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Title: The Wizard in the Tree by Lloyd Alexander, Laszlo Kubinyi ISBN: 0-14-038801-X Publisher: Puffin Pub. Date: January, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.71 (7 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Not his best, but a good read!
Comment: Well, compared to a several books by Lloyd Alexander, this book isnt nearly as interesting or fun as others. However, it's still a very good book and, as all Lloyd Alexanders, a great read with very cool characters.
Rating: 4
Summary: The Wizard in the Tree a book review by Deanna
Comment: In the story The Wizard in the Tree By Lloyd Alexander Mallory and a wizard named Arbacan experienced some terrifying adventures. If you like scary adventures, this is the book for you.
When Mallory finds Arbacan in the tree, Arbacan explains that he got put in the tree because Wizard are not supposed to fiddle with nature in the human world before they leave to Vale Innis. If they fiddled with the environment before they left they would be a part of whatever they fiddled with. When Mallory finds somewhere for Arbacan to stay, she goes and get food. When she brings the food back, Scrupnor the squire follows her. He chases Arbacan and Mallory for hours. Finally they get caught.
Will Mallory be forced to be Scrupnor's slave? Will Arbacan get beaten until he grants wishes for Scrupnor? Will Arbacan escape or not? Will Mallory escape? My favorite part is when Mallory and Arbacan have to sneak past all of Scrupnors guards. Will they sneak out without getting caught? They experience fabulous adventures until Arbacan has to leave to Vale Innis. Arbacan gives Mallory a magical gift before he leaves. What power does this gift has? Will Mallory be able to see Arbacan when she needs a friend? I encourage you to read The Wizard in the Tree.
Rating: 2
Summary: Lacking the magic
Comment: I never thought I'd give two stars to a Lloyd Alexander story, but sadly this story is far below his usual fare. After reading the similar "Cat Who Wished To Be A Man" I expected excellence from this book. I was somewhat disappointed.
Mallory is a young girl who loves stories about magic and wizards and so forth; she also lives in a village ruled over by the repulsive Squire Scrupner, who is milking the people for money while masking it under faux benevolence. But when she notices an oddity about an old oak, she finds a real live -- and very cranky -- wizard inside!
Arbican was a powerful wizard who broke a certain law, and ended up sealed inside the tree. Thus, he hasn't been able to follow his fellow wizards across the sea, and his magic has gradually seeped away. Mallory agrees to keep Arbican a secret from her shrewish inkeeper and her spineless husband, and especially from Squire Scrupner.
But soon Arbican is revealed to the Squire--who uses him as a scapegoat for the death of the old squire. Mallory and Arbican end up in a perilous situation, with the squire determined to commit murder again.
It took me a while to understand why I disliked this book. Finally I figured out why: the story just lacks what we expect from Lloyd Alexander. With the greedy squire/mayor sapping money from the townsfolk, and the intervention of a magical being, it is similar in some respects to "Cat", but lacks what made that other book so appealing.
It lacks the supporting characters that Alexander does so well, and thus we get a rather stifling view of this invented land. His trademark humor and wit are rather underdone, as the only person with wit is Arbican and his seems to be a rather malicious one. Also, most of the characters other than Mallory are completely unsympathetic: The squire is detestable, so is the fawning woman that Mallory lives with, her husband is a first-order wimp, the farmer is a thief and child-abuser, his son is about the same, Arbican never apologizes for his snappishness or really does much at all, and only really shows much graciousness at the end.
The story gets two stars for being written in Lloyd Alexander's excellent style, and also for featuring the nice, fantasy-fed heroine Mallory.
Unfortunately Mallory cannot save this tale. I can only speculate that Alexander was experiencing a rather dreary view of humanity while writing this story, and scoot on to something else.
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Title: The Iron Ring (Novel) by Lloyd Alexander ISBN: 0141303484 Publisher: Puffin Pub. Date: July, 1999 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: The Kestrel by Lloyd Alexander ISBN: 0141310693 Publisher: Firebird Books Pub. Date: June, 2002 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: The Beggar Queen by Lloyd Alexander ISBN: 0440905486 Publisher: Laure Leaf Pub. Date: 01 September, 1985 List Price(USD): $4.99 |
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Title: The Book of Three by LLOYD ALEXANDER ISBN: 0440407028 Publisher: Yearling Books Pub. Date: 15 November, 1978 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander ISBN: 0140378251 Publisher: Puffin Pub. Date: February, 1996 List Price(USD): $4.99 |
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