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Ten Thousand Charms
When an exiled German king and his three daughters arrive in Pharaoh, New York, their fates become intertwined with that of an eleven-year-old ropemaker's apprentice named Roddy whose supernatural abilities allow him to communicate with crows and dark forces.
228 pages, Hardcover
First published May 2, 2005
2 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Leander Watts
5 books102 followersLeander Watts is the author of five young adult novels. He lives in the Genesee Valley of western New York State, where he teaches writing and literature (special areas of interest: science fiction, crime novels and YA.)
He owns hundreds of vinyl albums (many still in the original cellophane), twelve fezzes, a ninety year old tenor sax, and the biggest collection of Big Hand Books known to exist.
He owns hundreds of vinyl albums (many still in the original cellophane), twelve fezzes, a ninety year old tenor sax, and the biggest collection of Big Hand Books known to exist.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 5, 2014
A fanciful tale of magic and kings, this novel follow an ex-king and his daughters who flee to colonial america and its wild undeveloped villages to start a new life in a new country with new charms. In case, you are wondering those are mysteries, folklore, and magic that apparently the new world is just packed with. This novel is childish and whimsical, very like a fairy tale. Apart from Thea having more dialogue/questions, Mina having more complaints, and Nyxie saying dumb kid things; the sisters aren't terribly distinct in personality and actions. If the eldest and youngest weren't needed to be present for one scene near the end, they could have just been lumped in as one character. The magic and evils were creative and well/executed , though poorly explained; no origin for the Dark King's rule nor his source of magic, no explanation of how exactly his mother is his mother when he 's supposedly said to be suspected a demon or somesort. All in all, I can't say I'm ready to part with this yet as it read beautifully and held just enough childlike wonder to be enjoyable; but I also can't say this would go on any sort of list for fantasy recommendations. Those looking for thoughtful prose and highly developed worlds should not expect much but it is a pretty decent read if you're looking for a quick little bit of charm and magic.
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April 24, 2020Read p. 1: “There was a king … Parliament of Crows.”
The strange gathering of crows in western NY state definitely qualified in King Ivars’ book a a charm, his word for such strange occurrences.*
He cared little for ruling his land and more for mysteries.
Read p. 6: “What Ivars really liked … Latin.”
Maybe his preoccupation with mysteries or charms contributed to how easily the neighboring king took over his kingdom and left him and his daughters with no choice but to immigrate to America.
Read p. 8: “All Ivars cared about … ten thousand charms.”
It doesn’t take long before the first charm appears near Ivars – a huge gathering of crows. And the servant boy Roddy is the only one who knows what the crows want and what they’re saying. Read p. 42: “They were standing together… why they have gathered.”
The strange gathering of crows in western NY state definitely qualified in King Ivars’ book a a charm, his word for such strange occurrences.*
He cared little for ruling his land and more for mysteries.
Read p. 6: “What Ivars really liked … Latin.”
Maybe his preoccupation with mysteries or charms contributed to how easily the neighboring king took over his kingdom and left him and his daughters with no choice but to immigrate to America.
Read p. 8: “All Ivars cared about … ten thousand charms.”
It doesn’t take long before the first charm appears near Ivars – a huge gathering of crows. And the servant boy Roddy is the only one who knows what the crows want and what they’re saying. Read p. 42: “They were standing together… why they have gathered.”
January 1, 2023
(I was hoping to get this finished before midnight, but no such luck.)
While some of the descriptive prose was good, this book was... mostly plotless. You don't really know how Scalander came to be, or why he needed to find a bride in the time frame mentioned. (Before midnight? At midnight? I can't remember...) And the synopsis made King Ivars sound like he'd had to flee his kingdom because of war, but in fact he's just a lousy king who barely realized he'd been overthrown by a neighbouring kingdom. Kind of like an absent-minded Marie Antoinette. And the whole story probably could've been told without Roddy even being in it.
I don't know, I guess I've just read a lot of fantasy books, so I know there are better ones out there.
While some of the descriptive prose was good, this book was... mostly plotless. You don't really know how Scalander came to be, or why he needed to find a bride in the time frame mentioned. (Before midnight? At midnight? I can't remember...) And the synopsis made King Ivars sound like he'd had to flee his kingdom because of war, but in fact he's just a lousy king who barely realized he'd been overthrown by a neighbouring kingdom. Kind of like an absent-minded Marie Antoinette. And the whole story probably could've been told without Roddy even being in it.
I don't know, I guess I've just read a lot of fantasy books, so I know there are better ones out there.
June 26, 2020
It kinda fizzed out unfortunately...
July 11, 2013
I can say that I liked this book, but I wish it had been better.
The story and characters felt underdeveloped, and it feel as if it could have been ten times better if there was just more to it. The whole thing just fell flat.
Even more so was the lack of explanation. How and why was Roddy hearing these voices? What exactly was the King of Shadows? And the Parliament of the Crows? A lot of the story was simply accepted as fact, and not enough actually explained or even what its purpose was.
The climax was, well, anticlimactic. It was there and gone in less than a paragraph, and there was just not enough suspense or action to make much of an impression.
Despite all this, the book did have a certain charm to it, more like a fairy tale than an actual story. If it had been shorter, I'm sure that it would be the perfect sort of story to be read orally. As a book, it didn't really succeed. Still, I enjoyed it. So three stars
The story and characters felt underdeveloped, and it feel as if it could have been ten times better if there was just more to it. The whole thing just fell flat.
Even more so was the lack of explanation. How and why was Roddy hearing these voices? What exactly was the King of Shadows? And the Parliament of the Crows? A lot of the story was simply accepted as fact, and not enough actually explained or even what its purpose was.
The climax was, well, anticlimactic. It was there and gone in less than a paragraph, and there was just not enough suspense or action to make much of an impression.
Despite all this, the book did have a certain charm to it, more like a fairy tale than an actual story. If it had been shorter, I'm sure that it would be the perfect sort of story to be read orally. As a book, it didn't really succeed. Still, I enjoyed it. So three stars
January 30, 2016
The book started off interesting and held my attention for the first 50 or so pages. It seemed like an interesting premise but that doesn't make a book. It was an easy read and I finished it in less than a day.
The word choice can feel awkward as the author tries to convey things from the German girls' views but when he's talking from the perspective of the male protagonist it doesn't get much better. The climactic conflict between the main antagonists and the protagonists just fizzles. The author does quite a bit to build it up but he isn't able to effectively keep the tension. The ending just sealed the book for me and I was quite happy to put it down and be done. The male protagonist was unsympathetic at best and incredibly irritating at worst. The story would have been much better if it was just the king and his three daughters.
I may have enjoyed it more if I were younger but it was definitely not to my taste. I don't think that I will read any of the author's other books.
The word choice can feel awkward as the author tries to convey things from the German girls' views but when he's talking from the perspective of the male protagonist it doesn't get much better. The climactic conflict between the main antagonists and the protagonists just fizzles. The author does quite a bit to build it up but he isn't able to effectively keep the tension. The ending just sealed the book for me and I was quite happy to put it down and be done. The male protagonist was unsympathetic at best and incredibly irritating at worst. The story would have been much better if it was just the king and his three daughters.
I may have enjoyed it more if I were younger but it was definitely not to my taste. I don't think that I will read any of the author's other books.
June 5, 2010
I read "Stonecutter" by Leander Watts as well. Both had the same effect on me. I wanted to be dazzled, I felt like the ideas were solid and set to 'wow' me, but the book fell short of the mark. I enjoyed both stories, but I didn't feel satisfied when I closed the back cover. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something was missing from both!
June 13, 2011
Everything has its own charm, and one would call something charming if one can see its charm. I suppose that is why the King in Ten Thousand Charms call weird occurances and existances charming, because there is something that catches his eyes. The thing I now grasp in my hands after reading this novel is the King's sight. I see the impossible that he sees as possible.
June 24, 2009
Terrible. It's incredibly boring and really doesn't have much of a plot. The only reason I'm still reading it is because it's almost done.
June 29, 2010
This book was interesting. The characters weren't deeply developed, but it read kind of like a fairytale-ish type story, so it worked.
October 15, 2010
Good book
March 18, 2011
It is kinda poetic, but I got a little bored.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews