Magic & Malice

Magic & Malice  by Patricia C Wrede

Hardcover: 420 pages
Publisher: SFBC Fantasy; SF Book Club edition (1998)
ISBN-10: 156865684X

 

If you wish to read this book as a hardback you will have to find a used copy.

The book is a combination of two books that Ms Wrede has written: Mairelon the Magician and Magician's Ward.  I will post them as two individual posts.

I just finished reading the first part of the book: Mairelon the Magician.

As a paper back:

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Starscape (April 15, 2002)
ISBN-10: 0765342324

From School Library Journal

YA-- This historical fantasy borrows many of the conventions of the historical romance to create a frothy tale that should appeal to a broader audience than would a straightforward fantasy, romance, or historical novel. Kim is surviving the streets of some London in never-never land by disguising herself as a boy and working at the least objectionable and illegal tasks offered to her. She knows that her age is bringing her masquerade to an end, so when fortune throws the mysterious, but apparently honorable, Mairelon in her path with the offer of a job and a destination, she takes the opportunity. From this point, the plot plunges headlong into a convoluted story involving magic, disguised noblemen, sacred vessels, and a ``put all the subjects in the same room and we'll solve this mystery'' conclusion. Trying to stay one guess ahead of Kim and one behind the dashing Mairelon will keep the pages turning. Although Kim is a somewhat vague conception, Mairelon qualifies as a fully realized romantic hero.

I quite enjoyed the first of the two books joined in this hardback version.  I have read other books by Patricia C Wrede and enjoyed them so when I found this older book I thought I'd give it a go.

As it turns out it's a bit of a mystery surrounded by magicians and magical artifacts , truths and lies... not a bad combination.

I did have a little difficulty though (not enough to make me put it down lol).. first off I found it had a bit many characters to try to remember them all and how they connected or didn't connect.. but I plowed on..

Then there was the fact of some of the language used.. "blimey, it ain't easy!" (my own quote heh)

There were words such as:  "I ain't no flat" (flat? huh? ), or "you're bosky"(bosky?).  How about "gammoning the cull"? (uh gammoning? cull?), or "Bilking old Tom out of a tog and kicks" (tog & kicks?? lord help me!)

But no matter, I found quickly that if I kept reading I got the idea of what was being said, and although at times I thought I was reading a foreign language.. oh wait.. I was! heh.  I did enjoy the story very much.

Mairelon the magician was a pretty neat character of which you don't learn "all" about him until the very end!

Kim, the young girl thief passing herself off as a boy was interesting too.. once again you find out some surprises at the end about Kim too!

Amazons review is quite good although I'm not sure I would list Mairelon as a "romantic hero"??.. guess you should read it for yourself and find out !