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A review by wulvaine
Spellwright by Blake Charlton
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.