Sunday, September 10, 2017

‘Schooled in Magic’ by Christopher G. Nuttall

Book cover, 'Schooled in Magic' by Christopher G. Nuttall. Beige-skinned, red-haired woman stands before an open book, gazing with a wondering expression at an orb of green light that is manifesting between the fingers of her hands. A hooded and robed figure stands behind her with a menacing expression on its face.
I’m a long-time enthusiast for fantasy, especially with female protagonists.

Schooled in Magic by Christopher G. Nuttall (Twilight Times Books, 2014) brings Emily, a girl from our modern world, into a world of magic, based on an interpretation by an evil sorcerer’s minions of a prophesied “Child of Destiny.”

Once arrived in this world, and rescued from the evil sorcerer by an enigmatic wizard named Void, Emily finds herself enrolled in a school for magicians.

An ongoing premise concerns the “modern” conveniences that Emily wishes she could have brought with her, including some ideas that she manages to introduce among this new world’s populace. These passages inspire taking a fresh look at conveniences often taken for granted.

As a library worker, I appreciated the value Emily places on effective cataloging. (While struggling to locate the books she needs within the magic school’s library, Emily wonders if she could import organization of materials by the Dewey or Library of Congress systems).

Given the school setting, comparisons with Harry Potter seem inevitable, but these are older protagonists, already in their teens, and their world is further shaped by the complex politics of co-existing kingdoms who all send their children to this school.

I’m looking forward to further installments in Christopher G. Nuttall’s series, and recommend it to young adults who grew up with the Harry Potter books. Given the school-setting, this seems a natural bridge to encourage those readers to explore another writer’s work.

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