. He takes him to the village to sell him as a soldier. Baz is traded to a Magician for his sword. The Magician performs simple tricks - illusions, he calls them - to earn a few coins. All he owns is a small cart he pulls behind him in his travels. Baz follows Tadis, realizing he has few other choices in this unknown land.
Tadis is kind and wise, teaching Baz by example and with riddles. Baz is sometimes frustrated by these teachings, but is happy enough to follow the Magician. Over time, he begins to understand and like Tadis' ways. He meets other people, but mostly travels with Tadis, leanring the ways of the land, of his mind, of dreams and illusions.
In many ways, this is a quiet story where not much seems to happen, but as Tadis always says, something is always happening. I will follow Baz again on his journey to glean more insights into the story and myself. I am grateful for Kate Banks' illuminating writing. ( )