THE NOVICE The Black Magician Trilogy, Book 2

Ominous music at the beginning of each chapter sets the tone in this tale of magic and intrigue. Richard Aspel’s subtle Australian accent has a mystical quality as he traces Sonea’s first year as a novice in the Magician’s Guild. The action alternates between Sonea’s trials with her classmates and an undercover investigation of the Guild’s leader. Aspel does his best to provide a unique voicing of each character, but even that is not always enough to keep the extensive cast of characters straight. Also, the supplementary information at the end of the audio, including a glossary, could have been better absorbed in a print format. E.N. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2010]