My review of Magpie and the Spellcaster, by Kelly (Opie) Benscoter
MY REVIEW: ●●●●●●ʘ | (7/7)
FULL DISCLOSURE: I am the designer and publisher of this book. I'm also a good friend of the author. I am unapologetically biased, but speaking as a lifelong lover of fantasy (especially fantasy involving animals), I really think you will enjoy this one.
MAGPIE AND THE SPELLCASTER is an action-packed foray into the world of talking animals in the tradition of Brian Jacques' Redwall and C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. Opie grew up on the Nez Perce Reservation near Lapwai, Idaho and was inspired by Nez Perce creation stories and the animals that frequently occupied them. In this first book of the Flights of the Magpie series, for example, Coyote plays an advisory role to the central protagonist Magpie, who is a guardian of his forest and the animals who live there.
Conservative readers will find much to love in this series as the author unapologetically writes from that worldview and perspective. Often allegorical, Opie's dialogue is very thoughtful and contains all kinds of gems that will have you grinning and laughing out loud at times, while dealing honestly with very real pathos and tragedy as it comes.
Without spoiling anything, I'll tell you that the animals of the forest come together in a way that reminds me very much of some of the best battle scenes from Brian Jacques' books, punctuated with a wholesome resolution that feels just a little bit like Aesop's Fables and sets up the characters for further adventures in the series.
Filled with Jon Dawley's quirky and engaging illustrations (I included a photo of the unforgettable Crawdad below), Magpie and the Spellcaster is also peppered with some of Opie's really great original poems about the animals of the forest, as well as wry glimpses into his sometimes slightly twisted sense of humor. I think you will especially enjoy "Pesky Fly" (included in this review for your enjoyment), "Mouse," and "Frog." The end result is enormously entertaining and I highly recommend it!
The powerful warrior Crawdad, from pg. 60
One of my favorite poems from the book: Pesky Fly, pgs. 40-41
