When Runnel, a friendless peasant from a village so humble that money is a new concept, leaves his mountain valley, he is completely unaware of his magical talents. Seeking his fortune, he stumbles into a centuries-old feud when he travels to Mitherhome, the city of the water mages. He accepts a servant's position in the household of the sole stone mage permitted within the city walls, and there his untapped magical talents and his fascination with his master's abilities are a predictably dangerous combination. Soon, without meaning to, he complicates and endangers the lives of everyone he has come to know and care about, for when it comes to magic, there are rules and laws, and the untrained mage-to-be must be careful not to tap into deep forces and ancient enmities. Otherwise, other people might end up paying the price for his mistakes.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
October 31, 2008 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781481544788
- File size: 90792 KB
- Duration: 03:09:08
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- Text Difficulty: 7-12
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Reviews
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AudioFile Magazine
There's little plot in this novella; the story is rife with exposition, followed by one big action scene that ends the book. Runnel, the ninth son of a poor farmer, leaves his abusive home to live in a city. He soon discovers he's a stonefather, the first such powerful magician in centuries. Emily Janice Card, the author's daughter, does a fair job narrating the story; her bright, clear voice is suitable for the young characters of both genders. However, her portrayals of the older male characters strain listeners' credibility. Overall, though, Card does an admirable job of making the exposition-heavy first half of the tale enticing and the sudden transition into action believable and fitting. G.D. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine -
Publisher's Weekly
August 18, 2008
An overly predictable plot, a deficit of character development and a deus ex machina conclusion distract from the dreamy prose and intricate world-building of this fairy tale novella from Hugo-winner Card (Keeper of Dreams
). Runnel, a friendless peasant from a village so humble that money is a new concept, stumbles into a centuries-old feud when he travels to Mitherhome, the city of the wetwizards, seeking his fortune. He accepts a servant's position in the household of the sole stonemage permitted within the city walls, where his untapped magical talents and his fascination with his master's abilities are a predictably dangerous combination. Card's obvious familiarity with his world and its enthralling history, due to be expanded in the forthcoming Mithermages series, makes for a pleasant, if shallow, interlude.
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