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onyxx's review against another edition
4.5
Świetna książka z ciekawym konceptem świata. Główny bohater - Nikodemus, to dyslektyk przez co mierzy się z wieloma problemami. Dwie przeciwstawne sobie przepowiednie i ciągle dywagacje, którą z nich można mu przypisać.
Autor nie boi się mocnych rozwiązań i często miło zasmakuje.
Polecam wszytskim, którym spodobał się "Babel" od R. Kuang i nie tylko!
Autor nie boi się mocnych rozwiązań i często miło zasmakuje.
Polecam wszytskim, którym spodobał się "Babel" od R. Kuang i nie tylko!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: War
astraia_sun's review against another edition
4.0
This was a hard book to rate. It took me several (and I mean several, like half a year several) weeks to get into it. Part of that was because I've been reading other books at the same time. But the major part why it didn't hold my attention is because of how incredibly technical the first half is. There's so many new words in this book that I felt my eyes crossing. It took a LOT of explaining to understand the magic system, and the book focused on it so much so that we could understand what happens in the second half. There were also some pacing issues (the book takes place over a few days, probably about 3 or 4, but the last twenty pages or so covers several months).
However, Charlton has an engaging writing style in spite of the overwhelming technical aspects. After I jumped over the hurdle of understanding the magic, the second half flew by and I found myself engrossed in the story. I especially liked Magister Shannon as a character. Unfortunately, I didn't feel very much chemistry between Nicodemus and Deirdre and I have a feeling that's where the series is going, considering she's the only "eligible" female character for him to have interest in (there aren't too many characters in this book, which isn't a bad thing).
I almost gave this book 3 stars, because of the problems I Had, but when I realized I really wanted to find out what happens in the series and I want to know more about Nicodemus' choices, I had to bump it up to four. I will most certainly look for Spellbound next time I'm at the library or the book store.
However, Charlton has an engaging writing style in spite of the overwhelming technical aspects. After I jumped over the hurdle of understanding the magic, the second half flew by and I found myself engrossed in the story. I especially liked Magister Shannon as a character. Unfortunately, I didn't feel very much chemistry between Nicodemus and Deirdre and I have a feeling that's where the series is going, considering she's the only "eligible" female character for him to have interest in (there aren't too many characters in this book, which isn't a bad thing).
I almost gave this book 3 stars, because of the problems I Had, but when I realized I really wanted to find out what happens in the series and I want to know more about Nicodemus' choices, I had to bump it up to four. I will most certainly look for Spellbound next time I'm at the library or the book store.
jordangadapee's review against another edition
3.0
If you read this book, you're officially a nerd.
Spellwright was in mostly what I expected –- A typical fantasy with plenty of spells, swords, and dragons to satisfy my fantasy itch. The concept for the novel and system of magic devised for the world were unexpected and downright cool.
I could have easily give this book either 2 or 4 stars. I debated on giving the book 2 stars for the strange pacing of the novel - in which Nicodemous seems to gain magic power all too quickly. On the other hand, I wanted to give the book 4 stars for the wizards with "disabilities" idea that the novel is based on. Also four stars, i love the typographic imagery created by the magic system.
Spellwright was in mostly what I expected –- A typical fantasy with plenty of spells, swords, and dragons to satisfy my fantasy itch. The concept for the novel and system of magic devised for the world were unexpected and downright cool.
I could have easily give this book either 2 or 4 stars. I debated on giving the book 2 stars for the strange pacing of the novel - in which Nicodemous seems to gain magic power all too quickly. On the other hand, I wanted to give the book 4 stars for the wizards with "disabilities" idea that the novel is based on. Also four stars, i love the typographic imagery created by the magic system.
rollforlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
The author bio in Spellwright explains that Blake Charlton was severely dyslexic as a child. That perspective is evident in the magic system in this novel - wizards, druids, gods and other wielders of magic use a variety of languages to write their magic. Magic users are authors, to subdue their ability is censoring and those who cannot use magic are illiterate. Nicodemus, the main character, is an apprentice wizard held back by a disability that affects his interactions with magic - cacography, which is essentially a magical form of dyslexia. He cannot spell his spells correctly, has difficulty distinguishing similar words from each other and spells and magic objects that he touches develop misspellings that cause anything from eccentric behaviour to catastrophic failure.
The original magic system is at the heart of what I loved about this book though it was generally enjoyable. A number of other elements of the story are very well-worn cliches, but they're executed decently enough so it's not a problem.
The original magic system is at the heart of what I loved about this book though it was generally enjoyable. A number of other elements of the story are very well-worn cliches, but they're executed decently enough so it's not a problem.
rollforlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
I recently read the first book, Spellwright which was seriously impressive. This was still a good book - it opened very strongly and was rather hard to put down, but it didn't quite have the edge the first did. Also, naturally, something stated to be impossible inevitably happens.
wulvaine's review against another edition
4.0
Spellwright is a very strong debut, but it does have a few markings that identify it clearly as a first novel. Blake Charlton has a great writer in him, and he writes well, but he has a tendency to lean just a bit too hard on expository dialogue, and occasionally sets up moments of unnecessary repetition (when something a reader knows is re-explained, albeit briefly, to a character in the dark). There's also a bit of a problem with the final chapters of the book. The story builds nicely to the climax, however, the wind-down takes just a bit too long with too little happening. It's clearly setup for the sequel and other future books in the series, but it feels like it could have used a bit of trimming, since the momentum of the main plot of THIS book has already been used up.
That being said, I enjoyed the hell out of this story. Charlton's ideas are wonderfully creative, and the magic system and its quirks (rooted in his own experiences with dyslexia) are very, very cool and satisfying to read about. The characters are strong, and the setting is excellent. It's a simple setting, and one that doesn't deviate too far from fantasy traditions, but the nature of the world's magic is well-developed, and its impact on the world's cultures is clear and carried out to logical conclusions. Even the familiar doesn't feel trite or cliched, because it's all used very well.
I look forward to keeping up with this series. Charlton has something great going here, and I think experience will help him iron out the few minor issues.
That being said, I enjoyed the hell out of this story. Charlton's ideas are wonderfully creative, and the magic system and its quirks (rooted in his own experiences with dyslexia) are very, very cool and satisfying to read about. The characters are strong, and the setting is excellent. It's a simple setting, and one that doesn't deviate too far from fantasy traditions, but the nature of the world's magic is well-developed, and its impact on the world's cultures is clear and carried out to logical conclusions. Even the familiar doesn't feel trite or cliched, because it's all used very well.
I look forward to keeping up with this series. Charlton has something great going here, and I think experience will help him iron out the few minor issues.
eiie's review against another edition
5.0
Amazingly wrought! This novel is a linguist's playground. Both mentally engaging and with enough action to ensnare one's sense of story.
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
My Thoughts:
What was great about this book was that Nicodemus was "dyslectic". When he tried to write his magic he misspelled and the spells often become something else. This is called cacography and those who are afflicted are thought as broken and also dangerous since their magic can be out of control. The author used own experiences as he is dyslectic and created a wonderful tale about a wizard who can't write spells. It certainly brings that something extra to this book, the hero has flaws, and it's something we do know about. It is great to see a hero with a disability, and a hero who tries to work through it.
The other great thing is the magic in this world. They use spells and write them on their arms and let them take form. Magic in this world is made up from words, prose, sentences, and in the end it's words that can harm you. There are linguist and grammarians, and all in all, a believable magical system that leaves in impression on you.
The characters are well rounded. There is Nicodemus who most of all wants to spell, and not cause chaos. Then there is his master Shannon who is the old clever magician of the story. Another character that is memorable is Simple John, a cacographer who can say only 3 words. His handicap is a lot bigger, but Nicodemus still feel they are the same. That is always a good quality in a hero.
The story becomes something more too. Evil demons wants to cross the sea and a final battle is to come. There is talk about a saviour who will wield powerful magic to save humans. There are fights between countries and different magical schools do not trust each other. And there is the enigma of the ones that walked the continent before them. The ones that Nicodemus people killed. The theme of the conqueror that gets rid of those that already live there. An interesting world, and a story that promises more.
Recommendation and final thoughts:
New and refreshing systems of magic are always fun to come across and Charlton manages with this. He also creates a hero that is different from other ones out there. I enjoyed this book, and I am looking forward to book 2 and finding out what will happen.
Reason for reading:
Sounded good
Cover:
Nice
andrewliptak's review against another edition
4.0
Blake Charlton‘s Spellwright is a fantastic, entertaining entry into the genre that has been fairly well received throughout the lit world, and for good reason. Charlton has put together a wholly original fantasy novel, changing up a couple of familiar elements, then replacing them in a familiar environment and letting the story go from there.
The story’s plot is probably the weak point in the entire package, but to be very honest, that’s something that I’m more than fine with – the fantasy story of a learner in school, guided by a mentor is something that’s a pretty resilient story, and its something that works well between different books and authors. Spellwright is no copy of Harry Potter, but the similarities in setting would most likely appeal to a lot of people out there. With the opening of the book, a wizard is murdered during a Convocation in Starhaven, a wizard stronghold, setting Nicodemus Weal and his master, Magister Shannon, into a story that has been orchestrated by ancient forces, bent on returning to power. Nicodemus had been thought to be a sort of savior magician, for is abilities as a spell caster. The only issue was that he was afflicted by an inability to spell – Cacography, which makes him dangerous. As Nicodemus’s friends are targeted by the killer, he has to uncover the motives behind the murderer, and the prophecy behind him.
There are a couple of elements that really impressed me with this read, primarily the world-building, and Charlton’s use of his own personal experiences as subject matter for this book. In this world, Cacography is akin to dyslexia, which Charlton himself is afflicted with, and in a couple of recent interviews, he’s talked about how that affected him, and how fantasy literature gave him a sort of path and direction to take. There’s a real amount of attention paid here to words, and the magical system that has been invented here is really fantastic, almost like a sort of programming language for magicians. Here, words have power, but like any set of directions, the spells and abilities of magicians depend upon the correct components in order to get the right effect. It makes quite a bit of sense, and it gives Spellwright a very different feel throughout, which sets it apart from similar books.
In particular, Nicodemus as the central character, proves to be an interesting protagonist, as someone who’s suffering from a disability, especially when considering how Charlton’s magical system has been set up: words, sentences, paragraphs and prose make up the magical effects, and it’s quite something to imagine being attacked by words themselves, or imagining the core of existence essentially complicated magic composed of words. The end result, especially for someone who loves books, is thrilling to read about.
The book isn’t perfect – there’s a little too much repetition, and the last couple of chapters seem like they’ve been dropped in, with too much showing over telling, but that doesn’t really detract from the rest of the book. By the end, it seemed as if I had read through a six hundred word book, rather than a three hundred page book, and at the end, I felt that I wanted quite a lot more out of this world. Spellwright, in a way, is a bit of a tease, considering the world and history that has been set up for it.
This is the other major aspect in which Spellwight shines brightly: the world has been pretty well conceived, with a background history, traditions, societies and magical environment. But, while these sorts of things are good, what’s better is that this background information is directly used and impacts the story as a whole, turning it from pretty scenery into a plot point, which is very good for a novel like this, and it more than makes up for the issues that I do have with the book.
I’m very eagerly awaiting for the next installment in the larger story – Charlton’s hard at work on book number 2, and that will certainly be something to look out for.
The story’s plot is probably the weak point in the entire package, but to be very honest, that’s something that I’m more than fine with – the fantasy story of a learner in school, guided by a mentor is something that’s a pretty resilient story, and its something that works well between different books and authors. Spellwright is no copy of Harry Potter, but the similarities in setting would most likely appeal to a lot of people out there. With the opening of the book, a wizard is murdered during a Convocation in Starhaven, a wizard stronghold, setting Nicodemus Weal and his master, Magister Shannon, into a story that has been orchestrated by ancient forces, bent on returning to power. Nicodemus had been thought to be a sort of savior magician, for is abilities as a spell caster. The only issue was that he was afflicted by an inability to spell – Cacography, which makes him dangerous. As Nicodemus’s friends are targeted by the killer, he has to uncover the motives behind the murderer, and the prophecy behind him.
There are a couple of elements that really impressed me with this read, primarily the world-building, and Charlton’s use of his own personal experiences as subject matter for this book. In this world, Cacography is akin to dyslexia, which Charlton himself is afflicted with, and in a couple of recent interviews, he’s talked about how that affected him, and how fantasy literature gave him a sort of path and direction to take. There’s a real amount of attention paid here to words, and the magical system that has been invented here is really fantastic, almost like a sort of programming language for magicians. Here, words have power, but like any set of directions, the spells and abilities of magicians depend upon the correct components in order to get the right effect. It makes quite a bit of sense, and it gives Spellwright a very different feel throughout, which sets it apart from similar books.
In particular, Nicodemus as the central character, proves to be an interesting protagonist, as someone who’s suffering from a disability, especially when considering how Charlton’s magical system has been set up: words, sentences, paragraphs and prose make up the magical effects, and it’s quite something to imagine being attacked by words themselves, or imagining the core of existence essentially complicated magic composed of words. The end result, especially for someone who loves books, is thrilling to read about.
The book isn’t perfect – there’s a little too much repetition, and the last couple of chapters seem like they’ve been dropped in, with too much showing over telling, but that doesn’t really detract from the rest of the book. By the end, it seemed as if I had read through a six hundred word book, rather than a three hundred page book, and at the end, I felt that I wanted quite a lot more out of this world. Spellwright, in a way, is a bit of a tease, considering the world and history that has been set up for it.
This is the other major aspect in which Spellwight shines brightly: the world has been pretty well conceived, with a background history, traditions, societies and magical environment. But, while these sorts of things are good, what’s better is that this background information is directly used and impacts the story as a whole, turning it from pretty scenery into a plot point, which is very good for a novel like this, and it more than makes up for the issues that I do have with the book.
I’m very eagerly awaiting for the next installment in the larger story – Charlton’s hard at work on book number 2, and that will certainly be something to look out for.