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Rating: 
Summary: "Do you believe in magic?"
Review: He's a British teen wizard with glasses and a pet owl, suddenly approached by a stranger who tells him of his magical powers and future great destiny. Harry Potter? No, Timothy Hunter, a comic character that predated the Potter series; Hunter's adventures are darker and more mysterious. NowTimothy Hunter seemed like an ordinary boy, an average boy with a depressed father and a sprightly best friend. But that was until he ran into a strange man called John Constantine. Constantine reveals that Timothy is more than he appears -- he is a powerful mage, perhaps destined to be the most powerful in the world. And he's there to show Timothy the world of magic that he can choose -- if he dares. To show Timothy this, Constantine takes him to the beginning of time, through space to the United States, to the land of Faerie, to one of many possible futures in his own life. He meets Merlin, Baba Yaga, and the queen of Faerie herself. But there are evil forces that want Timothy dead, and will chase him to the end of the universe (literally) to make sure he ends up that way. Jablonski's novelization of the first "Book of Magic" is a competant one, neither excellent nor bad. If you've never read the comics, you'll still understand what's going on, and probably look forward to future adventures involving Timothy, Molly, Zatanna and the rest. Gaiman's dark, sometimes sinister brand of magic is well-translated into the novelization, and he includes a foreword on Jablonski's work. The writing style is pleasant, not very descriptive but gives some good insights to Tim's thoughts. Fortunately, she never goes off-the-wall or out-of-character. The simplicity of the writing wasn't always okay; I had trouble picturing some of the characters (the only real description of Titania is "beautiful" and "green"). The characterizations are pretty well-done; Timothy in particular is well fleshed-out. Fans of the "Books of Magic" comic series may not bother with "The Invitation," but it's definitely worth reading for both newcomers and fans.
Rating:
Summary: Ironic, but interesting
Review: There's something ironic here. When DC Comics debuted its Vertigo line in 1993, the idea was to make comics for adults. Now one of the best comics in the line, "The Books of Magic," is being translated into a series of prose novels for young readers. That just strikes me as funky somehow. Jablonski does a good job of taking Gaiman's original comic book and distilling it to a novel. She strips the most overt elements of the DC universe (while Zatanna, Constantine and the Phantom Stranger are all DCU characters they aren't nearly as well-known or iconic as the likes of Superman, who made a cameo in the comic but was wisely left out of the novel). I'm curious as to whether this series is intended to follow Tim as far as the comics did, to his later teenage years in the "Hunter: The Age of Magic" series. Unfortunately, no matter how good this series is, it'll probably be overlooked as a Harry Potter clone, even though Tim and Yo-yo predate Harry and Hedwig by at least six years by my count. If you dig Harry Potter, give the Books of Magic a fair shot.
Rating:
Summary: Ironic, but interesting
Review: There's something ironic here. When DC Comics debuted its Vertigo line in 1993, the idea was to make comics for adults. Now one of the best comics in the line, "The Books of Magic," is being translated into a series of prose novels for young readers. That just strikes me as funky somehow. Jablonski does a good job of taking Gaiman's original comic book and distilling it to a novel. She strips the most overt elements of the DC universe (while Zatanna, Constantine and the Phantom Stranger are all DCU characters they aren't nearly as well-known or iconic as the likes of Superman, who made a cameo in the comic but was wisely left out of the novel). I'm curious as to whether this series is intended to follow Tim as far as the comics did, to his later teenage years in the "Hunter: The Age of Magic" series. Unfortunately, no matter how good this series is, it'll probably be overlooked as a Harry Potter clone, even though Tim and Yo-yo predate Harry and Hedwig by at least six years by my count. If you dig Harry Potter, give the Books of Magic a fair shot.
Rating: 
Summary: Before Harry Potter there was Timothy Hunter
Review: This first book int the Books Of Magic series is a novelization of the original 4-issue Books of Magic series from DC Comics. Many believe that Harry Potter was based on Timothy Hunter (whose original name was Seeker). Timothy Hunter is a young English boy from a broken home (his parents had a car accident). He is somewhat of a nebish and where spectacles. But one day he is given the chance to learn magic, for it is his fate to possibly be the era's greatest wizard. He quickly gains an owl for a familiar and embarks on a series of journeys to learn about magic and whether he would walk its path. He begins by traveling to the past where he encounters a young Merlin. Then he explores the present-day world and meets a number of evil wizards who would like him dead. From there he travels the lands of Faerie where he meets Queen Titania and falls afoul of the Babba Yagga. Then he must go into the future. Here he sees some of white might come to pass, sees the end of everything, meets Death and survives another attempt on his life. Returning to the present, Timothy must decide if he is to follow the ways of magic or remain in the mundane world. This book does an adequate job of retelling the story, but despite the fact that novels can usually flesh out a comic book (more space available), this on is actually lacking much of the original story. Some of the characters in the original story do not even make an appearance here. Boston Brand (Deadman) supplied an wonderful bit of suspense and foreshadowing in the original, but here he is completely absent. The John Constantine section lacks the wonder and thrill of the original, although an explanation is given as to how Zatana made such a big blunder. Overall, not a bad book, but not as good as the original.
Rating:
Summary: Before Harry Potter there was Timothy Hunter
Review: This first book int the Books Of Magic series is a novelization of the original 4-issue Books of Magic series from DC Comics. Many believe that Harry Potter was based on Timothy Hunter (whose original name was Seeker). Timothy Hunter is a young English boy from a broken home (his parents had a car accident). He is somewhat of a nebish and where spectacles. But one day he is given the chance to learn magic, for it is his fate to possibly be the era's greatest wizard. He quickly gains an owl for a familiar and embarks on a series of journeys to learn about magic and whether he would walk its path. He begins by traveling to the past where he encounters a young Merlin. Then he explores the present-day world and meets a number of evil wizards who would like him dead. From there he travels the lands of Faerie where he meets Queen Titania and falls afoul of the Babba Yagga. Then he must go into the future. Here he sees some of white might come to pass, sees the end of everything, meets Death and survives another attempt on his life. Returning to the present, Timothy must decide if he is to follow the ways of magic or remain in the mundane world. This book does an adequate job of retelling the story, but despite the fact that novels can usually flesh out a comic book (more space available), this on is actually lacking much of the original story. Some of the characters in the original story do not even make an appearance here. Boston Brand (Deadman) supplied an wonderful bit of suspense and foreshadowing in the original, but here he is completely absent. The John Constantine section lacks the wonder and thrill of the original, although an explanation is given as to how Zatana made such a big blunder. Overall, not a bad book, but not as good as the original.
Rating:
Summary: Probably a Better Comic Book Than YA Novel
Review: Timothy Hunter is a typical 13-year old boy, living in London with his uncaring father and worrying about looking cool and how to ride his skateboard better when four trenchcoated strangers appear. Turns out that Tim could be the most powerful magician of all time, but he has to choose whether he wants to live in the magical world or the unmagical one. Seems like a simple choice, right? But Tim is not sure which choice is correct, so he asks to see a sample of the magical world so that he knows what he is choosing. First he travels to the past with the Stranger where he sees the creation of the Earth and different ages through time, including a meeting with Merlin. Then he travels through the present with John Constantine, who whisks him off to New York City to have his fortune read and then to San Francisco to meet the world-famous magician Zatanna. From there, Dr. Occult takes him to visit the world of Faerie where Tim is kidnapped by Baba Yaga and the Faerie Queen tries to keep him in her court. Then Tim is on a trip to the future with Mister E, where he discovers what the future will be like if he turns to dark magic. After his whirlwind trips to the 4 realms, Tim must decide if becoming a magician is worth the price that he must pay. This was an okay story, but nothing really spectacular happens in it. It feels like nothing happens, really, except Tim keeps going from place to place meeting new people and seeing new things. I found that I didn't really care for Tim a whole lot and I certainly had no feelings for the 4 mysterious people who took him on his journeys, but maybe they are more developed in the next story. Anyway, I am sure that the fantastic trips that Tim takes look much better in the comic book story, but they do not do as well here in this novelization. I don't even really feel like it is the author's fault, necessarily, but with other books out there about teenage wizards (such as Harry Potter), this book really pales in comparison.
Rating:
Summary: Probably a Better Comic Book Than YA Novel
Review: Timothy Hunter is a typical 13-year old boy, living in London with his uncaring father and worrying about looking cool and how to ride his skateboard better when four trenchcoated strangers appear. Turns out that Tim could be the most powerful magician of all time, but he has to choose whether he wants to live in the magical world or the unmagical one. Seems like a simple choice, right? But Tim is not sure which choice is correct, so he asks to see a sample of the magical world so that he knows what he is choosing. First he travels to the past with the Stranger where he sees the creation of the Earth and different ages through time, including a meeting with Merlin. Then he travels through the present with John Constantine, who whisks him off to New York City to have his fortune read and then to San Francisco to meet the world-famous magician Zatanna. From there, Dr. Occult takes him to visit the world of Faerie where Tim is kidnapped by Baba Yaga and the Faerie Queen tries to keep him in her court. Then Tim is on a trip to the future with Mister E, where he discovers what the future will be like if he turns to dark magic. After his whirlwind trips to the 4 realms, Tim must decide if becoming a magician is worth the price that he must pay. This was an okay story, but nothing really spectacular happens in it. It feels like nothing happens, really, except Tim keeps going from place to place meeting new people and seeing new things. I found that I didn't really care for Tim a whole lot and I certainly had no feelings for the 4 mysterious people who took him on his journeys, but maybe they are more developed in the next story. Anyway, I am sure that the fantastic trips that Tim takes look much better in the comic book story, but they do not do as well here in this novelization. I don't even really feel like it is the author's fault, necessarily, but with other books out there about teenage wizards (such as Harry Potter), this book really pales in comparison.
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