Magic Teacher's Son

Magicians Gold Series, Book 1

By: David Harten Watson

Narrated by: Ray Greenley

Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Magic Teacher's Son is a story of betrayal, forgiveness, trust, and treason in a magical world at war. While armies clash in distant battles pitting Magicians against Sorcerers, the actions of an ordinary boy, his classmates, and his friends threaten the loss of their kingdom, but are also its only true hope for survival.

When 16-year-old Pran sneaks out of his house one night to join other teens experimenting with sorcery, it sets into motion a chain of events that lead to betrayal, an attempt on his life, first love, friendship with a most unusual spy, treason, and the imminent conquest of his kingdom.

His father, schoolmaster of the town's one-room magic school, learns of the midnight dabbling in sorcery, expels one student, and gives Pran an even worse punishment: implying to the class that he's the snitch! Before Pran can convince his classmates he's not, a prophecy warns that the gold Eldor's Magicians need to repel the current invasion will vanish from their world, and the kingdom is doomed unless Pran travels to the "legendary" land of Earth to replace it.

To find three companions he needs for his quest, Pran must put loyalty ahead of personal safety, stand up to vengeful classmates who think he snitched on them, forgive a former friend who betrayed him, and face his worst fears. But can Pran trust the remarkable companions the prophecy picked for him?

©2014 David Harten Watson (P)2018 David Harten Watson

Wow. Just wow. Where’s the next book?

I absolutely loved this book. I had forgotten that it was the first book in a series and when it became obvious that at least one more book would follow I became super excited where the story was going to go. It was rather obvious that the book would end with them going through the portal, and I had sort of hoped for a look at Earth at the end. Some of the bits were a bit... pedestrian or something? Like the schooldays which did not seem to add much, yet. Maybe in later novels the explanation of those spells will come in handy. But overall I loved the story and I cant wait to read the next.
I was given this copy freely in return for a voluntary review.

Waiting for Book 2! Great.

Narrator was exceptional! Great voices for each character. It was very easy to listen to him. Ray Greenley- GREAT job.

Story was magical. I am looking forward to hear more about their travels and tribulations. There is sorcery, magic, betrayal, young love, new friends are made, and much more. Excellent YA book.

I hope to hear / read more books by David Harten Watson.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

Has potential

Pran is a teenage boy attending magic school. His father is his teacher. Magic is prevalent in his kingdom amongst the boys. He’s heard of another land where it is rumoured girls also acquire the ability to do magic. Sorcery (the use of black magic) is outlawed. A Magician’s spell (white magic) requires gold or silver. Gold is for more complex spells. The metal gets used up when the spell is cast. There is a recent prophecy that gold will soon mysteriously disappear. Without it, their kingdom will be defenceless in their current war against the Sorcerers (who use black magic and rely on bones and necromancy). It is determined Pran is the boy spoken of in the prophecy, and he and three companions must travel to Earth to acquire more gold. It does not look to be an easy task.

This is the first book I’ve read/listened to by this author. I am curious to listen to the next in the this series. I enjoy the story that has been set forth so far. This book ends with an obvious lead into the next.

This is the first book I’ve listened to by this narrator ( Ray Greenley) and I would listen to another. I find some narrators have a hard time with the voices for kids, but he does a great job with the many teenage voices. They are all distinct. As are the adult voices. His cadence is such he also brings out the personalities of the characters.

There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence or swearing. This is a book appropriate for pre-teen and up.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

Fun story with relatable, age-appropriate content!

I love the way the fun and action was interwoven with moments of insight relative to the human condition and state of the world. It touched upon relevant problems of the world, but in such a way that it blended beautifully in the story and so perhaps will give developing minds some food for thought. The relationships are real and although girls will enjoy reading it too, boys are likely to relate to the friends, the foes and the experiences. This is a fun story, but also smart. I loved it!

Great young adult fantasy story

Watson does a great job bringing this new world to life. The main hero, Pran, is a upstanding protagonist who displays, for the most part, the best of humanity. He is forgiving and friendly, and (usually) tries to do the right thing. We are introduced to several other interesting characters who are "more than they seem."

Greenley again brings these characters to life with an array of voices, and makes the story seem more real, somehow. I had a hard time putting the book down, though Watson eventually did it for me and ended on a bit of a cliff-hanger. Fortunately the second book is already up on Audible so I will be continuing to follow the adventures of Pran and his friends soon, as they travel to the mythical land of [SPOILER].

a Good Time,and That's What Counts

I received this book at my own request, my review is voluntary.

This book was just a plain good time. Is it perfect? no. Is it amazing? nah. But I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I didnt have to thing, just listen and enjoy.

Good start to the series

This is the first book in the series and it's was a good start. It definitely has tons of potential and i'm very interested so see where the author takes it.

Great YA Fantasy Fiction

I was a bit on the fence on this title at first. As an adult, I find it a bit hard to get into Young Adult (YA) fiction. However, the world-building here is top-notch. The system of magic (SPOILER) of gold being consumed for white magic and bone for black magic forms the core of an industrializing world where magic instead of technology drove civilizational evolution (END SPOILER). It's the sort of simple yet original idea that evokes envy from other fantasy writers, no doubt. The fusing of science fiction elements and parallel worlds is fluid enough that readers won't get lost, and provides the set-up for what will no doubt be an epic trilogy. Yet, even with the novel's attempts at epic-ness, there is still a sense of fun underlying it all, which is rare on modern fantasy. It's nice to see a wizard throwing around fireballs who's actually enjoying themselves, as opposed to brooding on a tower or something.

The characters took a while for me to warm to as well, but it was largely a case of stepping back and trying to imagine myself as a teenager reading this. The main character (Pran) became far more likable, and his concerns and struggles relatable. I also thought the character of Jelall was interesting, and had far more depth than any of the other characters. Of course, the eponymous magic teacher also fascinated me, as he seems to ride the line between strict and supportive, capable and vulnerable.

My only criticism is that i wish there'd been more room for female characters. There is a plot reason for this (SPOILER) within the world, women cannot cast magic (END SPOILER). But to me, this gave the story a "boy's club, no girl's aloud" sort of vibe. The later inclusion of a female character who can do magic in the love interest role, i feel, is not explored enough (perhaps in the sequels?) and she feels more like a convention rather than a character. Pran's attraction to her also seemed a bit off, fixated on her skin color. Admittedly, this is far more similar to how 13-year old boys think than men do, but i feel more could've been done to round out Pran's affection and the female cast.

Overall, I enjoyed my time listening to Magic Teacher's Son. It was certainly out of my zone of normal listens and literature, but it was still a fun journey! If you have kids looking for a book to read (or listen to) over the long summer months, or want something fun and quick for a day at the beach, I'd recommend this!

My son and I loved it

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I have to say, I truly enjoyed this book. More than I thought I would, actually. It is definitely geared towards a younger audience, but I was still able to enjoy it. I actually listened to it with my 10 year old son and we both liked it. The narration is well done and the story was very engaging.

11 1/2 hours of Dull with characters you’ll hate

(And not the villains)

I have to admit, I get my hopes up high when I find a lengthy book for our MG audience. They deserve more than simple, dull, chapter books with casual writing, dim story lines, convoluted plot, and characters thinner than the internet transmission.

However, for a book clocking in at 340 pages and an audiobook over 11 1/2 hours, it didn’t rise to zenith. I don’t think it barely made it over a hump, much less a mole hill.

The Magic Teacher was an over exaggerated pompous, erratic, zealous, screaming lunatic on a power trip. Know anyone like that? Insert him/her for a giggle. I did.
He talked.
A lot.
He explained.
A lot.
He screamed.
A lot.
He could have been this writer’s god, because he told us the entire world building. It wasn’t created for us during our journey, which left ZERO to a reader’s imagination and prevented a deep dive into what was presented as an epic fantasy book.
I think his dominating presence the first couple hours of the book really tainted my ability to enjoy the book at all.

Pran, the magic teacher’s son, didn’t seem too likable. I never walked his shoes or got into his head. And I really wanted to! Poor kid. His dad was on a God kick more than the kid’s dad who was the banker who loaned the money for the school. (Yeah, dad ranted and raved like a banshee about that to the students.)

I liked the companions - it was unique with a promising balance. But the relationship slash friendship didn’t sell.

I wanted sooo much to love this book and drool for the next in the series! But the writing was too simplistic for the age group intended. It didn’t evoke emotion or levels of urgency or danger. It’s all hype but no bite; barely a nibble.
So everything I mentioned in the first paragraph still found its home in this book. It was just more so and more glaring.

Sadly, I asked for and received a credit for the audiobook. I hate when I do that and end up regretting it. It’s not my intention to rate low. I prefer to not rate at all whenever possible.

I enjoyed the narrator. He had his work cut out for him but he, at least, has found his true calling. It was a feat to finish this book but I did it. Ray Greenley is one of the best.