Review: The Magician's Workshop, Volume One

The Magician's Workshop, Volume One by Christopher Hansen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Much like The Magician’s Workshop, I’m going to preface my review. Truthfully, I’m not the biggest lover of stories that are broken into many volumes. I’m impatient and I hate waiting for the next release. I like big chunky reads and prefer to have one long book rather than lots of little ones. I fear breaking stories up into smaller parts can lead to certain things being dragged out too much. Nevertheless, despite all of this, when the author’s contacted me for a review I was happy to give the story a try. I may not be crazy about stories told by the volume, but if they’re interesting enough I am willing to give them a try. In this case, I’m glad I gave the story a go. What this amounts to is a piece of advice: do not be put off by the way in which this story is told. It may be told in separate volumes, but the volumes are interconnected, with a promise of a wonderful overall story. Even if you’re not the biggest fan of such a way of storytelling, give this one a go as I did. It is more than worth it.

Now onto my feelings about the book.

The synopsis of this one really grabbed my attention. I love entering new fantasy worlds and the idea of this one really caught my attention. Having read the book, I can honestly say the fantasy aspect did not disappointment me. The world building was wonderful, and I really enjoyed the way in which the magical system worked. I still have a lot of questions, yes, but I feel as though these questions will be answered in the future volumes. This volume works to introduce you to the world and the characters, giving you a chance to understand what you’re entering before you become weighed down with too much information. I admit that there were some aspects I would have liked to know more about whilst reading this one, as it would have made the story easier to understand, but I’m holding out hope that these blank spots exist for a reason. Even after the first volume, you get the feeling everything is wonderfully connected. You don’t know why or how, certain things you have no idea how they will come together, but you are left with the feeling that everything is important. Thus, I’m trusting that these questions are unanswered for an important reason.

Not only is the wold building wonderful, but we also have a great cast of characters. I’ll admit that my feelings are a little bit mixed when it comes to the number of characters we have. Despite this, I did enjoy them all. We follow multiple stories, we get a glimpse into multiple ways of life and this really helped to bring things to life. Seeing such a range of characters works really well in bring the world to life, allowing us to get a large variety of information. It also allows for a very interesting cast, letting us following all kinds of stories. You’re positive they’re all going to become connected in some way, and that every story plays an important role, but at present we don’t have any specifics. I’m super excited to jump into volume two so that I can get some of these answers.

As I said, though, I’m a little bit unsure as to how I feel about all the characters. I prefer it when stories follow a small cast of characters, but I understand that it is necessary in some cases. Take Game of Thrones: I really enjoy that series, and that one follows multiple characters. I feel as though with time I will come to accept it – and I did notice a change as I was working through The Magician’s Workshop – but at first it did seem a bit daunting. It’s a lot to wrap your head around, and you certainly need to be prepared to keep a lot of information in your mind. The authors do a very good job of preventing confusion from occurring, making it clear what is happening in each story line, yet it is still a lot that is happening at once. Due to this, the story will not be for everyone. Once you get into the story it is wonderful – the way in which the story comes to life, the way in which you’re pulled into the lives of the characters – and you’ve left wanting more.

Honestly, I’m super eager to see what comes next. This first volume has certainly pulled me in!

As a final note, I would like to thank the authors for allowing me to read this in exchange for a review. You’ve certainly left me addicted and in need of answers!

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