An entertaining, if slow-paced, fantasy novel. The majority of the novel is focused on the protagonist's coming of age, but the action picks up near the end as otherworldly forces come into play. Looking forward to reading the sequel! ( )

A coming of age story between a father and son, with a thick fantasy theme background. The characters are well developed and show great personality in times of romance, loss and excitement.

Dragons are the first image that I think of when I hear the word wizards, but unfortunately there were no such characters in this book. Not that it made it any less exciting and mythical. There may not be any fire breathing dragons, or life altering momentous jousting fights, I still found it quite an interesting read with its coming of age tale between the Wizard and his son as he becomes of age into a lifestyle he never thought he would find himself in.

The Wizards son did not know he was the wizards son or that his future held training and preparation for a life he never saw in his future.

The theme and the book plot was not as entertaining as the characters themselves. I was not as interested in finding out the end of the story, but I was more invested in the characters themselves to find out what was going to happen between them.

I give this book a rating of 3/5 ( )

Although this book appears to be a Fantasy novel, it is more along the lines of a coming of age story about the relationship between a father and son. I enjoyed the fact that this book takes place in a alternate earth, but expected more wizard interactions. I actually did enjoy reading "The Wizards Son", although I first had to get away from my expectations of something along the lines of Raymond Fiest. I would recommend this book to those who are looking for a different outlook on the old parent/children conflicts. ( )

The British folktale of Childe Rowland has had a lasting influence on English literature. The youngest of three brothers, Rowland has to rescue his sister and his elder brothers from the King of Elfland following Elen's disappearance, Persephone-like, chasing a ball. With an enchanted sword he manages to track the King to his enchanted castle (also known as the Dark Tower) and defeat him. A few lines from a ballad ("Childe Rowland to the Dark Tower came...") re-appeared in Shakespeare's King Lear, the narrative also furnishing the plot to John Milton's Comus and becoming the inspiration for Browning's famous poem, and finally in the 21st century the elements of plot, name and relationships re-appear, I believe, in Ramage's The Wizard's Son to help elucidate what is otherwise a very puzzling story.

Young Orlan (related to the name Orlando, the Italian form of Rowland) is, on the death of his mother, brought up by a nurse called Ellan as heir to his natural father, the wizard Lord Redmantyl, in a castle called Wizardes Cliff. Here, as Chyelde Orlan, he in due course becomes an apprentice wizard to his father due to his innate magical abilities, learning, for example, how to create and control a magical orb. These elements, along with Orlan's connection with the young woman Alen, have clear echoes of the Childe Roland chante-fable. The general direction of the plot too points to conflict with and challenges to his father, the equivalent of the King of Elfland of the folktale, along with sibling rivalry over his younger foster brother Andemyon, rather as Roland seeks to succeed in rescuing Elen where his brothers did not.

Noting at some length the parallels with Childe Roland (and there are other links with folktale motifs, such as the Sorcerer's Apprentice and the Prodigal Son) seems to me important in trying to make sense of The Wizard's Son. On the face of it, this narrative strand of applied magics is almost incidental to the human tale of a troubled young man who wants to know the truth about his origins, wants to experience and experiment with life while resisting parental constraints, and acts at times as wilfully as any spoilt brat. Knowing that this novel is part of a series and that there is more to be revealed makes it easier to complete this heavy-on-details story of what can be at times an unsympathetic protagonist.

Another pleasing aspect of Ramage's book is the creation of an alternate history of the Western World, one where events have diverged from our history at some point soon after the Norman conquest of England but where magic is a given. The action is set on a barely recognisable Long Island in a 20th century where medieval European customs, beliefs and technologies still hold sway, but with some differences: women, for example, seem to have more equality than their counterparts in the High Middle Ages of our world. I'm not sure that, even with the reactionary Church and State apparatus that Orlan's 20th century is subject to, polities and scientific developments would remain so unevolved, but with someone of Ramage's academic background there is nevertheless the detailed and informed effort that has gone into the imaginative re-creation of chronology, manners and language (the use of the genitive singular in placenames, for instance) to project a consistent view of Orlan's world which I find both impressive and compelling. However, I regret that the map provided is less than useful in pinpointing locations, especially those mentioned but not marked, and in lacking scale and clarity it scarcely adds anything to what a careful reader can't already glean from the text.

There is no doubting that Ramage has achieved a believeable universe where magic is real even if of secondary consideration, and there is absolutely no question that she has successfully peopled this universe with credible if flawed human beings. There is a strong sense, though, that there are unresolved threads which, one must guess, will be picked up and followed in sequels (or even prequels). I'm looking forward to reading them and immersing myself in Redmantyl's world of the Northlands again.

* Complimentary review copy
http://wp.me/2oNj1-wizard ( )

When I was to receive my copy of Storylandia 2 from the Wapshott Press, I was asked if I would like any other books by that publisher to review. After taking a quick peek at their list of offerings, I selected The Wizard's Son, which sounded the most up my alley. Since I was under no strong obligation to review this book in a timely manner, it sat at the semi-bottom (atop my own book), for me to read when I finally got to it. And got to it I did.

Coming into TWS, I was somewhat jaded by Storylandia 2, which, if you've read my review for it, led me to believe that I would get more of the same (about 5 times more, due to page length). I was wary. However, I was wrong! I certainly hope that TWS is more representative of Wapshott's standard fare than is SL2. I hope so indeed.

To put it bluntly: this book was surprisingly good. It wasn't GREAT, but it was still good.

Set in an alternate history, between the 1930s and 1950s, we are introduced to the child Orlan, recently orphaned, or so he thinks, until he meets his long-lost Wizard dad. And not just any wizard! This guy's the top wizard. Orlan lives with him and becomes his apprentice, but feels that he is not fit for wizardry, as it is a cruel life devoid of human emotions and sympathies, full of war and aggression, and all that rot. So he rebels.

While the story could be considered fantasy, magic plays a very small role in this book. It reads more like a coming of age, or a Bildungsroman, than it does a book about wizards. So, if you go into it expecting ferocious wizard battles with a lot of Latin-y-sounding words, then you'll be disappointed. But if you read it as a book, a sort of prodigal son book, then you may just find it to be enjoyable.

I felt that the book fell short of its true potential, and at times, I strongly disliked the protagonist (for the same reason young Anakin Skywalker is so irritating), but in the end, I felt that the time spent reading the book was not wasted, and was actually well spent. ( )