Review by Booklist Review
Twelve-year-old Sam has been learning magic from Flaxfield. But halfway through the apprenticeship, Flaxfield dies, and Sam finds himself viewed with suspicion by the wizard's other apprentices. He and Starback, a dragon, set out on their own, beginning a journey that will take Sam into great peril and toward his mysterious destiny. Meanwhile, an evil enchantress gloats over Flaxfield's death and plots to capture Sam for reasons unknown. Actually, quite a lot is unknown to readers of the first book of the Flaxfield Quartet. Though the early chapters introduce a broad array of characters and creatures at a rapid pace, revelations about them are maddeningly slow. Still, there's plenty to enjoy as the narrative unfolds, from the portrayal of Sam to the recurring oak tree question to the ongoing sense of danger. Forward can tell a story, and if setting up the saga's structure put constraints on the first book, the next three volumes hold great promise for fans of adventure, fantasy, and dragons.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This beautifully written fantasy stars Sam, an unworldly wizard's apprentice whose beloved master dies unexpectedly, leaving the 12-year-old boy half-trained, without clear direction, and fought over by a number of other wizards, not all of whom have his best interests at heart. Forward (The Wolf's Story) masterfully balances humor with deadly serious content in a manner reminiscent of Lloyd Alexander at his best. His characters are, if not enormously complex, very well-drawn, particularly the wizards, whose actions can be grotesque: "A beetle scratched its way over her foot. She leaned forward, picked it up, and put it to her lips without thinking. She crunched it, sucked the soft pulp from inside." Interspersed entries from Sam's notebook add humor and insight while fleshing out Forward's world ("A Wand is a bendy stick. That's it. I've been told I have to write more on this page"). Also fascinating is the growing relationship between Sam and the dragon Starback, with whom Sam has a powerful psychic connection. This lovely tale, first in a series, should strongly appeal to fantasy aficionados. Ages 8-12. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Sam is a wizard's apprentice whose master dies halfway through his education. When former students of the great man quickly arrive on the scene with their own agendas, they are not impressed with the 12-year-old's abilities, and he cannot imagine becoming an apprentice to one of them. His closest companion has been Starback, a small dragon that has followed him loyally, but when he makes his escape from Flaxfield's little home and the wizards who now occupy it, even Starback deserts him. Sam has no way of knowing that the dragon has left him to divert the magicians who are on the boy's trail. Suddenly, Sam does not know whom to trust. A dwarfish being called a roffle convinces him that if he wants to continue his magical education, he can do no better than the College. On arrival, Sam finds that the dean is more interested in parlor tricks than in the deep magic that Flaxfield taught him to respect. Moving on, he becomes caught up in a wizards' war that leaves him near death. There are flashes where the boy and Starback are able to enter each other's consciousness, but the reason for their connection is not fully developed. It is apparent early on that Ash, a creepy beetle-munching figure who adds just the right amount of ghoulishness to the story, has ties to the College and is directing the evil forces, but readers will need to wait for the next installment to learn more about her. Forward has created a complex high-fantasy world in which nothing is quite as it seems. The story line can meander, but persistent readers will enjoy getting to know Sam and entering his world.-Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In this accessible, full-of-surprises fantasy, apprentice wizard Sam is left lonely and beleaguered when his master, Flaxfield, dies. Then all of Flaxfield's former apprentices gather, accuse Sam of lying about his apprentice status, and threaten to send him to the mines. So off he goes with his pet dragon Starback, from whom he's separated almost at once. Like many a hapless, naive wanderer, Sam meets some kind helpers and some mischief-makers, but most agree that "he's the one." We don't quite learn what "the one" means in this volume, but nevertheless we accompany Sam as he explores an inadequate wizard school, performs a rite of the dead in the bottom of the mines, almost dies when an unknown enemy tries to snatch him into the land of death, and discovers that he and his dragon are one being. And more. Forward's fantasy has glimmers of Tolkien, Alexander, Rowling, and others but offers up its own friendly, sympathetic voice, imagined land, and characters. The novel's theme of the value of kindness is echoed in its epigraph: "It's no use trying to be cleverjust try to be kind -- a little kind." deirdre f. baker (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
