Caspian's The Magician in the Attic was published by Elsewhen Press in June 2014 as an e-book. The paperback edition will published in August 2014. The Magician in the Attic is the first book of the Curlew Chronicles.
Information about Caspian:
Caspian is a thirty-something UK-based illusionist. His style of both writing and performing smacks of the classics with his own modern twist. Approaching twenty years in the magic and deception business led naturally to writing fiction with some deceptive twists and turns.
Originally from Bristol his work has taken him all over the world and he is always on the lookout for the next original idea for an illusion or a plot twist that hasn’t been done before. Outside of work his passions include his faith, steampunk and other Victorianisms, pool, movies and having a near full glass in a near empty bar.
Click here to visit the author's Facebook page.
Information about The Magician in the Attic:
For his fourteenth birthday Alexander Roebuck is delighted by the gift of a course of magic lessons. As they begin, the teacher reveals magic far beyond anything he dreamed possible. We join Alex on his quest as he uncovers the closely guarded arts of magic and the greatest mysteries of all: Who is this remarkable magician? Why has he chosen to give Alex the most extraordinary secrets of magic? What is he hiding about his shrouded past? The answers await as we follow Alex into the real world of illusion to meet its elusive keymaster...
The Magician in the Attic is the first of the Curlew Chronicles.
A REVIEW OF CASPIAN'S THE MAGICIAN IN THE ATTIC
Caspian's The Magician in the Attic was a nice surprise for me, because there was something charmingly old-fashioned and compelling about it. Although it's a modern novel, it's full of old-fashioned charm that many new novels lack nowadays. It draws the reader into a realistic world that's full of illusions and wonders. It keeps the reader glued to the pages until they've read the whole story. I can mention that it was worth staying up all night to finish readingthis novel, because it was a refreshingly different kind of a young adult novel.
The Magician in the Attic isn't your normal kind of young adult fantasy novel, because the author avoids using the most typical clichés associated with magic. I can imagine that it would've been quite easy for the author to write a story about a young magician who goes to a wizard academy or to a special school that has been especially designed for young magicians (this kind of approach to magic has unfortunately become one of the worst clichés in young adult fantasy novels). Fortunately the author has had more ambition and has chosen a totally different path, because he has concentrated on writing about what magicians do and how they make their tricks work. This is an original and ambitious approach to magic, because it's something different.
The story is a nice combination of mainstream fiction, young adult fiction, mystery elements, a tiny bit of magical realism and also a tiny bit of fantasy elements. All these elements can be found in this novel, but not in the expected and accustomed way, because illusions are what constitutes as fantasy and magic in this novel. Perhaps the best way to categorize this novel is to say that it's a fantastical contemporary novel without normal kind of magic.
In my opinion, a dash of the ageless magic of Enid Blyton's stories can be found in The Magician in the Attic. The story also contains a bit of the charming atmosphere found mostly in old young adult adventure stories, but everything is presented here in a modern way.
Here's information about the story:
The Magician in the Attic is a story about Alexander Roebuck who lives with his mother. He's a teenager who's interested in magic tricks and illusions. He's not aware that he's being watched, but he has come to the attention of a mysterious and legendary Francis Curlew. When Alex has his fourteenth birthday, he gets the gift of magic lessons at the Bergerac House. When he goes to the house and meets Francis Curlew, who begins to mentor him during secret meetings, his life begins to change. He gradually begins to master new tricks and learns to do new things...
Here's a bit of information about the characters:
- Alex is the protagonist of the story. He's a normal teenager who has his own problems, feelings and ambitions. He lives alone with his mother, Charlotte, because his parents are separated. His father, Jeffrey, has an accident and has to spend time in the hospital.
- Charlie is Alex's best friend. Charlie's sister, Rebecca (Bex), helps Alex in his magic shows. Both of them are fascinated by Alex's abilities to perform tricks.
- Francis Curlew is Alex's mysterious mentor who has his own secrets that he is reluctant to reveal to Alex before the time is right. He's a mysterious and secretive magician who only reveals bits and pieces about himself to Alex as they learn to trust each other.
Caspian writes well about what it means to want something badly and what it is like to be respected by others. He handles such issues as fame, friendship and family life in a fluent and believable way. He also writes surprisingly fluently about Alex's life and his relationship with his parents, Francis, Charlie and Rebecca.
Reading about Alex's gradually growing fame was intriguing. When Alex learns new magic tricks, his life begins to change, because people around him realize that he's a gifted magician. Soon he's on the verge of becoming a very famous young magician who can do amazing tricks and is able to surprise his audience. He has to decide what to do with his life and how to go forward.
In my opinion, Caspian has managed to write fascinatingly and convincingly about Alex's performances and tricks. The readers can't help but be fascinated by Alex's tricks. The more daring the tricks are, the more the readers will be fascinated by them.
Because the author has plenty of personal experiences about magic tricks and illusions, all the elements related to magic are described in a vivid and belieaveble way (his personal experiences have helped him to write realistically about magic and illusions). The author's love for magic and illusions can easily be seen in the story, because he writes lovingly and absorbingly about magic tricks.
It was nice to read about how everything was connected to each other in magic tricks from technique to the performance and why it was important to pay attention to certain things when performing on stage. Hmm... I think it's possible to say that magic - just like life - is a sum of different parts.
I enjoyed reading about how Alex learnt to do magic tricks and how he gained more confidence to perform his tricks. It was interesting to read how Francis made Alex swear that he'd never let anybody else know about how they do the tricks, because Alex had to resist the temptation to reveal what he knew. Alex also learnt things about the history of magic and illusions.
It was also interesting to read about how Alex prepared himself for the school production of Aladdin, because he played the Genie in it. His ideas were genuinely interesting and it was fun to read about what he did on the stage.
There are intriguing mystery elements in this novel. For example, Alex wonders who his mentor really is, why he lives a solitary life and why he's interested in mentoring him. I'm not going to reveal who the mysterious Francis Curlew really is and what secrets he has, but I can mention that certain secrets will be revealed to reader at the end of the story.
The author's prose is good and easy to read. I'm sure that younger readers will appreciate this kind of prose. Adults will also like this kind of prose, because this novel is a fast and enjoyable read. I*m sure that all readers will also appreciate the author's ability to move the story fast forward, because there are no boring chapters in this novel.
Although The Magician in the Attic is aimed at younger readers, it can be recommended to readers of all ages, because its contents will appeal to all who like to read about magic and illusions. It's rare to find this kind of novels that are suitable for young adults and adults alike. I'm sure that this novel will appeal to all readers regardless of their gender and age. All that you need to enjoy this novel is to have a child-like fascination with magic and an open mind about things related to illusions, because who wouldn't love reading about magic and illusions? I'm sure all of us are deep down interested in these things and want to read about them.
It's possible that some readers may argue that this novel is a bit simple when it comes to dealing with the characters and the relationships between different characters. It's true that these things are handled in a simple way, but that doesn't stop the reader enjoying the story, because this novel is a fascinating story about magic and illusions. Magic and illusions are the driving force behind the story, not the characters or the relationships.
Caspian seems to be a good and talented author, because he has dared to create a different kind of a young adult novel. It was a pleasure to read this novel, because it's difficult to find this kind of a fantastical novel that hardly has any magic in it, but still is a fantastical novel. I look forward to reading the sequel, because it'll be interesting to find out what happens next. The ending of this novel suggests that the next novel will be worth waiting for and more things and secrets will be revealed to the readers.
If you're looking for a new and interesting young adult novel to read, The Magician in the Attic is a good novel for you, because it's an entertaining novel. If you're interested - or ever have been interested - in magic tricks and illusions, I'm sure that you'll enjoy this novel very much.
My final words are: The Magician in the Attic is good and fascinating entertainment for readers of all ages! It's a good start to a new series.