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The Wizards of Once  By  cover art

The Wizards of Once

By: Cressida Cowell
Narrated by: David Tennant
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Publisher's summary

In the first book of a new series by the best-selling author of How to Train Your Dragon, the warring worlds of Wizards and Warriors collide in a thrilling and enchanting adventure.

Once there were Wizards, who were Magic, and Warriors, who were not. But Xar, son of the King of Wizards, can’t cast a single spell. And Wish, daughter of the Warrior Queen, has a banned magical object of her own. When they collide in the wildwood, on the trail of a deadly witch, it’s the start of a grand adventure that just might change the fabric of their worlds.

With Cressida Cowell’s trademark wit, and the same stunning combination of action, adventure, heart, humor, and incredible artwork that made How to Train Your Dragon a beloved best-selling franchise, The Wizards of Once will transport and enchant listeners.

©2017 Cressida Cowell (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"A narrative rich in dragon muck...genuinely fierce [and] intelligent." ( Kirkus)
"Cowell crafts two believable and lovable main characters...[a] strong new series starter." ( School Library Journal)

What listeners say about The Wizards of Once

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Great Narrator - silly story

I do love fantasy and fairy tales and books written for young readers can be delightful entertainment. I was especially willing to try this particular book because I love David Tennant. His narration was the only thing that made me finish the story.

The premise of 2 children from warring tribes - the warriors and the magicians - had a lot of potential. Each child was the “reject” of their parents with something to prove. Make one of the children an arrogant spoiled liar who wouldn’t know the truth if it bit him and the story is less cute than irritating.

I’m not a parent so I listen to these stories for my own enjoyment- and this one wasn’t very enjoyable because it relied on bad behavior at every turn. If I did have kids I wouldn’t recommend this book to them because the parents are awful and one of the kids is pretty unlikeable. The narration was great but there are much better books out there. I won’t be continuing with this series.

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145 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Awesome!

Let me start off by saying how much I loved the How to Train your Dragon series and was excited Cressida Cowell has come up with an awesome new series. This book was so much fun and not just for the kiddo’s, adults can enjoy it too. I was listen to it at work and was laughing out loud so much my coworkers asked what I was doing. Which of course made me laugh more. The story and the characters are very original and so full of life. I can’t wait until the next book comes out, this book was so good I feel like listening to it again. And of course, I love the narrator and was excited to see he was doing the reading because I just loved him in the HTYD books.

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62 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A bit anti climatic

It began well. First loving the narration. about half way I really became annoyed at the over explanation of characters or elements that constantly came from nowhere for little reason. It began later in the book which felt a bit unnecessary and slightly lazy. Those phrases always being with the words"Ya see....." (insert lengthy description).

My boy is almost 10. He did ask to listen to it every drive to school and at the end he simply looked at me with a sorta "that's it" expression.

I'm a child at heart, and wanted to feel a bit more magic.


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35 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Enchanting and like-able characters

In my mind I imagine it as a Studio Ghibli production. It's so wonderfully described and mesmerizing with the ideas is delivers.
I would recommend this book especially to young girls about the same age as one of the main characters, Wish (13), because it delivers an excellent message about what can be done and how being "different" sometimes means you are exceptional.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fun new world

Fantastic imagery, wonderful plot, and a very easy read. David Tennant does unique voices and has a soothing tone as the quirky narrator.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Too good

The story is amazing and I really want to read the next book, however I let my kids listen to it and is quite scary, no make that Very Scary. However great book I would reccomend for age 9 and up.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A delightful book. A great performance.

I can not wait to read the next book in this series. Also, hats off to the reader. Well done.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Unexpected and Wonderful

We got this on a whim during a road trip and let the 14-year-old pick the book. Based on the summary, she picked this book. I truly think she just picked it because of the word "wizard". However, within an hour we were all laughing out loud for the rest of the trip because of David Tennant's interpretation of the characters and Cressida Cowell's fantastically funny material for him to work with. Easily worth the purchase! Our favorite characters were Bodkin and [Wish's pet] (I won't spoil that surprise for you!)

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic new series

Was wondering if it would live up to her earlier works and it shines all on its own. David Tennant brings the world to life and gives substance to all the characters in the book. I highly recommend this to readers of all ages.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Just about the perfect audio book!

I love Cressida Cowell's printed books because of the art but somehow, David Tennant's performance is so good, I have to listen to the audio and then read the printed editionafter. The story is fantastic as always. Cowell doesn't disappoint. I will say that for fans of the HTTYD series, it is hard to get those characters out of your head while listening to this story. Highly recommended nonetheless.

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5 people found this helpful