Accidental Sorcerers

Accidental Sorcerers #1

by Larry Kollar

Invaders just across the river. A powerful spell hidden in a child's rhyme. When an untrained boy awakens an ice dragon to protect his village, and lives to tell the tale, not even the Conclave of Sorcerers can predict what happens next.

Accidental Sorcerers brings to life an unforgettable tale of love and loyalty in the world of Termag. Feel the magic!

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic, Dragons

105 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 14, 2013

About the author

Larry Kollar lives in north Georgia, surrounded by kudzu, trees, and in-laws. His day job involves writing user manuals — some of which may have been fiction, but not by intent. He has had short fictional works published in the Hogglepot Journal and the Were-Traveler. His first novel, White Pickups, is available, with more to come. For more of his strange fiction, and even stranger reality, visit his blog.

Reviews

[Cynthia Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the first book in this Fantasy series, suitable for all ages. This world is special, and Kollar takes care to develop his characters who then spin the plot in a strange yet familiar world. The main characters are young, a boy, Mik, and girl, Sura, just coming into their powers under the tutelage of Bailar, a wise elder. Bailar sees that Mik has very special powers, stronger than most. Mik also devises unique ways to use these powers. With Bailar's guidance, Mik and Sura harness their magic to fight the powerful evil in their world at a gathering called the Conclave. Will these untested young people be able to survive this grave and dangerous test? The answer arrives in Book 1, with new complications for Book 2.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise - -but I found it all surface and no substance.

I'm sure there's world building in the author's office -- but compared to others -- I don't SEE it in his writing. City names really don't count & his 'dialect' use ... yeah --- I could do without that.

[pdarnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when a child's rhyme becomes reality? Mik finds out and then is at a loss as to how to dispel the spell. The adventure continues with Mik seeking the aid of the nearest sorcerer. A magical tale, full of adventure, coming of age, education, budding romance, treachery, discipline and friendship. I enjoyed learning about each new character, and grew fond of a few of them. The story begins with Mik at about the age of 12 - 14 (?) and continues into his very early YA teens perhaps 16, maybe 17 at most. An enjoyable read.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smooth writing with few editing issues. A well-told story with good personal stakes for the characters, though they perhaps beat their challenges a little too easily. The characters are likable and relatable. The setting and the magic system are somewhat generic, and the combination of iron being rare and cannon existing is a little hard to reconcile. Overall, though, I very much enjoyed it and wished it was longer.

[Ronna Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friendship, excitement, and education

The author is telling a story of new found friendship and love mixed with the education of the heroes. A great read and simple enough for children.

[Eric Townsend · Rating 3 out of 5]

A promising start to a series, Accidental Sorcerers combines magic, dragons and young love in a short and sweet package. While Accidental Sorcerers is novella-length, there is definite room for potential growth of the characters and some solid foundations already in place. More expounding on the dragons themselves, while not a must, would really enrich the series, but we will have to wait and see where Kollar wants to take his young characters.

Mik, the main character, embodies what it is like to be an adventurous young man, lacking reservations of any sort and diving head-first into possible trouble regardless of the consequences. In this case it is his approaching of the ice dragon where he is lucky to be left alive at all. Mik continues to encounter the usual “revelations” about both himself (look mom, I’ve got magic!) and the world. He seems a bit simple minded, but he’s an honest character and easy to get behind and root for. Sura, a sorcerer’s apprentice is a little fireball of a young woman. She’s feisty, devoted and a bit overzealous at times which make her all the more endearing, and as we are continually reminded, she’s quite the pretty one to boot.

Which brings me to the romance of Accidental Sorcerers. I’ve never been one to just go along with insta-love or anything close to it, and sadly this is another case of that irritating tendency. Right when they first meet they’re practically smitten with each other, at minimum on Mik’s part but probably for both, and that’s just grating on the nerves. No development of feelings, no getting to know each other first, just “Oh you’re pretty and magical like me let’s become lovey-dovey”. *sigh* Moving on…

The writing, while simplistic in parts, is solid. The target audience seems to be in the middle-grade to low teens range which would make the style fitting, however if the target is the YA fantasy crowd as a whole then I’m not sure it quite hits the mark. Now that the foundation has been put down the next piece might be more complex and more rich in detail, but we’ll have to wait and see. The story is a nice one, honesty and bravery with a bit of love thrown in can conquer all evils, it’s classic but it works.

I look forward to reading the next piece and to seeing how Kollar approaches it stylistically. The characters are good but if they are fleshed out more and given some edge they could be taken to a new level. Since the insta-love is already in place, maybe giving the lovebirds something to break them apart and test their bond would be a nice touch.

Rating: 3/5

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not uninteresting, but the writing strikes me as rather juvenile and it's not really a *book*. It's more like a dispassionate recounting of chronological events in the life of the main character to the reader.

[Sean Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but lacking that spark that really keeps me wanting to read more. Not badly written, but it seemed to assume knowledge I didn't already have.

[Susan Tietjen · Rating 1 out of 5]

So disjointed and confusing I concluded the author needs to go to school. Read some books about how to write books, dude.