A very elusive book, The Serpent's Egg is also a rare delight to all who may find it. Stevermer has filled this book with a mysterious object called The Serpent's Egg with strange powers, a murdered hero, an evil duke, and a group of conspirators trying to warn the queen against the duke. Throw in excellent, quirky characters, some good old fashioned swashbuckling, a good handful of letters and sonnets, and a twisting plot...Highly recommended. Also try Stevermer and Wrede's Sorcery and Cecelia, and Stevermer's A College of Magics for more quasi-historical fantasy.

In a world just slightly different than Jane Austen's society, we meet two extraordinary young women, Cecelia and Katherine. Katherine is having her Season in London...and what an exciting one it turns out to be! Meanwhile, back home, Cecelia's having a rather intersting time, too. Cecy and Kate encounter malevolent wizards, an *enchantingly* (if you get my drift) beautiful girl with whom every eligible (or not) young man is falling in love, two singularly odious young men...and a very peculiar chocolate pot. Throw this in with a nice number of parties, spells, and detail to the historical time period, add some witty humor and enjoy! A light, fun book to read. If you like this quasi-historical fiction, also try Wrede's Mairelon the Magician, the sequel, Magician's Ward and Stevermer's The Serpent's Egg and A College of Magics.

Okay, here's another book that I snagged off the shelf for its gorgeous cover. I loved the idea of an enchanted chocolate pot and perhaps was even more overjoyed to find that it was written by two of my favorite authors, (Wrede, of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, and Stevermer, of A College of Magics.) and horrified that I hadn't read it before, as this was simply a republication of the original, published in 1987!

Already holding high expectations from the book, I was suprised when it started out slow. Used to the fast paced Harry Potter or the action-to-the-minute Enchanted Forest Chronicles, it took me a few chapters to really connect with the characters.

Written in letter form between two cousins, Kate and Cecelia, the book takes place in an alternate (magical) universe in England 1817. The two are well-born girls; Kate is off having a Season in London while Cecelia stays at home in the country. Kate feels pushed aside by her beautiful sister Georgina; Cecelia is put out by not being allowed a Season of her own.

But the plot soon picks up as the two girls' stories intertwine. In the country, ordinary Dorothea becomes irresistable to all men. Clever Cecelia befriends her and starts to unwind the mystery behind the weird attraction. Meanwhile, in London, Kate is almost poisoned by an "old" lady in a garden and befriends an "odious" Marquis to whom the retrieval of the the Enchanted Chocolate Pot is quite important.

The language and the magic in the book speak for themselves; I was completely drawn into this unique world. The intrigue and mystery were believable and definitely kept me turning pages. Kate and Cecelia's letters are witty and funny as they dabble in sorcery and try to save the Marquis of Shofield and themselves from the clutches of the estranged sorcerers Lady Miranda and Sir Hilary.

So...I would definitely reccommend this novel. IT WAS FABULOUS! This review really doesn't do the book justice. YOU HAVE TO READ IT! If you have any respect for fantasy novels, you simply must purshase this book. Consider making it a part of your permanent library. (You'll be wanting to read it again, I promise!)

Happy Reading! And watch for a its sequel, The Grand Tour, which might be out this summer!

This book is really hard to find but well worth the find (or the additional price). It takes place during regency England (think Jane Austen) but magic is something that is quite normal. The two main characters - Kate and Cecelia - write letters back and forth to one another (Kate is in London while Cecelia is back home). They discover something sinister going on and through their combined efforts find themselves involved right in the middle of things. After reading the book (which was absolutely wonderful - I read it in one evening!), I read the authors' note at the back. The two authors actually never intended for this to be published as a book. They were just playing the "Letter Game" where they each have a character and write letters back and forth as those characters. The plot is never discussed and it is only through the letter just received that the other person discovers how it is moving forward. When they finished their "Game" they realized that they actually did have a book. They tidied up a few things and sent it off to their publisher, who delightfully published it. What a wonderful way to write a book - and especially such a good book.

Having just read the delightful but incredibly difficult to find "Sorcery and Cecelia," which Caroline Stevermer co-wrote with Patricia Wrede ("Mairelon the Magician;" "Magician's Ward"), I was eager to read more by this author. Imagine my joy, then, when I learnt that Ms. Stevermer had written another book in the fascinating sub-genre of Historical Fantasy.

While "Sorcery and Cecelia" is set in 1817 Regency England, "A College of Magics" catapults us a hundred years further, to approximately 1908 in Edwardian Europe. The story follows Faris, the young Dutchess of Galazon (which, one presumes, is supposed to be located somewhere east of Austria and west of Romania) as she spends three years at Greenlaw University before returning to reclaim her place in politics. The catch? She's just found out that she's the Warden of the North - and that she must mend the rift her grandmother made in the fabric of this reality.

Ms. Stevermer writes in a language much akin to the literature of the time (cf. E. M. Forster, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, etc.) - complete with random moments of insight, liberally strewn metaphysical poetry, snips and snatches of song and culture, and occasional forays into the world of subconscious or "sensation" writing. However, perhaps because of this attention to the time period, perhaps for some other reason, the story suffers several major flaws:

The plot is rather dreamlike and...strange. Often new plot lines will be introduced without explanation or reason - and then just as quickly dropped. The Wardens of the World are explained only in their existence but never fully in their capacity. Characters are introduced, given a place of prominence, and dropped after a few chapters. Places are never given an exact location except by general reference (with the exception of their time in Paris). And the ending debacle is so surrealistic that one can hardly make hide nor hair of how Faris ascended the stair, or how she closed the rift, or very much of anything. The closing is also unsatisfactory, with no "happily ever after" but a sort of vague continuing that feels as though it ought to be significant.

Again, one must commend Ms. Stevermer in her ability to so replicate the disjointedness of Eduardian literature - the attempt to show life as it is and not as it ought to be - however the result is a strangely concocted novel that never quite comes together as a whole.

Those interested in Eduardian Literature, or Historical Fantasy will find "A College of Magics" interesting. Those searching for an encore to "Sorcery and Cecelia" would do better investing in Patricia Wrede's Regency Fantasies.

Faris Nallaneen is a diamond in the rough so to speak, in the unenviable position of saving the world. She has however more capable than she realizes, and even when her gift of erratic magic manifests itself, she does not comprehend it. It is a sort of coming of age story of a girl who is almost accidentally pushed into the position of the warden of the north, and is entrusted to mend a rift in the balance of the worlds created by her grandmother. Faris is endeared to readers when as she struggles to do her duty, she is still heart-breakingly human.

I bought this book solely by chance because the plot at the back of the novel seemed interesting. The first time I read it, I did not finish it. The plot is too amorphous, too out of touch with reality. This book introduced me to the world of a world that is an amalgamation of fantasy and real world, something I was not used to. I was disappointed in the book for not being a pure fantasy novel. That is what makes this book so special. I only found what a rare treasure this book is when I read it for the fourth, or even sixth time. It has everything, from mystery to school-girlish adventures, to romance and magic. Even some of the "academic" side of magic begins to make sense after a couple of reads.

This book requires patience and a few more reads than one. It is one of my favourite books now.

I bought this book based on the advice of my best friend. She and I are basically obsessed with reading and if it has any type of a romantic relationship in it we're that much more for it. She didn't tell me a thing about the book, wanting not to spoil it, but I thought it would be great, seeing as how the word "MAGIC" appeared in the title. I don't deem myself a practicing witch or of a like nature, but I do believe in magic and love books of the mystical kind. BUT...when there is hardly anything related to the title of the book IN the book, it's rather dull and misleading. I don't see this as being a book for those under 16, mainly because its long and you have to be totally enthralled in every other word to follow it all. But the thing I didn't like was that the subject of love (Faris and Tyrian) #1- took so long and was very minor at that, #2- there's no way for them to be together at all in the end. I was totally into the book until that last 20 pages or so.
My idea of this book was that it should have been filled with magic, soft romance (nothing at all hard core or lucrid), and a somewhat of a happy ending. Call me sappy, but thats my nature.

this book was exciting and interseting...it lost my attention at some points...going on and on on little things....overall this is a great book...:-)

When I borrowed this book from a friend's younger sister, I thought it would be an easy read to take my mind off things before I did my homework. Well, I read it.. and then I read it again. While the plot could be a little contrived at times, the characters were vivid and real, and the relationships between them left me wishing for a sequel. I bought the book for myself, and it has a permanent place on my bookshelf for those rainy lonely days when I need some cheering up.

This book is set in post-apocalyptic times, after a Nuclear Holocaust called the Flash. It is about six children who are living on a paddle wheel steam boat. To make a living, they play Rock-and-Roll from before the Flash and carry mail. Absolutely No Passengers! The kids rescue a man out of the river who is being pursued by a band of men who think he has something they want. This book may sound to you like the classic "Kids on their own", adventure story, but, it's not. Even though the plot becomes a bit unrealistic at times, it is still enjoyable. The characters come alive, and not only are they believable, sometimes you can even identify with them. It is as if you're on the boat yourself. Also, you're being told the story in the first-person by one of the kids. I enjoyed his descriptions and his thoughts. I highly recommend this book, and if you read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. By the way, I've read about four (Sherlock Holmes, Watership Down, The Goats and this.) really great books in my time, and I consider this to be one of them. Yours, Dogspaw

There's no doubt Stevermer can write some eloquent prose, however, her ability to keep a story interesting falters in several places in this book. It took a short while for me to get into the book and start liking it, and it was a good story for half, until she threw in her major plot twist which I feel disrupted a more interesting story. By the last few chapters I was speed reading just to find out how it finished. I have hopes that her style might yet yield a better book from her, but I don't think I'll try another Stevermer.

If something is unlikely, it is said it will happen when the King comes home. This refers to Good King Julian who has been dead for 200 years.

Hail Rosamer is the daughter of a sheep merchant but she has a talent for art and wishes to pursue it. She gets her wish when a talented artist agrees to accept Hail as an apprentice. Hail's studies go well and by being in the city, she gets to see fabulous and legendary works of art, including ones that accurately depict the Good King, his Champion and his Queen.

But a jealous apprentice tries to frame Hail and Hail flees the city. While resting under a bridge, she encounters a strange man. A man with the face of Good King Julian!

Hail then gets caught up in politics as the Prince Bishop, the man who really runs the Empire, tries to squash rumors that the Good King has returned.

But he man is not the King, he is the King's Champion, accidently resurrected by necromancy. Necromancy that will try again to resurrect the King. Thus the King returns, not as the Empire's savior, but as a puppet tool of an outlaw baron and a necromancer.

Can the city and the Empire survive the return of the King? Can Hail disentangle herself from the politics? Will Hail's love and knowledge of art and the King's artist provide a key for stopping the ensorcelled King? What happens if they succeed?

An interesting tale of one way that a people's hopes and dreams can turn awry.

Stevermer does a wonderful job of portraying what really happens when the king comes home. I really cared about the main characters - Hail Rosamer and Ludo. The one complaint I have about the book is that she didn't fall in love. Just as another reviewer said, I really wanted them to fall in love. Anyway, I really enjoyed how Hail was an artist. I liked how Maspero, the object of her obsession, was connected to everything. It is a very original fantasy and thoroughly satisfying (except for the whole not falling in love with Ludo - who is perfect for her). I think this is better than Stevermer's A College of Magics - but read that too.