Aeromancer | |||||
Don Callander | |||||
Ace Fantasy, 289 pages | |||||
A review by Todd Richmond
A cozy kitchen, a roomful of magicians and their familiars, walking
and talking kitchen accessories... Welcome to the fourth book
in Don Callander's Mancer series, Aeromancer.
The series began with Pyromancer, the tale of Douglas Brightglade's
introduction to the mysteries and secrets of wizardry in the discipline
of fire, and to his beautiful wife-to-be Myrn Manstar. In Aquamancer,
Douglas sets off alone on a Journey to investigate a Coven of
Black Witches, which is necessary for his promotion to Mastery.
He finds his Familiar, Marbleheart Sea Otter, on his journey and
in the end is rescued by his beloved, Myrn. Geomancer,
tells the tale of the Stone Warrior Tribe's curse, and the search
for a Geomancer by Douglas and his companions to break the curse.
Three years pass -- Douglas and Myrn are wed, have twins (one boy
and one girl), and everything is at peace. But now it is time
for Myrn's Journey. Aeromancer tells the tale of her Journey,
the next step in her progression to the Mastery of Aquamancy.
Myrn's task is find the Aeromancer Serenit, formerly the evil
Ice King Frigeon, now reformed and missing. Kidnapped and being
held against his will somewhere in the Nearer East, Myrn's must
Journey to find him. Accompanying her is a small gray flying horse,
who came to Wizards' High seeking aid. On her Journey, Myrn is
kidnapped herself and sold to a Sheik to serve as a wife for his
son. But never fear, it is all part of her plan. It doesn't prevent
Douglas from worrying however, as he follows his wife at a distance,
fearing for her safety. It turns out to be a good thing, because
after Myrn rescues Serenit, Douglas, Myrn and the rest of their
wizardly companions must deal with a Servant of Darkness. But,
never fear, their skills are sufficient for the task and they
all return home to celebrate the completion of Myrn's Journey.
Callander's Mancer series, and in fact, all of his
books, have a warm, cheerful feel to them. Though they follow
the eternal struggle of Light vs. Dark, Good vs. Evil, they are
still light, pleasant reading. Though they are not children's
books, they are ideal books to read to children, with talking
animals, animated kitchens and incredibly polite people, even
the villains. The villains are never very evil and the heroes
would always rather reform them rather than slay them. They are
the kind of books where, if a hero and a villain are fighting
and the villain drops his sword, the hero will bend down, pick
up the sword and return it to his opponent, so that they may continue.
There is still plenty here for adults, though.
Callander's vision of magic is not unique but it is well-done.
Wizards are rare, and specialize in one of the four elements:
earth, air, fire or water. They train new wizards via an apprenticeship
program, ensuring that only suitable people are given the powers
and responsibilities of being a wizard. The magic has a practical
nature as well, as is seen throughout his books. Too often in
other books, magic is treated as precious, used only for important
tasks. In the Mancer books, the wizards use magic
to cook their food, cloth themselves, and communicate with their
loved ones. That itself is different from many other fantasy novels
- wizards with families and friends. Too often wizards are treated
as solitary individuals, sacrificing their personal lives for
magical power. In Callander's books, it is possible to be a wizard
and a parent.
Callander's books are not for everyone. If you are looking for
high action, darkness and intrigue, you should look elsewhere.
But if enjoy light and cheerful fantasy, that leaves you with
a pleasant, warm feeling when you put down the book, pick up Pyromancer
and don't stop until you finish Aeromancer.
Todd is a plant molecular developmental biologist who has finally finished 23 years of formal education. He recently fled Madison, WI for the warmer but damper San Francisco Bay Area and likes bad movies, good science fiction, and role-playing games. He began reading science fiction at the age of eight, starting with Heinlein, Silverberg, and Tom Swift books, and has a great fondness for tongue-in-cheek fantasy àla Terry Pratchett, Craig Shaw Gardner and Robert Asprin. |
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