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Magician of Hoad
Where will your destiny lead you?
For as long as he can remember, Heriot Tarbas has been plagued with fits, headaches, dreams, and nightmares that make him feel as if a part of his very self is being torn away. His visions are only whispered about in his quiet life on the family farm. But when the King of Hoad hears word of his powers and seeks him out to be a member of the royal court, it becomes clear that Heriot has a gift, and a valuable one. While Heriot unwillingly learns to use his mind-reading and other abilities to serve the king as his most trusted advisor, four remarkably different lives—that of a Hero, a Magician, a noble girl, and a Prince—weave their way, for better or for worse, toward his. When their paths finally converge in the midst of political upheaval, hand-to-hand battles, and burgeoning romances, Heriot must decide how he’ll choose to use his magic—and what his destiny will be.
With a complex cast of characters set against a majestic land, award-winning author Margaret Mahy weaves her magic in a fantastical tale exploring the meaning of truth, freedom, and loyalty to one’s greater destiny.
For as long as he can remember, Heriot Tarbas has been plagued with fits, headaches, dreams, and nightmares that make him feel as if a part of his very self is being torn away. His visions are only whispered about in his quiet life on the family farm. But when the King of Hoad hears word of his powers and seeks him out to be a member of the royal court, it becomes clear that Heriot has a gift, and a valuable one. While Heriot unwillingly learns to use his mind-reading and other abilities to serve the king as his most trusted advisor, four remarkably different lives—that of a Hero, a Magician, a noble girl, and a Prince—weave their way, for better or for worse, toward his. When their paths finally converge in the midst of political upheaval, hand-to-hand battles, and burgeoning romances, Heriot must decide how he’ll choose to use his magic—and what his destiny will be.
With a complex cast of characters set against a majestic land, award-winning author Margaret Mahy weaves her magic in a fantastical tale exploring the meaning of truth, freedom, and loyalty to one’s greater destiny.
436 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2008
11 people are currently reading
256 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Mahy
400 books291 followersMargaret Mahy was a well-known New Zealand author of children's and young adult books. While the plots of many of her books have strong supernatural elements, her writing concentrates on the themes of human relationships and growing up.
Her books The Haunting and The Changeover: A Supernatural Romance both received the Carnegie Medal of the British Library Association. There have 100 children's books, 40 novels, and 20 collections of her stories published. Among her children's books, A Lion in the Meadow and The Seven Chinese Brothers and The Man Whose Mother was a Pirate are considered national classics. Her novels have been translated into German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Italian, Japanese, Catalan and Afrikaans. In addition, some stories have been translated into Russian, Chinese and Icelandic.
For her contributions to children's literature she was made a member of the Order of New Zealand. The Margaret Mahy Medal Award was established by the New Zealand Children's Book Foundation in 1991 to provide recognition of excellence in children's literature, publishing and literacy in New Zealand. In 2006 she was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award (known as the Little Nobel Prize) in recognition of a "lasting contribution to children's literature".
Margaret Mahy died on 23 July 2012.
On 29 April 2013, New Zealand’s top honour for children’s books was renamed the New Zealand Post Margaret Mahy Book of the Year award.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret...
Her books The Haunting and The Changeover: A Supernatural Romance both received the Carnegie Medal of the British Library Association. There have 100 children's books, 40 novels, and 20 collections of her stories published. Among her children's books, A Lion in the Meadow and The Seven Chinese Brothers and The Man Whose Mother was a Pirate are considered national classics. Her novels have been translated into German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Italian, Japanese, Catalan and Afrikaans. In addition, some stories have been translated into Russian, Chinese and Icelandic.
For her contributions to children's literature she was made a member of the Order of New Zealand. The Margaret Mahy Medal Award was established by the New Zealand Children's Book Foundation in 1991 to provide recognition of excellence in children's literature, publishing and literacy in New Zealand. In 2006 she was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award (known as the Little Nobel Prize) in recognition of a "lasting contribution to children's literature".
Margaret Mahy died on 23 July 2012.
On 29 April 2013, New Zealand’s top honour for children’s books was renamed the New Zealand Post Margaret Mahy Book of the Year award.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
December 21, 2019
This is one of the most unusual fantasy novels I’ve ever read. It’s written by New Zealand author Margaret Mahy; I’d heard great things about her but never read anything by her and this book seemed like it would be to my liking--it sounded like a good, hearty, old-fashioned stand-alone YA fantasy adventure.
But it definitely defied my expectations. For one thing, though it’s ostensibly YA, the story follows the main characters from about age 12 to about age 25. There’s also some sex and even a few instances of unexpectedly intense language. But most of all, this book was surprising because, though it’s built on classic fantasy ingredients, it deploys them in a unique way that resonates on a semi-metaphorical level too. I loved the way this works.
The story is made up mainly of the following components: a mind-reading court magician trying to understand and make better use of his powers; a forbidden high-profile romance; a charming, enigmatic city “street rat” with a secret history and a dark mission; a villainous prince whose ambitions are deeply creepy and terrifying; and a warrior hero getting restless in peacetime. There’s no doubt that these interwoven plot-lines and characters make for a compelling story, and there are some clever plot twists and surprises that work very well. However, the long time-scale of the story and the thoughtful, occasionally metaphysical passages make for a story that is much less consistently suspenseful than it could have been. That was honestly disappointing. Also, a few tiny plot flaws (not fatal ones, just small inconsistencies) were annoying. I do think the story should have been tightened up significantly.
And yet, these shortcomings didn’t ruin the story. The funny thing is that for all the elaborateness of the plot architecture, this is one of those rare fantasy novels where the plot is equal if not secondary to some amazing philosophical explorations that the characters and the author conduct. In a way, the book is structured around dichotomies, contradictory elements whose very existence side by side create the underlying tensions that drive the story: Heriot’s conflicted identity (himself and the magical “occupant” living inside him), the shared leadership of the King (political/diplomatic leader) and the Hero (warrior and masculine figurehead), and the dual identity of the nobles (as individual human beings and as political “chess pieces”). These divisions and struggles for identity lead the story to seriously engage with questions about destiny, gender roles, imagination, art, and love.
It’s hard to describe the sort of contemplative, searching emotional richness of the story. But even the writing itself has that character. The writing is solid throughout--occasionally overwritten, but more often rising to beautiful and passionate moments that really make you stop and think and can even catch your breath. Here’s a good example--if you like this, you might really like this book:
“How could you begin to think the crown or the throne would ever be enough for any man of imagination?” Betony cried passionately. “We live in a world that spins around a central mystery. And all we can do is dance and fight, gesticulate and parade ourselves like puppets stuck out on the edge of things, while up there the stars—” He broke off, shaking his head. “We play like stupid children,” he cried despairingly. “We’re always congratulating ourselves on our own glory and never admitting that, even at our grandest, we’re nowhere near the heart of true wonder. Even grains of dirt have more true glory than we do.”
Not only the King, but Carlyon himself, now stared at him uneasily.
“We must do what we can within our limitations,” the King said at last. “Do you fancy you could ever break out of your human condition to become a star?”
“Or a grain of dirt, for that matter,” Carlyon added.
The book is perhaps, at heart, a coming-of-age story in the best sense--it’s about figuring out what your dreams are, what you can achieve and what you are “meant” to achieve, and how your life and destiny are ultimately tied to the people around you and to the very land you live on. But that doesn’t do justice to the depth and complexity of the ideas at play here, which come to a head towards the thrilling end of the book.
In short, if you’re looking for a very fast-paced, action-packed YA fantasy-adventure novel, this probably isn’t for you. But if you’re okay with reading more slowly and if you want to savor an intricate and colorful story that draws on its magical elements to make you ponder some pretty deep and important ideas about growing up and into the world, then I don’t know a better book to recommend.
But it definitely defied my expectations. For one thing, though it’s ostensibly YA, the story follows the main characters from about age 12 to about age 25. There’s also some sex and even a few instances of unexpectedly intense language. But most of all, this book was surprising because, though it’s built on classic fantasy ingredients, it deploys them in a unique way that resonates on a semi-metaphorical level too. I loved the way this works.
The story is made up mainly of the following components: a mind-reading court magician trying to understand and make better use of his powers; a forbidden high-profile romance; a charming, enigmatic city “street rat” with a secret history and a dark mission; a villainous prince whose ambitions are deeply creepy and terrifying; and a warrior hero getting restless in peacetime. There’s no doubt that these interwoven plot-lines and characters make for a compelling story, and there are some clever plot twists and surprises that work very well. However, the long time-scale of the story and the thoughtful, occasionally metaphysical passages make for a story that is much less consistently suspenseful than it could have been. That was honestly disappointing. Also, a few tiny plot flaws (not fatal ones, just small inconsistencies) were annoying. I do think the story should have been tightened up significantly.
And yet, these shortcomings didn’t ruin the story. The funny thing is that for all the elaborateness of the plot architecture, this is one of those rare fantasy novels where the plot is equal if not secondary to some amazing philosophical explorations that the characters and the author conduct. In a way, the book is structured around dichotomies, contradictory elements whose very existence side by side create the underlying tensions that drive the story: Heriot’s conflicted identity (himself and the magical “occupant” living inside him), the shared leadership of the King (political/diplomatic leader) and the Hero (warrior and masculine figurehead), and the dual identity of the nobles (as individual human beings and as political “chess pieces”). These divisions and struggles for identity lead the story to seriously engage with questions about destiny, gender roles, imagination, art, and love.
It’s hard to describe the sort of contemplative, searching emotional richness of the story. But even the writing itself has that character. The writing is solid throughout--occasionally overwritten, but more often rising to beautiful and passionate moments that really make you stop and think and can even catch your breath. Here’s a good example--if you like this, you might really like this book:
“How could you begin to think the crown or the throne would ever be enough for any man of imagination?” Betony cried passionately. “We live in a world that spins around a central mystery. And all we can do is dance and fight, gesticulate and parade ourselves like puppets stuck out on the edge of things, while up there the stars—” He broke off, shaking his head. “We play like stupid children,” he cried despairingly. “We’re always congratulating ourselves on our own glory and never admitting that, even at our grandest, we’re nowhere near the heart of true wonder. Even grains of dirt have more true glory than we do.”
Not only the King, but Carlyon himself, now stared at him uneasily.
“We must do what we can within our limitations,” the King said at last. “Do you fancy you could ever break out of your human condition to become a star?”
“Or a grain of dirt, for that matter,” Carlyon added.
The book is perhaps, at heart, a coming-of-age story in the best sense--it’s about figuring out what your dreams are, what you can achieve and what you are “meant” to achieve, and how your life and destiny are ultimately tied to the people around you and to the very land you live on. But that doesn’t do justice to the depth and complexity of the ideas at play here, which come to a head towards the thrilling end of the book.
In short, if you’re looking for a very fast-paced, action-packed YA fantasy-adventure novel, this probably isn’t for you. But if you’re okay with reading more slowly and if you want to savor an intricate and colorful story that draws on its magical elements to make you ponder some pretty deep and important ideas about growing up and into the world, then I don’t know a better book to recommend.
December 25, 2014
This is a wonderful book. With all the debates about high fantasy vs. low fantasy and what makes something one or the other (with all the conflict about world-building and which world where and why), I can't decide where this would fit. The descriptions of Diamond and the islands and the countryside remind me of those in A Wizard of Earthsea--that level of high-flown romantic realism.
Its simplest description is that it's about a boy who becomes a magician through no conscious choice or knowledge of his own, and is acted upon by and acts upon people he never expected to meet in his life as a farmer--kings, princes, the life of a great city far removed from his bucolic beginnings living in a family tribe ruled by his great-great aunt.
But the thing I like about it is that although it is about people, and among those people are kings, heroes, magicians, warriors, nobles, street rats, and that some of these end up being interchangeable, and all of them are important to the story, what it is also about, in the fine tradition of people like Ursula Le Guin and Patricia McKillip, is earth, water, air, the great world and how we are all connected to it, expressed by it, destined for it, contained by and yet made greater for it. If that sounds a bit mystical, it is; but it's also immensely practical and greatly satisfying.
And my favorite part? No Orc battles. Not one.
Its simplest description is that it's about a boy who becomes a magician through no conscious choice or knowledge of his own, and is acted upon by and acts upon people he never expected to meet in his life as a farmer--kings, princes, the life of a great city far removed from his bucolic beginnings living in a family tribe ruled by his great-great aunt.
But the thing I like about it is that although it is about people, and among those people are kings, heroes, magicians, warriors, nobles, street rats, and that some of these end up being interchangeable, and all of them are important to the story, what it is also about, in the fine tradition of people like Ursula Le Guin and Patricia McKillip, is earth, water, air, the great world and how we are all connected to it, expressed by it, destined for it, contained by and yet made greater for it. If that sounds a bit mystical, it is; but it's also immensely practical and greatly satisfying.
And my favorite part? No Orc battles. Not one.
January 26, 2011
Margaret Mahy's The Tricksters is one of my very favorite books in the entire world, so it is with great sadness that I report that The Magician of Hoad has some wonderful bits and some very good bits and some really not at all wonderful bits that all add up to, well, not adding up in the end. It has one of those endings where a character has to explain everything that just happened to the audience, which is almost always a bad sign, and where large chunks of the plot happen because a mysterious past or future self or prophecy says they have to happen that way even though that is not a sensible way to happen, which also is almost always a bad sign, and when you put the two of these things together, it is addition rather than multiplication, which is to say that rather than the two negatives canceling each other out and creating a postive, you just get a bigger negative number, or, in the case of books rather than equations, a bigger plotting problem. Full review.
February 15, 2010
The way everything ties together in the end is interesting, but I don't feel like everything makes sense. Particularly the motivations of the characters. (And especially the three princes. They all felt like sketches that suddenly became real but you have no idea why or who they are.) I wanted to give it 4 stars, but I am still feeling like I didn't get the full story. Or maybe that I got a lot of parts of a full story.
Also, I am still trying to figure out the following puzzle:
When Heriot is 17 and meets Cayley, he describes Cayley as being about 12.
When they talk about history, we are told that Cayley was 3 when Heriot was 12. Did Cayley age in an alternate universe? What is going on here? I've reread the bits that deal with those two moments several times, and I'm not coming up with any answers. Sure, maybe Cayley is younger than would be thought by appearance, but there is a big difference between an 8-year-old and a 12-year-old. And it is still driving me crazy.
Also, I am still trying to figure out the following puzzle:
When Heriot is 17 and meets Cayley, he describes Cayley as being about 12.
When they talk about history, we are told that Cayley was 3 when Heriot was 12. Did Cayley age in an alternate universe? What is going on here? I've reread the bits that deal with those two moments several times, and I'm not coming up with any answers. Sure, maybe Cayley is younger than would be thought by appearance, but there is a big difference between an 8-year-old and a 12-year-old. And it is still driving me crazy.
July 6, 2010
This book held great promise. A lot of promise actually. The first part of the story held my interest greatly. It was intriguing fast paced. Then things hit a wall. The plot got and story got weaker. Things started to lag. Pretty soon i'm yelling "edit" at the book every five minutes and unable to enjoy the story. I think this is because looking at the authors other stories this type of book is not her forte. She usually writes children's or young young adult books. Most of the dialog in this seemed forced. I find it hard to write out a complete summary of the plot since i'm not even sure what it was really. It was so lose that i'm surprised it didn't fly out of the pages. So props to Margaret for trying something out of her comfort zone, but it didn't work for me.
December 2, 2015
The beginning is creepy and upsetting as the young magician struggles, divided and self-hating, not understanding his own fate to be a magician. But by the middle the book is in full flower and all the ends tie together marvelously at the end.
December 18, 2020
Mahy's writing is smooth, smooth, smooth.
The Magician of Hoad is rather a strange book, really follows the life of the Magician Heriot Tarbas, who's taken from his home to serve as Magician under the sweeping identity of the King. The other extensions of the King are of course the Hero and the Sons. You will hear a lot about the King, and Hoad, the land through which these events transpire, because both breathe meaning into the lives of their subjects, one being the mortal concept and the other being the existential board through which pieces are played.
The thematic elements play heavily on identity and image, the transfiguring of oneself and the land around them. I've only ever seen this done in one book, that being Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones, which is still very different than The Magician of Hoad. But I suppose that's why Mahy's quickly becoming a favorite author.
Of course, there are always things which a reader can pick and pry. Early on in the book, it's made to seem as if all characters have a significant part in narrative, which is only partly true. The book is undeniably about Heriot Tarbas as the Magician as it goes on. One of the most striking characters introduced at the beginning is the mad prince Dysart. Over the course of the book, he becomes mundane, almost ordinary, under the weight of the King's conventionality, a romance of conventionality, but mostly because he finds the source of his madness and thinks himself somehow put together once the madness is relieved (which of course he begins to question later.)
The friendship between Heriot and Dysart is also strange, which they both acknowledge. But there were times I felt Mahy could have gone on to better describe the peculiarity of the friendship, the ups of it even, because I could not help feeling the friendship was merely exploitation of one forced to serve. There is significant dialogue of this, but never a resolution of how exactly Heriot himself concludes his idea of their friendship.
Cayley was also a wonderful addition to the book. I can't really describe much of them without spoiling at this point. Every bit of that line was pieced together nicely, from the very beginning.
One thing you should expect, however, is that these characters age. You watch them up to a certain point of their lives, remaking themselves as time continues on. Normally I hate books like these because it makes me feel old and nostalgic. But I can safely say The Magician of Hoad is a safe read for anyone so plagued by their own mortality.
The Magician of Hoad is rather a strange book, really follows the life of the Magician Heriot Tarbas, who's taken from his home to serve as Magician under the sweeping identity of the King. The other extensions of the King are of course the Hero and the Sons. You will hear a lot about the King, and Hoad, the land through which these events transpire, because both breathe meaning into the lives of their subjects, one being the mortal concept and the other being the existential board through which pieces are played.
The thematic elements play heavily on identity and image, the transfiguring of oneself and the land around them. I've only ever seen this done in one book, that being Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones, which is still very different than The Magician of Hoad. But I suppose that's why Mahy's quickly becoming a favorite author.
Of course, there are always things which a reader can pick and pry. Early on in the book, it's made to seem as if all characters have a significant part in narrative, which is only partly true. The book is undeniably about Heriot Tarbas as the Magician as it goes on. One of the most striking characters introduced at the beginning is the mad prince Dysart. Over the course of the book, he becomes mundane, almost ordinary, under the weight of the King's conventionality, a romance of conventionality, but mostly because he finds the source of his madness and thinks himself somehow put together once the madness is relieved (which of course he begins to question later.)
The friendship between Heriot and Dysart is also strange, which they both acknowledge. But there were times I felt Mahy could have gone on to better describe the peculiarity of the friendship, the ups of it even, because I could not help feeling the friendship was merely exploitation of one forced to serve. There is significant dialogue of this, but never a resolution of how exactly Heriot himself concludes his idea of their friendship.
Cayley was also a wonderful addition to the book. I can't really describe much of them without spoiling at this point. Every bit of that line was pieced together nicely, from the very beginning.
One thing you should expect, however, is that these characters age. You watch them up to a certain point of their lives, remaking themselves as time continues on. Normally I hate books like these because it makes me feel old and nostalgic. But I can safely say The Magician of Hoad is a safe read for anyone so plagued by their own mortality.
January 2, 2021
While there is much to admire and appreciate in this high fantasy for young adults, I don't find this nearly as satisfying as The Changeover, The Haunting, or the Tricksters. Mahy's writing style is always distinct and strong, but the balance of characterization to plot is less effective than in Mahy's best books. This is a portrait of a dark, harsh world of magic and death that lacks the charm and warmth found in books like The Changeover which make me as a reader want to delve back into the richly-created characters and world again and again. This book is worth reading if you are a fan of Mahy's, but if you are new to her work I would recommend The Changeover, The Tricksters, etc., which beautifully capture the pull and tug of family and friends versus solitude and alienation, the supernatural versus the natural, and the duality of shedding some of the protective innocence of childhood but not yet fully embracing the sometimes charged sexuality and power of being an adult.
December 3, 2021
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2021/12...
This was an interesting and somewhat odd fantasy book, following three children—a boy gifted with magic, a prince, and a noble girl—as they grow up being used as pawns in various political machinations. Some parts of this I figured out and some parts surprised me, and it always seemed to zig when I thought for sure it would zag. But in a satisfying way! Really cool characters (especially the magician) and unusual antagonists. A-.
This was an interesting and somewhat odd fantasy book, following three children—a boy gifted with magic, a prince, and a noble girl—as they grow up being used as pawns in various political machinations. Some parts of this I figured out and some parts surprised me, and it always seemed to zig when I thought for sure it would zag. But in a satisfying way! Really cool characters (especially the magician) and unusual antagonists. A-.
June 3, 2022
The writing is beautiful, but distracts from what is actually going on in the book. There didn’t seem to be an over-arching plot with a sound ending. It seems like this book was more about the characters’ maturation and growth rather than the harrowing adventure I was anticipating.
June 16, 2018
I did not finish this book. I found it too slow and uninteresting to me.
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March 7, 2023Margaret Mahey is the nest writer of our times.
February 7, 2025
A very enjoyable read that pulled me from the start. I did find it a bit long in the middle.
January 21, 2022
Whatever did try to connect this story was so boring and un-fantasy that, just like the first time I read a fraction of this novel, I'm going to forget it. You can read more of my thoughts on it here: https://amy-rosenfeldt.com/magician-o...
September 5, 2016
Heriot Tarbas is the odd one out in his farming family. Prone to fits, both of pain and of vision, he occupies a place on the periphery of his extended family, but he remains relatively happy thanks to the land itself. He enjoys being a farmer. Which is why he tries to run when one particular vision draws the attention of the king's court. He doesn't want to be a magician for the king, reading minds and performing magical entertainments. But the Magician has a role, just like the King and the Hero, in the land of Hoad . . . and he's sure being at court isn't it.
This one surprised me. I nearly didn't read it because I hadn't cared for Alchemy, but this one did a lot better building a fantasy, in addition to having strong characters. I liked the eye to detail both in the farm and drawing out the land. Hoad is both a place and more than a place: the King, the Hero, and the Magician all seem to have ties to some greater magic of the land. And I really liked the vastness and mystery of the magic. Where in Alchemy it was more of a free-for-all, this feels more fitted to the universe.
I particularly liked the exploration of sanity. Heriot and the third Prince are both considered mad by their families---and there are good reasons for it. With Heriot especially, being a Magician could be said to have left him in tune with a reality others can't perceive, except he usually comes off as somewhat insane. On the other hand, we have other characters who are decidedly sane who have gone so far down their own paths that it turns into insanity. Where that line is drawn, and where each person is, isn't always clear.
Only two things bugged me, one really minor and one major. The minor point: for about one paragraph, Heriot turns to drink. I had really hoped for more from him. On the other hand, this did take pretty much one paragraph to both come up and resolve, so it wasn't like the story let him wallow in it. The more major problem is that Heriot's pretty clear on how much he doesn't care for the whole "court magician" role, but he never actually tries to run away. The story spans so many years it's rather surprising he doesn't make the attempt (in fact, the only time he does leave, it's not exactly under his own power). He knows his power isn't being used appropriately. He knows his self is fragmented and needs to be whole. But he doesn't actually do much about either of those. That said, at least he comes around by the end, even though I was wanting him to do something much, much earlier in the narrative.
Overall, I enjoyed this, and will definitely have to read it again to pull some of the better quotes from it. I rate this book Recommended.
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
This one surprised me. I nearly didn't read it because I hadn't cared for Alchemy, but this one did a lot better building a fantasy, in addition to having strong characters. I liked the eye to detail both in the farm and drawing out the land. Hoad is both a place and more than a place: the King, the Hero, and the Magician all seem to have ties to some greater magic of the land. And I really liked the vastness and mystery of the magic. Where in Alchemy it was more of a free-for-all, this feels more fitted to the universe.
I particularly liked the exploration of sanity. Heriot and the third Prince are both considered mad by their families---and there are good reasons for it. With Heriot especially, being a Magician could be said to have left him in tune with a reality others can't perceive, except he usually comes off as somewhat insane. On the other hand, we have other characters who are decidedly sane who have gone so far down their own paths that it turns into insanity. Where that line is drawn, and where each person is, isn't always clear.
Only two things bugged me, one really minor and one major. The minor point: for about one paragraph, Heriot turns to drink. I had really hoped for more from him. On the other hand, this did take pretty much one paragraph to both come up and resolve, so it wasn't like the story let him wallow in it. The more major problem is that Heriot's pretty clear on how much he doesn't care for the whole "court magician" role, but he never actually tries to run away. The story spans so many years it's rather surprising he doesn't make the attempt (in fact, the only time he does leave, it's not exactly under his own power). He knows his power isn't being used appropriately. He knows his self is fragmented and needs to be whole. But he doesn't actually do much about either of those. That said, at least he comes around by the end, even though I was wanting him to do something much, much earlier in the narrative.
Overall, I enjoyed this, and will definitely have to read it again to pull some of the better quotes from it. I rate this book Recommended.
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
December 27, 2013
I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this book to some degree but it was just confusing. One thing I struggled with is the book seemingly has no plot. I found myself in the middle of the book searching for it desperately but never finding it. There is always something going on but the way there was no head antagonist and the ones we have were at times really vague when they should have been sympathetic and the story is all over the place, drags at times, and can be at war with itself on which story it wants to tell and which sub plot it wants to turn into the focus of the story it just looses you. Now it does have some redeemable features. Some of the relationships are very compelling like the friendship between Heriot and Cayley. Cayley in general was a very interesting character. Also treating the city of Diamond as a character even as a antagonist is very unique. Heriot's family was very good and I wish the story spent more time with them, even young Heriot who is only there for a very short time before he works for the king was good. In fact the whole first section of the book was good, Young Heriot and his family, Lord Glass and Dr. Feo, the design of the country side, Dysart being the elusive mysterious mad prince,and Heriot's miny adventures as he is trying to run away, infact this is the only part of the story with a good plot like premise. I would have preferred if the story had stayed in the mind set of this part of the story if it had it would have been very enjoyable. In short the beginning had high hopes but then the author kinda just took the story everywhere but ultimately no- where.
July 14, 2014
This lyrical ya fantasy reminds me a bit of early Patricia McKillip, among other things-- with a side order of Leona Wisoker, Diana Wynne Jones, and Megan Whalen Turner.
One cannot help being fond of the titular Magician, Heriot, who suffers through a sort of divided mind and seizures; but also has magical dreams and a magical connection to the world around him. Dysart, the king's third son, known as the Mad Prince, seems to have some mystical connections of his own, and Linnet, a duke's daughter, a connection to them both. Mix that in with a healthy dollop of Golden Bough-style conflict, in kingdom ruled by a King and a Hero, and some mysteries, including a street urchin... There are strong, driven young women in this book, despite a less-than-eglatarian culture.
But it's Heriot's connection to the land of Hoad, Dysart's connection to the city of Diamond, and the connections with others that they make, and how events discover out their fundamental personalities that captures the attention.
Warning: there is one thing in the book that will be disturbing to parents of young children.
One cannot help being fond of the titular Magician, Heriot, who suffers through a sort of divided mind and seizures; but also has magical dreams and a magical connection to the world around him. Dysart, the king's third son, known as the Mad Prince, seems to have some mystical connections of his own, and Linnet, a duke's daughter, a connection to them both. Mix that in with a healthy dollop of Golden Bough-style conflict, in kingdom ruled by a King and a Hero, and some mysteries, including a street urchin... There are strong, driven young women in this book, despite a less-than-eglatarian culture.
But it's Heriot's connection to the land of Hoad, Dysart's connection to the city of Diamond, and the connections with others that they make, and how events discover out their fundamental personalities that captures the attention.
Warning: there is one thing in the book that will be disturbing to parents of young children.
March 2, 2010
Heriot Tarbas runs away from his home and family instead of going with the member of the King's Court who has appeared to take Heriot away. Unfortunately, he runs into some difficulties and inadvertently ends up with the Court after all. There it is decided that the headaches and visions he has suffered from all his life actually are signs of his true ability and he is made the Court Magician. As the years pass, Heriot becomes more troubled and unhappy with life in the Kingdom - but he is not the only one anxious for change. The King's son and the Hero also want life in the kingdom to be different and they take matters into their own hands.
This book is long, drawn-out and boring. Phrasing is awkward. There is a plot, but it is predictable and takes too long to come to any conclusion.
This book is long, drawn-out and boring. Phrasing is awkward. There is a plot, but it is predictable and takes too long to come to any conclusion.
January 10, 2011
The Magician of Hoad is the story of a boy, Heriot, a boy that is discontent with his place in the world, has always seemed to not fit in. Then one day he finds out that he is actually so much more than he expected. He is a magician, but not just any magician. He is to become the official Magician of Hoad.
But the boy, realizes quickly that he does not want his destiny to be determined by his new title. He wants to be the man he decides he wants to be. He realizes that his powers can be a dangerous thing and that some people would stop at nothing to control them, and if they can't, they would destroy them.
Ultimately this seems to be a coming of age story. Heriot spends his life trying to find out who he really is and what he is really supposed to do. He realizes that neither of these have answers that anyone can give him but himself.
3/5
But the boy, realizes quickly that he does not want his destiny to be determined by his new title. He wants to be the man he decides he wants to be. He realizes that his powers can be a dangerous thing and that some people would stop at nothing to control them, and if they can't, they would destroy them.
Ultimately this seems to be a coming of age story. Heriot spends his life trying to find out who he really is and what he is really supposed to do. He realizes that neither of these have answers that anyone can give him but himself.
3/5
April 11, 2011
So much of Mahy I've always enjoyed. My two faves being The Haunting and The Changeover. I have some idea of the kind of thing to expect from this author as far as her treatment of magic and transformation within a story. However, I can't give this fantasy more than three stars. The book is over-long, over-wordy and winds and weaves through the story until I'm left going "huh?" and not in a good way. There's a good plot in there and some interesting characters--but a lot of it gets lost behind the prose. And it starts to drag . . .
It's not a bad book, but it won't win over new readers, and I'm not sure how well it will fit with the audience of young adults readers. If you're already a fan, this may be worth going through, but I won't be going back to it the way I do other books of Mahy.
It's not a bad book, but it won't win over new readers, and I'm not sure how well it will fit with the audience of young adults readers. If you're already a fan, this may be worth going through, but I won't be going back to it the way I do other books of Mahy.
February 22, 2010
This should get an extra half-star for the beauty of the writing. Unfortunately, I didn't really care about any of the characters. Cayley's secrets are totally obvious, and it was really irritating that Heriot kissed her immediately after he realized she was a girl, even though he had just been violently attacked and there was a wounded man at their feet. It's like his feelings for Cayley weren't valid until he learned she didn't have a penis. I don't normally like to throw around words like heteronormativity, but I'm making an exception for this.
Also, the making true love cure? I vomit. Oh, and sex=marriage. There are a lot of bigamists running around.
Also, the making true love cure? I vomit. Oh, and sex=marriage. There are a lot of bigamists running around.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 29, 2011I finished this a few days ago, and it was really compelling! It made me think about words - how in fantasy/sci fi there are words that we use (for example in this book there was a city called Diamond) but are used slightly out of context and still make sense, and how there are just some made up words (for example Hoad), but then they still use the same words we do (like apple, city, things like that)...I guess if you have too many made up words for things then the book becomes unintelligible.
Had an interesting storyline and characters - I really liked Dysart, Cayley and Linnet, but wasn't a huge fan of Heriot for some reason...but I did grow to like him towards the end.
Had an interesting storyline and characters - I really liked Dysart, Cayley and Linnet, but wasn't a huge fan of Heriot for some reason...but I did grow to like him towards the end.
January 17, 2018
Wowzer! This is another winner from Margaret Mahy. In some ways this story reminded me of trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle without referring to the picture of the complete puzzle. I was given many tiny details that I read right over, and it was only in the last three chapters that I saw how they fit into the larger story.
I don't want to do a synopsis of the plot, because, really, the less you know going in, the more you'll enjoy this. But questions of love, loyalty, lust for power, betrayal and revenge are explored in a most excellent story.
I don't want to do a synopsis of the plot, because, really, the less you know going in, the more you'll enjoy this. But questions of love, loyalty, lust for power, betrayal and revenge are explored in a most excellent story.
January 31, 2010
This one was a bit of a struggle early, as there were jumps forward in time with little revelation of characters' history and motivations. Once I got used to having large chunks of their lives missing and unexplained, and just went with the flow, my appreciation for the book grew. Although there is a bit of traditional fantasy plotting, this is mostly an exploration of the characters' interior lives and how those interior lives influence their relationships in the world. And given the characters' quirkiness, it's quite an interesting exploration.
December 17, 2009
This is another fantastic book by Margaret Mahy- a master of teen literature! I have been bemoaning the fact that there has been very little really good, sink-your-teeth-into-it fantasy lately, but here's one that has shot to the top of my list for this year! Lyrical language, complex characters and story, and the inner lives that often rule our lives, with touches of magic that doesn't always work as wished.
March 31, 2010
This is a very strange fantasy that is hard to get into and that I wasn't able to finish. A young man is legendary in his close-knit family for having fits and spells, but he's not ill--he's a magician, and his fate is tied into that of the Mad Prince, the King of Hoad's youngest son. The characters are odd, unpredictable, and unappealing; the storyline is weird and hard to understand, and I can't recommend this to anyone! Don't bother with it.
August 6, 2010
A traveler recognizes power in the farm boy, Heriot. After being tested he is invited to become the King's Magician. Turbulence and conflict surround Heriot as he grows into manhood. He finds not everything is as it seems in Diamond, the capital city of Hoad.
This is a complex and entertaining story. The characters are well developed: The king is a tad naive and the villains are power hungry. It is a little slow to start, but once Heriot gets to Diamond, it is a great adventure.
This is a complex and entertaining story. The characters are well developed: The king is a tad naive and the villains are power hungry. It is a little slow to start, but once Heriot gets to Diamond, it is a great adventure.
October 4, 2011
I read some fairly negative reviews of this on Goodreads, which surprised me. Okay, I know Goodreads is often not a reliable source for reviews, but I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters, and the setting, which is important to me in general. I wasn’t overly confused by it, and in places I was reminded of the Dalemark Quartet. It’s not The Changeover at all, but I don’t think it needs to be. [March 2011]
February 26, 2013
This book started out fascinating but lost some momentum as the plot unfolded. I enjoyed revisiting Mahy's singular writing style, which I found exhilarating at certain moments. But the final third of the book went on too long, with too much repetition and rehashing of predictable elements. I feel something close to despair that none of her other books has been as utterly singular and breathtaking as The Tricksters was.
January 15, 2010
felt it didn't quite come off - alternately dull and annoyingly oblique. those new to Mahy should start off with the golden period - the Changeover, the Tricksters, Memory. also, i am massively displeased with harpercollins for making the cover of the english ed (which i read) an important and late story spoiler. honestly, guys.
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