Book Review: Apprentice Storm Mage by Douglas Van Dyke Jr.
Disclaimer: I received this book in an author giveaway for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was requested or received.
Thomena is thirteen, an apprentice mage at the Brotherhood of the Circles Mages Guild. She’s very gifted, and is doing well with water and wind spells. Her primary teacher, Master Jonah, thinks she has the potential to be a weather-warping storm mage. Thomena’s not so sure about that. She wants to move on to the exciting fire spells, but is a year too young for the Guild to allow that.
However, her masters think Thomena is ready for a work-study assignment that will show if she has what it takes for an accelerated program. She’s to assist the city’s firefighting vigiles, casting protective spells on their rescue workers. As it happens, Orlaun is having a particularly hot and dry summer, with a higher than usual number of fires. It’s gotten to the point where the vigiles are willing to try something new.
Company Kay goes into action the moment Thomena arrives, and she acquits herself well for a rookie, though it’s obvious to her that she has much to learn. She also spots a clue that suggests this fire was no accident, but deliberately set.
Thomena throws herself into training to become a proper support mage for the brave smoke-eaters, learning the skills and acquiring the tools to be better at her temporary job. And she’s going to need every ounce of her skill and courage as the fires get larger and deadlier. And what of the arsonist? Will that person or creature need to be personally confronted? Of course they will.
This book takes place on the fantasy world of Dhea Loral, some six years before the previously-reviewed Pilgrims with Blades. (There’s no direct connection in this story.) It’s a short novel, aimed at the middle-school audience.
Thomena is a very responsible person for her age, always trying to do better, and leaning heavily on the precepts of her good-aligned religious faith. (It’s a plot point that she’s not a priest and can’t access clerical magic.) She’s stubborn and sometimes lets her honesty be a fault even though it’s usually her strongest point. About halfway through, Thomena has to face serious loss and failure for the first time. Oh, and though it’s not really important in this first volume, she’s from another country where they have slightly different customs than Orlaun, and has a bit of an accent (saying “nay” for “no.”)
The supporting characters are less developed: teachers, her friend group, and the vigiles she gets to know best. This makes the mystery easy to guess for experienced readers.
There’s an explanation of the calendar and major religions of Dhea Loral in the back. The setting started as the author’s homebrew fantasy gaming world and that’s pretty obvious.
The exposition is smoother than in Pilgrims; it helps to have a rookie protagonist.
Content note: The firefighters can’t save everyone, and several citizens (probably including children) die, and one of the important supporting characters is also killed. This takes place off-stage so should be okay for the target age group. Parents and guardians of younger readers may want to talk to them about fire safety.
This is a readable story with a likable protagonist and a bit of suspense. Recommended primarily for tweens who enjoy fantasy stories.
