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Summary: Best Book Ever
Review: It's a great book about an orphan, Kim. She happens upon a "magic show" performed by Mairelon, and while he is busy doing the show, she tries to steal from him. He catches her and ends up teaching her what isn't just slight-of-hand tricks, but actual magic. It's a great alternate-earth book filled with adventure and excitement. I highly recommend it to all teens, because it is just one of those "great books."
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Summary: Something refreshingly new...
Review: Kim is a street thief asked to spy on a "frogmaker" down in the marketplace for a few coins. This casual job turns Kim's world upside down as she is swept away into a world of conspiracies, illusions, the London gentry, grouchy men, magic, and silverware worth more than it's weight in gold. This book was something refreshingly different, what with Kim blurting thieves' cant whenever she lost control. The cant is quite clever in itself, and if you read it, you can make connections between the language and origins of certain words. Or maybe that was just me. In any case, a great read that I'd thoroughly recommend.
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Summary: A most well-writen book.
Review: Loved this book. It was superb. Not being a Brit herself Wrede had an excellent use of cockney or thieves cant. I just adore the the characters. Everyone should read this book.
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Summary: Magic, Mayhem, and lots of laughter
Review: Mairelon is a travelling magician, Kim a street urchin/thief/procurer. She gets a job to 'look at' Mairelon's wagon, then gets caught in the act. Very leisurely paced, with lots of wandering round the countryside, MtM is quite good. Most of the characters are caricatures and laughable, but Kim, Mairelon, and a few others bring this up from a farce to a wonderful adventure. Comedy is the main thrust, with plot taking a second hand-which makes this one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read.
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Summary: Mairelon the Magician
Review: Mairelon the Magician comes into town. Kim doesn't think much of it, except that she likes to watch the magic shows. But then someone approaches her, offering her money to look inside the magicians tent to see if there is a certain bowl in there. Being a thief mostly taken for a boy, Kim agrees to this, though even for that amount of money she is not terribly happy about sneaking into a magicians tent. But she does. She finds the bowl, but when trying to open a magically locked chest, Kim is knocked unconscious. She is discovered, and soon agrees to go away with Mairelon - though she doesn't trust him, with him taking her along for nothing except information. But as they go along, Kim discovers more about this strange magician, and the plot he is tied up in.
A great book for people of all ages.
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Summary: WOW!!!!
Review: Oh my goodness. That was such a good book. I thought that the second book in this series was great (Magican's Ward)(I made the mistake of reading that one first)This book is so cool. If you like magic or are a Harry Potter fan you will love this book. There is absolutly no way that you can't.
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Summary: What just happened?
Review: Okay.. that was weird. Hurrah! Something not mideival! Great book, and I really loved the characters, especially Kim and Mairelon, but it was odd, especially the lodge scene. Even after everything was explained, it was still weird, and the surplus of characters didn't help at all. I'll guess it'll be better when I read it again. Why does everybody turn up everywhere at the same time? Patricia C. Wrede is almost flexing quantum mechanics! I'll give it to her though... she knows her accents. Searching for a dictionary through the entire first chapter and realizing none of the words were in it did not help at all...Reminds me a bit of "The Raven Ring" also by Ms. Wrede.. just slightly.
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Summary: A wonderful book
Review: Patricia C. Wrede has created a wonderful book with strong characters who aren't afraid to be themselves ans break a few rules in the process. Kim is a gem, an unforgettable character. The end was a little confusing, but then again I was trying to finish the book quickly and might not have been paying as close of attention to detail as I should have. I'd recomend reading this one before The Magicians Ward (I did the reverse), because it'll make more sense that way. Unfortunately this book is hard to find. Good luck searching.
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Summary: hilarious!
Review: Patricia C. Wrede has yet to write a boring book!
Mairelon the Magician tells of a street girl, Kim, who gets caught up in the adventures of Mairelon, a ridiculously funny wizard, and his cranky henchman, Hunch. They are trying to recover a stolen magical platter(yes, as in a big plate). Their biggest problem in doing this seem to be that half of the countryside thinks that Mairelon stole the platter himself, there are half-a-dozen OTHER interested parties ALSO trying to find it, someone may or may not be following Kim, and the platter has somehow ended up in the hands of a very affluent nobleman who is unaware of the many people who are interested in it. The book has an absolutley hilarious ending.
This is one of those rare gems that just about everyone will enjoy. I (a teenage girl) love it, and my dad got ahold of it and loved it also. The language may be a little boring for some young readers if they are not very advanced(although if you are a young reader and you are bothering to read this review, you will probably enjoy the book). It is not quite as down-right ridiculous as Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles. The humor here is a little dryer.
There is one book that follow this one: Magician's Ward. I personally like Magician's Ward even better, because it has a dash of romance.....but that's just me. I highly recommend Mairelon the Magician to anyone who wants a good book and a good laugh.
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Summary: Charming
Review: Recently brought back into print by Starscape books, "Mairelon the Magician" is a delightful Regency period fantasy by the author of the famous "Forest Chronicles." Though this book has a radically different setting and a very different manner, Wrede's style is quite recognizable. A "skinny toff" hires the street thief Kim to sneak into a street magician's wagon and look around for a silver platter. Kim, a teenage girl who disguises herself as a boy, is all too willing to do so for the grand sum of five pounds. But when a silent explosion hits her inside the wagon, Kim reluctantly is convinced that Mairelon the Magician's magic is real. Mairelon hears her story about the man who hired her, and then asks her to come along as his apprentice and assistant. Kim, with the less savory characters of London closing in, agrees quickly. She soon is told what the deal with the silver platter is: It is the Saltash Platter, a magical silver dish that a lot of people seem to want. She and Mairelon go on a secret expedition through the English countryside, where they find an ever-complicating mystery around the Platter. The wizard and the lock picker must unravel the mystery and find out who is responsible. It sounds dry and lackluster, but never is. Wrede sets the plot in a world quite like our own, but with a magic tinge, such as a mention of the Wizards' College, the attempts to get the Platter, and a real magician performing in the streets. However, she never overburdens the reader with her cleverness, as too many authors are prone to do. The plot is complex, but not overly so. And whenever it seems in danger of becoming too dry or serious, Wrede provides a humorous situation or line to lighten the mood. The humor is quite different than in the Forest Chronicles. It's drier, wittier, slightly older in tone: The verbal sparring between Mairelon, Kim and Hunch; Mairelon's frequent grammatical corrections; several fake Platters floating around; and a cluster of pseudo-druids who dump their hodgepodge rituals when they find that they don't have the "Sacred Dish." The dialogue is entirely realistic and filled with old London street slang, such as Kim informing someone that he is "bosky." Kim is an intriguingly tough heroine, with clear vision and a wish to get out of the streets where she has spent her life. Mairelon is witty and smart, but never strikes the reader as cocky or obnoxious. He's too pleasant for that. Hunch is crabby and perpetually suspicious, but somehow interesting anyway. The other supporting characters, in true Wrede style, range from menacing to mysterious to almost comical. Sadly, there is only one sequel to this fun fantasy. Fortunately, Starscape will be reprinting "Magician's Ward" later this year, so that more readers can enjoy further adventures in Wrede's magical Regency period. A delightful mystery/fantasy, and definitely worth the read.
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