May 2017 Book of the Month | In a Nutshell: Witty fantasy anti-hero forges his own path
There’s trickery, traps, and action aplenty in this vividly conjured magical fantasy – the first in a series - about finding your place and discovering who you really are.
Soon-to-be-sixteen, Kellen is one of the Jan’Tep (the ‘People of True Magic’) and about to undergo a series of trials to prove he has the “calibre of magic worthy of earning my mage name”. The pressure is immense, and failure “inconceivable”, for failure means living in servitude as a Sha’Tep. But there’s a problem... Despite being the son of a highly esteemed mage, Kellen has zero aptitude for magic, and so the arrival of straight-talking Ferius Pafax comes as a godsend. She saves Kellen’s life, and then her mysterious decks of cards leads him to question everything…
What follows is a spectacularly cinematic experience that fizzes with action and jaw-dropping revelations. Oh, and a talking squirrel cat sidekick. This is fresh, funny fantasy made all the more appealing by Kellen’s wit and outcast status. ~ Joanne Owen
MAGIC IS A CON GAME. Kellen is moments away from facing his first mage's duel and the start of four trials that will make him a spellcaster. There's just one problem: his magic is gone. As his sixteenth birthday approaches, Kellen falls back on his cunning in a bid to avoid total disgrace. But when a daring stranger arrives in town, she challenges Kellen to take a different path. Ferius Parfax is one of the mysterious Argosi - a traveller who lives by her wits and the three decks of cards she carries. She's difficult and unpredictable, but she may be Kellen's only hope...The first in a rich and compelling fantasy series bursting with tricks, traps and a devious talking squirrel cat.
'A cracking read, fast paced and witty, w ith an excellent squirrel-cat sidekick' - The Bookseller
Author
About Sebastien de Castell
Sebastien de Castell had just finished a degree in Archaeology when he started work on his first dig. Four hours later he realized how much he actually hated archaeology and left to pursue a very focused career as a musician, ombudsman, interaction designer, fight choreographer, teacher, project manager, actor and product strategist. His only defence against the charge of unbridled dilettantism is that he genuinely likes doing these things and that, in one way or another, each of these fields plays a role in his writing. He sternly resists the accusation of being a Renaissance Man in the hopes that more people will label him that way. Sebastien lives in Vancouver with his lovely wife and two belligerent cats.
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