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Quarto #1
The Letter Mage
When 14-year-old Aleph Worf-Sapir chooses to enroll in the Lunar University's first-ever student exchange program, he already knows he's entering enemy territory. The other departments have been attacking the tiny College of the Glottal Moon as long as he can remember. He's lost friends. He's lost family. Driven by the desire to keep his home and loved ones safe, Aleph confronts the other departments head-on.
He has no idea what he's in for.
The brilliant Prism Witches want to lock him up, the mysterious Fourier Monks want to steal him away, the Glottal Moon isn't what he thought it was, and the Land Below sent a strange (and handsome) young man to the moons to stir up trouble. Aleph has to figure out who he can trust, and fast.
Everything's changing.
He has no idea what he's in for.
The brilliant Prism Witches want to lock him up, the mysterious Fourier Monks want to steal him away, the Glottal Moon isn't what he thought it was, and the Land Below sent a strange (and handsome) young man to the moons to stir up trouble. Aleph has to figure out who he can trust, and fast.
Everything's changing.
142 pages, Paperback
First published September 11, 2017
About the author
Alexandra Penn
3 books27 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Alexandra Penn was a museum kid. The daughter of a photographer and a Scuba diver, she spent her teenage years in the field: Penn has worked with Smithsonian archaeologists, NASA software engineers, volcanologists, and photographers. She also managed to fail Algebra II with a passing grade, which she's a little proud of.
Her work is both a love letter to and an intense criticism of the academic world.
She has been bitten by a shark, she watched the final shuttle launch from the fire escape outside Launch Control, and she has been a certified diver since age twelve. She likes dogs, long walks on the beach, and socialized medicine. Also books.
Penn is one of two Directors of The Writers' Rooms, an editor for hire, an amateur linguist, and a Taurus. Her work has received many accolades, including an Honorable Mention in the Writer's Digest Annual Contest 2017.
She spends all her free time on Twitter.
Alexandra Penn was a museum kid. The daughter of a photographer and a Scuba diver, she spent her teenage years in the field: Penn has worked with Smithsonian archaeologists, NASA software engineers, volcanologists, and photographers. She also managed to fail Algebra II with a passing grade, which she's a little proud of.
Her work is both a love letter to and an intense criticism of the academic world.
She has been bitten by a shark, she watched the final shuttle launch from the fire escape outside Launch Control, and she has been a certified diver since age twelve. She likes dogs, long walks on the beach, and socialized medicine. Also books.
Penn is one of two Directors of The Writers' Rooms, an editor for hire, an amateur linguist, and a Taurus. Her work has received many accolades, including an Honorable Mention in the Writer's Digest Annual Contest 2017.
She spends all her free time on Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 1, 2017
I had trouble getting into this story. The phrasing and sentence construction of the first few chapters were rough and I didn't get a good feel for the character. Many aspects were kept vague from the reader and I didn't really care for that. There were some curious things that were building up in the story but overall, it didn't really engage me until the main character (who has a fantastic name) gets off the moon and goes to the next one.
From there, the story started to pick up and I felt that the writing grew a lot smoother and enjoyable. I'm going to say it takes a little while for the author to get up to speed, but there is a lot of promise in the later chapters of what appears to be a magical discovery story with just a bit of sci-fi flavor to it and a budding romance.
This is a collection of shorts in a serial form, a format that showcases the evolution of both the main character and the author while presenting many of the aspects in a semi-episodic format more akin to Babylon 5 than the "magical moon of the week." (Sailor Moon?)
I read the print version of this book. I found that it was cramped with very small margins and large indents that gave the impression of reading a wall of text in some places. The font was on the small side.
Overall, I think this story has a lot of potential but it was a little slog to get through the first part. From there, it picked up nice as the world-building and the characters were more fully fleshed out and developed. I would recommend it for anyone who likes discovery of technology or magic stories. I found the last few sections to be enjoyable enough that I will pick up the next one in the series.
From there, the story started to pick up and I felt that the writing grew a lot smoother and enjoyable. I'm going to say it takes a little while for the author to get up to speed, but there is a lot of promise in the later chapters of what appears to be a magical discovery story with just a bit of sci-fi flavor to it and a budding romance.
This is a collection of shorts in a serial form, a format that showcases the evolution of both the main character and the author while presenting many of the aspects in a semi-episodic format more akin to Babylon 5 than the "magical moon of the week." (Sailor Moon?)
I read the print version of this book. I found that it was cramped with very small margins and large indents that gave the impression of reading a wall of text in some places. The font was on the small side.
Overall, I think this story has a lot of potential but it was a little slog to get through the first part. From there, it picked up nice as the world-building and the characters were more fully fleshed out and developed. I would recommend it for anyone who likes discovery of technology or magic stories. I found the last few sections to be enjoyable enough that I will pick up the next one in the series.
July 3, 2018
An incredible start to the serial. Alexandra Penn really creates a world that captivates readers. It feels like I'm reading Hogwarts in space. So if you're a Harry Potter lover who is also interested in science fiction, this is definitely the read for you.
March 4, 2019
I can't wait to read the next book. It immediately caught my attention and now I want to know more.
July 9, 2018
The First Quarto of The Letter Mage is written for a young adult audience, yet it doesn't talk down to them like much of media made for young people. There are complex concepts presented here in language that is somewhat simplified at times, but never in ways that trivialize the ideas or the reader. It's clear that Alex not only cares about her audience, she respects them as well.
Young adult books that take this approach can be a gateway into a much wider world of thought and understanding. It works on multiple levels, in that if you wanted to look for progressive ideology you'll find it on every page, but it's almost seamlessly worked into the plot, character development, and world-building. An example: the subtlety with which the gay relationships are presented. The Letter Mage normalizes them in a way that might not work if they were the focus or the main driver of the story. It seems to be an effective approach, one that's almost more convincing and true-to-life. This book and its ilk casually demonstrate that gay people are just like anyone who isn't, and can't be held to any one stereotype. You encounter them in stories like this in all kinds of roles with all kinds of talents, just like you do in real life and maybe not even know it.
But to discuss The First Quarto merely in terms of its ideology would really sell it short. The beauty of much of the imagery in this can make you need to stop and read it over again, and the cumulative effect throughout the book is almost disorienting. As the shape of the storyline ahead becomes clear in the later part of this quarto, it becomes clear that this effect may only intensify. It sets the imagination alight and will inspire young writers, if only they can get their hands on it. The style isn't always even and some of the action somewhat awkwardly tries to capture the feel of a cartoon or anime, but as the book progresses, it settles into a groove that frees itself of some of the early cliches and develops its own voice.
Just wait until you get to the Prismatic Moon. Or see Pala's sculptures, or how Aleph's journal works. You'll want more, and from what I can gather there's quite a bit coming. Due out in serial format, the sum total of The Letter Mage seems like it could be something amazing once it's finished. Another world in itself, the product of a rare creative energy that seems practically boundless.
Young adult books that take this approach can be a gateway into a much wider world of thought and understanding. It works on multiple levels, in that if you wanted to look for progressive ideology you'll find it on every page, but it's almost seamlessly worked into the plot, character development, and world-building. An example: the subtlety with which the gay relationships are presented. The Letter Mage normalizes them in a way that might not work if they were the focus or the main driver of the story. It seems to be an effective approach, one that's almost more convincing and true-to-life. This book and its ilk casually demonstrate that gay people are just like anyone who isn't, and can't be held to any one stereotype. You encounter them in stories like this in all kinds of roles with all kinds of talents, just like you do in real life and maybe not even know it.
But to discuss The First Quarto merely in terms of its ideology would really sell it short. The beauty of much of the imagery in this can make you need to stop and read it over again, and the cumulative effect throughout the book is almost disorienting. As the shape of the storyline ahead becomes clear in the later part of this quarto, it becomes clear that this effect may only intensify. It sets the imagination alight and will inspire young writers, if only they can get their hands on it. The style isn't always even and some of the action somewhat awkwardly tries to capture the feel of a cartoon or anime, but as the book progresses, it settles into a groove that frees itself of some of the early cliches and develops its own voice.
Just wait until you get to the Prismatic Moon. Or see Pala's sculptures, or how Aleph's journal works. You'll want more, and from what I can gather there's quite a bit coming. Due out in serial format, the sum total of The Letter Mage seems like it could be something amazing once it's finished. Another world in itself, the product of a rare creative energy that seems practically boundless.
June 6, 2019
interesting reading. A male mage is sent as an exchange student to another colony dominated by female mags. As a male he is at first not trusted and is thrown into a prison where he mets another male from the underworld and both escape but Aleph remains behind which endears him to the extent that the witches allow him to remain free and study. However, that is short lived and the action continues as the other males returns and wants Aleph to help him.To some extent he does but still remains behind and finds that he can also produce light which no male was able to do before him. Future books would be interesting reading.
August 20, 2018
The pacing of this quarto doesn't flow quite as well as I wanted it to, but the imagery and characterization is lovely. The setting is fascinating, and I'm so excited to see where the story goes!
Aleph is compelling, but his relationships with his moms and friends are a real joy to read. It's refreshing to read an original science fiction setting when so many popular scifi stories are falling into the same stale settings. The Moons are new, exciting, and original, and I can't wait to see more of them as the story progresses!
Aleph is compelling, but his relationships with his moms and friends are a real joy to read. It's refreshing to read an original science fiction setting when so many popular scifi stories are falling into the same stale settings. The Moons are new, exciting, and original, and I can't wait to see more of them as the story progresses!
February 28, 2021
Read this. If you want a good story, if you have or are going to have children, if you work with children. But mainly if you want a good story. Can't wait for the next one.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews