A Wizard Named Nell (Keepers)

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Summary: A journey into Eldearth
Review: Eldearth is a land shared by wizards, witches, humans, and all kinds of magical creatures, but all of this is about to be threatned. The Imperial Wizard, The Keeper of the Light, is dying and if someone new is not found soon, Eldearth will fall into darkness and the evil hands of Lord Graieconn. The tradition has always been that the Imperial Wizard is a wizard, a boy, but time is running out and all the boys who have attempted the extremely difficult quest to become Imperial Wizard have failed. It looks like a different tactic must now be used before time is too late.

Eleven-year-old Princess Arenelle, "Nell", daughter of King Einar, has always shown promise in witchcraft and wants to undertake the difficult quest. Of course her father forbids it mostly because she is a girl and fearing for her overall safety. Nell, being the cunning intelligent girl she is, comes up with a plan to evade her father and sets out on her quest. Along the way she meets many of the people and creatures of Eldearth and sees their many trials. She gains some wisdom and through her kindness to the people Nell shows her true colors. Soon she has an albino dragon, whom she saved from death, and folk helping her on her quest. Can she prove herself worthy to be the Imperial Wizard?

I have always enjoyed the magic of fantasy and this book was no exception. I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy. However some parts of this book were quite reminiscent of other books I've read in the past. This is not the first time I've heard of something called the Keeper of the Light. I think that was also part of the Rowan books by Emily Rodda. However Koller manages to give her own spin to these books and Nell is a true heroine. A definite recommendation.

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Summary: A magical and enchanting fantasy.
Review: Eleven-year-old Arenelle, called Nell, is the only child of the King of Xandria, one of the kingdoms of Eldearth. She has much potential in the magical arts, and would love to be Imperial Wizard -- especially now that the old Imperial Wizard is dying and needs a successor. But because she is a girl, she won't even get the chance to try -- her father forbids it. Nell is determined to have a chance and prove her worth, and so she runs away from home, determined to find the Imperial Wizard and persuade him to at least consider her. During her difficult and dangerous journey, Nell learns much about her land that she never knew, and proves that she can be brave when she needs to.

Young readers who love magical fantasy tales featuring strong girl characters are sure to enjoy this first book in an enchanting trilogy. Nell is a wonderful and very likable character that readers will cheer on in her quest to prove her worth.

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Summary: "Wizard" works no magic
Review: Jackie French Koller whips together every high fantasy cliche imaginable in "Wizard Named Nell," a tepid first book of what promises to be an unoriginal trilogy. Lackluster characters, silly dialogue and a lack of imagination make "Wizard" an ideal cure for insomnia.

Nell is a young princess in Xandria, who is learning some witchcraft but craves more knowledge. The ante is upped when, on her birthday, a horde of evil banshees invade the castle and attack her father. The wizards fail to banish the creature, but Nell manages to. That unexpected success spurs her to ask if she can try to become the next Imperial Wizard.

Of course, her father says no; not only is she a princess, but she's a girl, and only boys can be wizards. But Nell won't be held back -- she sets out on the necessary journey, believing that she just might be the prophecied chosen one who will defeat the evil Graieconn of Darkearth, a dark lord who can't stand even a little light. But is Nell the chosen one, and can she do what all the boys who tried before her have failed in?

If you think it sounds familiar, that's because it is. Koller draws on everything from Star Wars to Harry Potter -- you have the necessary dark lord, dragons, castles, prophecies, magical wands, generic medieval civilizations, plucky princesses and pyrotechnic magic. There is not a single original element in the entire book.

Worse, it isn't even well-written. The dialogue is on par with a Saturday morning cartoon show ("Spirits of the Sacred Light! Take this darkness from our sight!"), and the descriptions are lackluster at best and wretched at worst ("Oozy things squished under her feet").

Nell is like a thousand plucky princesses that we've seen before; she really has no personality worth speaking of, and her courage and gutsiness seem two-dimensional because there is no reason for her to act as she does. Supporting characters like Minna the demidragon and her father come across as cardboard props.

Unoriginal and terribly written, "A Wizard Named Nell" only promises to get more grindingly terrible as the series progresses. Not recommended.

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Summary: One Awesome Wizard
Review: Jackie French Koller whips together every high fantasy cliche imaginable in "Wizard Named Nell," a tepid first book of what promises to be an unoriginal trilogy. Lackluster characters, silly dialogue and a lack of imagination make "Wizard" an ideal cure for insomnia.

Nell is a young princess in Xandria, who is learning some witchcraft but craves more knowledge. The ante is upped when, on her birthday, a horde of evil banshees invade the castle and attack her father. The wizards fail to banish the creature, but Nell manages to. That unexpected success spurs her to ask if she can try to become the next Imperial Wizard.

Of course, her father says no; not only is she a princess, but she's a girl, and only boys can be wizards. But Nell won't be held back -- she sets out on the necessary journey, believing that she just might be the prophecied chosen one who will defeat the evil Graieconn of Darkearth, a dark lord who can't stand even a little light. But is Nell the chosen one, and can she do what all the boys who tried before her have failed in?

If you think it sounds familiar, that's because it is. Koller draws on everything from Star Wars to Harry Potter -- you have the necessary dark lord, dragons, castles, prophecies, magical wands, generic medieval civilizations, plucky princesses and pyrotechnic magic. There is not a single original element in the entire book.

Worse, it isn't even well-written. The dialogue is on par with a Saturday morning cartoon show ("Spirits of the Sacred Light! Take this darkness from our sight!"), and the descriptions are lackluster at best and wretched at worst ("Oozy things squished under her feet").

Nell is like a thousand plucky princesses that we've seen before; she really has no personality worth speaking of, and her courage and gutsiness seem two-dimensional because there is no reason for her to act as she does. Supporting characters like Minna the demidragon and her father come across as cardboard props.

Unoriginal and terribly written, "A Wizard Named Nell" only promises to get more grindingly terrible as the series progresses. Not recommended.

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Summary: Pedestrian but inoffensive children's fantasy
Review: The best children's fantasy books, like Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain and Norton Juster's Phantom Tollbooth, appeal to both children and readers well out of childhood. This is not the case with Jackie French Koller's undistinguished fantasy series. Colorful, brisk, easy to follow, and featuring a brave young heroine of just eleven years of age, A Wizard Named Nell has qualities that may recommend it to very young fantasy readers. However, reduced down to basics, it is the tale of a princess on a quest to save her world from an all powerful Dark Lord-- a tale that is very familiar and has been told, rather better, many times before.

Originality never once rears its head in the tale of Nell's quest to become the next apprentice to the Keeper of the Light, whose job it is to hold the Dark Forces (capitals absolutely required) at bay. The extent to which A Wizard Named Nell falls into fantasy cliches can be verified by looking at entries for "Dark Lord," "Missing Heirs," and "Minions of the Dark Lord" in Diana Wynne Jones's mercilessly satirical Tough Guide to Fantasyland, published in 1996. Nothing is actually wrong with using a few fantasy tropes, but Koller slaps these in her story without ever pausing to fully explore any of them. Eldearth feels like a movie set rather than a full realized world with its own history and rules. Incongruous bits of modernity in what is otherwise a generic, quasi-medieval fantasy world are particularly apparent in the dialogue. Raechel, the sweet, terminally ill child (see "Plague" in the Tough Guide) remarks of Nell's inevitable dragon sidekick, "She be so cute." Thankfully, the writing isn't always that bad, but some of it, combined with some very sloppy copyediting, is worth a cringe or two.

Good characterization might compensate for some of the book's other flaws, but Nell and her supporting cast possess little depth. Adults, as in Harry Potter, tend to be either totally ineffectual (if well intentioned), or narrow minded, incompetent, and ultimately obstructive to the execution of Good by the young protagonist. Nell herself is irritating in her perfection. She is alone in being progressive, compassionate, and clear-sighted, but there is never any doubt that the conservative adults who surround her are uncomplicatedly wrong in their views. (Most of them, however, praise her bravery and kindness. Often.) Koller's messages are perfectly sound, but the repeated emphasis on the need for social consciousness between different species, classes, and genders comes across as heavy-handed and unnecessarily didactic.

There is no reason why children's fantasy cannot be original, intelligent, and profound, as well as entertaining. Unfortunately, the Keeper series, despite its attractive covers (kudos to artist Rebecca Guay), isn't really any of the above. There are, however, plenty of books that are. Young fantasy readers are much better off with Sherwood Smith's Wren books, Tamora Pierce's Magic Circle quartet, or Diana Wynne Jones's Chrestomanci books, which all feature more interesting young protagonists and thoughtfully crafted magical worlds.

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Summary: Definitely a 5-Star book!!! :)
Review: This book is about Areanall, a princess who wants to become the apprentice of the Imperial Wizard, who is the Keeper of the cepter, which keeps Eldearth free of evil. The Imperial Wizard is getting old, and that is why he needs an apprentice. To take on the Quest, she can only drink at sunset, and cannot eat any food. She only has three days to find the Palace of Light, where the Imperial Wizard lives.
The only one Areanell (or Nell) brings with her, is her Demidragon, Minna.
This is a great book about how if you really want to do somethng, you can. I read this book really fast, because it was so good!

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Summary: One Awesome Wizard
Review: This is a great example of what one girl can do if she wants to! Nell is the princess of Xandria. She wants to learn magic, but her father says that beginner's magic is enough. Then one day Nell overhears that the Imperial Wizard is sick and needs a replacement. She asks her father if she could be the Imperial Wizard and her father says, no, its too dangerous and besides, you're a girl! Only boys can be Imperial Wizards. No, and that's final. But Nell doesn't listen. She embarks on a dangerous journey that could change her life forever. I think this is a great book and you should read it. It has wonderful writing and is very original. If you need a burst of confidence read this book! It is a guarenteed pleaser.