Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe - Hardcover

Ward, James M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0765312530 ISBN 13: 9780765312532

Publisher: Tor Books, 2005

Synopsis

Halcyon Blithe, being a young man of good breeding and lineage as well as endowed with those qualities and abilities of a sorcerous nature and wishing to fulfill his full potential, is ready to assume his proper place in the world. He aims to seek his fortune among those who tend and sail the awesome nautical juggernauts-the dragonships. With this is mind, Blithe gladly accepts his rank as Midshipwizard and becomes a member of the crew who man the dragonships-vessels which harness the bodies and strength of living dragons with seafaring technology.

Combining elements of Hornblower with Harry Potter, and Robert Louis Stevenson with Robin Hobb, Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe is a nautical tale rich in magic and intrigue. A tale set against a panorama of fantastic naval battle as we follow the career of a young midshipwizard as he moves up through the ranks of His Majesty's Navy.

About this title

About the Author

James Ward is both an award-winning and bestselling designer of games and author of gaming fiction. He lives in Elkhorn, WI.

Reviews

Adult/High School–Halcyon Blithe is descended from a line of successful, magic-wielding officers in the Arcanian navy. At 16, he grows into his own magical powers and enters the service to find a world filled with high expectations for him. His first assignment is that of Midshipwizard, a junior officer aboard the Sanguine, a speedy war vessel with decks and sails built onto the back of a sea dragon. Training sessions comprise a good half of the book. From fencing to feeding the dragon, they are designed to teach Blithe different aspects of life and warfare on the high seas. He displays an unusual level of natural abilities, but overconfidence and gaps in his experience make it difficult for him to perform as well as his superiors would like. While the sessions do carry on a little too long, they give readers a chance to meet the crew members. When it becomes clear that one of them is a saboteur, the situation is made all the more dangerous in battle with ships from the evil Maleen Empire. Although the novel is a fairly predictable fantasy adventure at its core, the nautical elements make it just different enough for readers a little bored with the typical fantasy to enjoy it.–Matthew L. Moffett, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hogwarts goes to sea in Ward's workmanlike fantasy debut. Setting off from the land of Arcania, 12- and 13-year-old aspiring wizards learn how to sail a vessel affixed to the back of a huge sea-dragon and to battle the nasty shape-changers of the enemy Maleen. At 16, the book's hero, Halcyon, is nearly an old man, though he gives no thought to age, while the skipper calls every member of the crew, male and female alike, his "men." There's no romance and the main action focuses on Halcyon's efforts to overcome the threats of a court-martial and an unknown villain whose weird identity is saved for the climax. Ward's eager if plodding midshipwizards are unlikely to unseat Harry Potter, but they do come across as appealing and credible young teens, the novel's obvious audience.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Young Halcyon Blithe was unable to go to sea as a "salt horse" (i.e., line) officer. So he fulfilled his dream by joining what might be called the wizarding branch of the service. For ships of the line, at least, are literally dragon-ships, constructed on the backs of magically manipulated dragons. Spells fire the weapons large and small, and when it's time to take in sail, a chantey-spell (reproduced in full) is employed. Hence, wizards are needed. If Ward's fancy isn't to everyone's taste, neither was Robin Hobb's magisterial Liveship Saga, which yet pleased to perfection those possessing the taste for nautical magic. If you don't recoil in horror from mixing Age of Sail adventure and YA fantasy, you may quite enjoy it. Ward is clearly familiar with both genres--and good acquaintance with disparate genres is far from universal among those who try to combine any two such--even if one suspects good editing, too, in the way potential lumps have been smoothed out. Recommended wherever nautomaniacs^B peruse the fantasy shelves. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Tor Books
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0765312530
• ISBN 13: 9780765312532
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288