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Sebastien de Castell

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Spellslinger Kindle Edition

by Sebastien de Castell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 2,525 ratings

Book 1 of 6: Spellslinger

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A would-be mage with no magic of his own has to defeat powerful enemies with only cunning and deception in the first book of an exciting adventure fantasy series from Sebastien de Castell.

Kellen is moments away from facing his first duel and proving his worth as a spellcaster. There's just one problem: his magic is fading.

Facing exile unless he can pass the mage trials, Kellen is willing to risk everything -- even his own life -- in search of a way to restore his magic. But when the enigmatic Ferius Parfax arrives in town, she challenges him to take a different path.

One of the elusive Argosi, Ferius is a traveller who lives by her wits and the cards she carries. Daring, unpredictable, and wielding magic Kellen has never seen before, she may be his only hope.

The first novel in a compelling six-book series, bursting with tricks, humor, and a whole new way to look at magic.

Spellslinger SeriesSpellslingerShadowblackCharmcaster
For more from Sebastien de Castell, check out:
The Greatcoats QuartetTraitor's BladeSaint's BloodKnight's ShadowTyrant's Throne

Book 1 of 6

Spellslinger
Print length

416 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Orbit
Publication date

July 17, 2018
Grade level

9 - 12
File size

1615 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
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Get to know this book

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“I’m a woman, kid. You probably haven’t met one before, coming as you do from this backward place, but it’s like a man only smarter and with bigger balls.”
116 Kindle readers highlighted this
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“We all got ugliness inside us, Kellen. Yours is worse? Then fight harder. Figure it out. But don’t you ever pretend you don’t have a choice.”
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“When you see the world outside your home town, outside the walls of what you were brought up to see, then you discover that you almost never know if you’re doing the right thing. One action, brave and true, leads to war and destruction. Another, craven and greedy, leads to peace and prosperity.”
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Editorial Reviews

Review

A fun, fast-moving adventure, with surprising depth and insight.

-- "Jim C. Hines, Hugo Award-winning author"

Exotic, original and gripping from the get-go, Spellslinger is a must-read.

-- "Jonathan Stroud, New York Times bestselling author "

An intriguing system of magic, wry humor, and a twisting plot make for an entertaining series debut.

-- "Kirkus Reviews"

Told with the conviction of Ursula Le Guin and the dash of Alexandre Dumas.

-- "New Statesman"

About the Author

Sebastien de Castell had just finished a degree in archaeology when he started work on his first dig. Four hours later he realized how much he actually hated archaeology and left to pursue a very focused career as a musician, ombudsman, interaction designer, fight choreographer, teacher, project manager, actor, and product strategist. Sebastien lives in Vancouver, Canada, with his lovely wife and two belligerent cats.

Joe Jameson trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He has narrated over a hundred audiobooks, including titles by Gillian Slovo, Bear Grylls, Malorie Blackman, and Susan Hill, as well as The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff. He also works extensively in theater and television.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B079DNTPRK
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orbit (July 17, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 17, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1615 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 416 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #170,904 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #751 in Humorous Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #1,960 in Action & Adventure Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #3,494 in Epic Fantasy (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 2,525 ratings

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Sebastien de Castell

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Sebastien de Castell had just finished a degree in Archaeology when he started work on his first dig. Four hours later he realized how much he actually hated archaeology and left to pursue a very focused career as a musician, ombudsman, interaction designer, fight choreographer, teacher, project manager, actor, and product strategist. His only defence against the charge of unbridled dilettantism is that he genuinely likes doing these things and that, in one way or another, each of these fields plays a role in his writing. He sternly resists the accusation of being a Renaissance Man in the hopes that more people will label him that way.

Sebastien's acclaimed swashbuckling fantasy series, The Greatcoats. was shortlisted for both the 2014 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy. the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Debut, the Prix Imaginales for Best Foreign Work, and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His YA fantasy series, Spellslinger, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and is published in more than a dozen languages.

Sebastien lives in Vancouver, Canada with his lovely wife and two belligerent cats. You can reach him at www.decastell.com

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

2,525 global ratings

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Constant Reader

Highly Entertaining, Fast paced, Adventure

Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2020

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This is a very fun story that provided escape from the news for a few hours. Kellen is our hero and he is clever, honorable, resilient, and likable. He also believes that he is magic-less and about to be cast aside from his powerful family to a life of servitude. The book begins with the trials that must be passed to earn the title as Mage before he turns 16. I will not recount the story here, because it is fun to see it unfurl as the author planned. The pacing is fast. There are interesting and sometimes mysterious characters. The magic ranges from simple to highly complex. Treachery, betrayal, bravery, loyalty and much more are skillfully woven into a good story. Plus, one of the finest “familiars” ever- well, really more of a business partner. This is the first book in a series. It can be difficult to set up your world, define the characters, set up continuing issues and tensions, all while telling a good story. This one worked. There is resolution to the main plot focus, but there are still adventures and complications left to drive the series. Because so much happens to define the cast of continuing characters in this book, it would be wise to read this book first.

2 people found this helpful

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Shannon Adams (Wine, Tea, & Paper)

A magical coming of age novel

Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2019

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4.5 stars!
Alright, I kinda changed my mind about my rating after I sat and thought about it some more. When I finished the book I automatically gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. But….after letting it marinate in my mind I took half of a star away.

For a book to get 5 stars from me I have to really feel a connection to the story, the universe it is set in, or a character. And that just didn’t happen for me.

I really enjoyed the story and the characters, even the side characters. But, I just didn’t find myself thinking about the book once it was over.

But, even though I didn’t find myself wandering back to this magical universe in my spare time, I still throughly enjoyed this book and will be picking up the others in the series. (yes, that noise you hear is my bank account sobbing)

I really did not know how this book was going to end. In that aspect I was always on my toes picking up every detail to try to see where the story might take me.

I was expecting tons of magic and I was not disappointed. I also loved how Castell weaved trickery and “unconventional magic” into the storyline as well.

I WISH I COULD TALK ABOUT THE PARTS I DIDN’T SEE COMING…but then I would ruin it for you. But OMG. There were SEVERAL points toward the end of the book that I did not see coming at all. I devoured the last half of this book because crazy things just kept happening!

I enjoy when I am shocked by a change in events or a major reveal and boy did this book mark off those boxes.

Ferius might have been my favorite character. She was always showing up at the right time to save Kellen’s ass. She never gave Kellen the answer straight up and made him figure it out which I loved.

I found Kellen to be very smart and cunning. He was always trying to persevere even without magic.

His sister fit the role of annoying little sister so perfectly. But, she was also very helpful when Kellen needed her.

I was not expecting romance in this book at all. And I hate when I book just randomly throws in a romance that doesn’t fit and seems out of place. This wasn’t the case with Spellslinger. I enjoyed the tiny bit of romance that Kellen builds in the beginning of the book and it was nice to see it come to fruition at the end. It wasn’t my favorite, but I am happy it was a part of the story.

Castell’s writing made the magical world come to life and I felt like I was watching things unfold before my eyes. He captured his characters’ personalities so well! I even found myself laughing out loud at some of Kellen’s thoughts and that never happens!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it was a great way for me to finish August!

3 people found this helpful

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Ashley

Well crafted story!

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2023

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I absolutely love this series! My 8yo son (who refused to listen to audiobooks) and I recently listened to the audiobook version of the entire series. He says they are his favorite books and has given a couple to his friends as birthday presents! He refers to the series as The Book of Kellen. Initially, I thought the books might be above his age range and I'm sure some of the material went over his head but this was the first time that I have seen him fully engaged with a story and asking questions about new words. Sebastien de Castell is a gifted storyteller who creates vivid, creative characters and worlds with just the right kind of humor! Joe Jameison is an amazing narrator as well. They are a perfect pairing it feels like Castell wrote this with Jameison in mind to read it!

One person found this helpful

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Mary Soon Lee

A fun opening to a fantasy series, complete with likable hero and humor.

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2018

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This is a fun first book in a fantasy series, but not, for me, of the same high caliber as the author's Greatcoats series. Like the Greatcoats books, this one has a likable main character, plus nice moments of humor, plus good supporting characters (in particular, Ferius and Reichis and Abydos). The main character is only fifteen years old, and the book has a young adult sensibility. It would be easy to say that that's why I liked it less than the Greatcoats books, because this book is therefore lighter or shallower. But young adult books can be deep and beautiful and contain darkness. Consider, for example, Megan Whalen Turner's "The Thief" or Ursula K. Le Guin's "A Wizard of Earthsea." Those books set down roots deep in my mind, their world and their characters becoming part of me. This book, while fun, did not.

P.S. Fun is often sufficient, however, and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the Spellslinger books.

48 people found this helpful

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phrynne

A great start to a series

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2021

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A great start to a series which is classified as YA, due I guess to the MC being a fifteen year old boy, but it is perfectly readable for any age group.

Spellslinger is set in a fantasy world where Mages are the elite class and those without magic are basically their slaves. Children take their test to become a Mage on their sixteenth birthday. Kellen is almost there but his magic, instead of increasing, is leaving him. However he is really smart and manages to win his first trial with his wits instead of magic. This sets off a succession of disasters.

As the story develops we meet some wonderful characters such as Ferus Parfax who uses playing cards as weapons and saves Kellen's life. There is also the hilarious Reichis who is a Nekhek or squirrel cat with violent tendencies and ambitions which greatly exceed his abilities. There are some rather nasty baddies too which causes a lot of exciting action.

I really enjoyed the whole book and have added the series to my never ending list of must reads.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Niran

What an enjoyable read

Reviewed in Canada on February 19, 2021

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I got this book as an ebook deal last year and did not read it. I recently read it and was impressed with the storytelling, character and flow. They character are fun to know; the dialogue is witty and humorous. I am happy to find a "new" series that brings such a sense of delight.

Michelle Werth

Inspiring

Reviewed in Germany on March 11, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is truly one of the most interesting and inspiring books I've ever read. I started it because I've read the Greatcoats and I'm a huge fan of de Castell 's work so far! Did not let me down and inspired me once again to write my own stories. Great.
Read it! You'll understand what I mean then xD

4 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Great idea for a magic system

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2017

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed this book. The magic system described is different, and the world building is good. I felt I could see the surroundings and characters.
Kellen makes a most excellent protagonist, he appears to have no magic, but has brains and has figured how to make the system work in his favour.
The story line will have you hooked as you follow Kellen's progress, and the twists and turns will keep you guessing til the end.
The writing style flows well and picks you up and carries you along with it, I found no slow or awkward patches when I was reading. In fact it flowed so well I lost track of a considerable amount of time as I just had to keep turning the pages to find out what happened next.
If you like fantasy worlds, and are looking for something a bit different but still good, I can heartily recommend this book. I am looking forwards to book 2

2 people found this helpful

peastri

Perfect from cover to 'the end'.

Reviewed in Australia on June 27, 2018

Verified Purchase

This one caught me by surprise. I was using it unceremoniously as a filler book until another book I was waiting for came out. I didn't even think I'd finish it in time but I blitzed through it unable to put it down and am now torn between reading the book I was waiting for or picking up Shadowblack. It's the kind of bittersweet conundrum I hope for.

It's a fun and entertaining mess of love, hatred, friendship, betrayal, magic and squirrel cats. Nothing complex or overwhelmingly stupid. Plot reveals are timed nicely some with nifty twists and the pacing is swift and smooth.

For the audio fans: Joe Jameson. No need to say anymore other than brilliant as always.

The cover (UK/AU): Love this cover. It's unique, precisely executed and completely relevant to the story. Nailed it. Full marks from me and right up there with some of my all time favourites.

In short: Readers looking for something fun, light and just plain entertaining will love it. Extra marks because it also looks so handsome on the shelf.

2 people found this helpful

Xanmot Ravensblack

A Pleasant Surprise

Reviewed in Canada on December 30, 2018

Verified Purchase

I grabbed this because it was a kindle deal and fantasy. I was happily surprised. A great coming of age tale with interesting characters and setting.

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