Wizards, by John Booth

Jake realized early on that he had some rather unusual abilities.  Now, as a young adult wizard, life is fairly complicated.  He gets entangled with police investigations of missing people, and one such investigation leads to a steamy romance with Jenny.  Add to this a dragon, the ability to hop into new worlds, encounters with evil wizards, and an unintentional betrothal to a princess, and you have yourself a fantastic and humorous time.

This is not your Harry Potter type of wizarding.  This book has a much more humorous take on what can happen when one is a teenage wizard.  While there is some danger in throughout the book, it is nothing so dark as parental murder and dementors.  I personally found the book to be quite humorous, showing all the angst of being a teenager with the added magical twist.

I really liked Jake's character.  He is a complex lad, on one hand trying to find a steady job, and on the other shooting streams of fire at evil wizards in a parallel world.  I love how Booth's explanation of the nuances of the wizard world tie into mysteries in our own, such as Stonehenge.  This book will definitely keep readers on their toes.

While there are a lot of minor characters, and various fantastical settings, I never found myself confused regarding the action in the book.  It was clear what was happening, and it made complete sense within the story.  For someone not prone to reading fantasy novels, I greatly appreciated the clarity.

Overall, I found the book delightful, and it had me wishing for a movie version of this young wizard.  The book is great for young adult readers of high school age, as well as adults.  Any fan of fantasy will like the book, but keep in mind that the book also has fair doses of humor and romance, so the appeal can be very wide reaching.



I received a review copy of the book courtesy of the publisher and editor.