The Iron Trial
The Iron Trial
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Just the Series: Magisterium Vol. 1   

Series and Publisher: Magisterium   

Annotation: Warned away from magic all of his life, Callum endeavors to fail the trials that would admit him to the Magisterium--only to be drawn into its ranks against his will and forced to confront dark elements from his past.
Genre: [Fantasy fiction]
 
Reviews: 6
Catalog Number: #104239
Format: Perma-Bound Edition
Common Core/STEAM: Common Core Common Core
Copyright Date: 2014
Edition Date: 2015 Release Date: 07/28/15
Illustrator: Fischer, Scott M.,
Pages: 295 pages
ISBN: Publisher: 0-545-52226-9 Perma-Bound: 0-605-88583-4
ISBN 13: Publisher: 978-0-545-52226-7 Perma-Bound: 978-0-605-88583-7
Dewey: Fic
LCCN: 2014937300
Dimensions: 20 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
ALA Booklist (Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

It's a tall order in this day and age to write a book about a young boy in magic school without being held to the Harry Potter standard, but that's exactly what Black and Clare attempt in their first collaboration (and Clare's first middle-grade offering). The premise is simple: 12-year-old Callum Hunt has been warned about the dangers of magic for as long as he can remember by his father, a former mage, who blames the Magisterium, a magic academy, for the death of his wife. Despite Cal's best attempts to fail the entrance exam into that academy, his inherent magical ability gets him accepted, and he begins the first of five years of his training. Occasional comparisons to Harry Potter are inevitable, but Cal isn't the Boy Who Lived though his friend Aaron might be d the Magisterium isn't Hogwarts. Expectations are bound to be high for this powerhouse duo's first cowritten effort, and although it doesn't quite live up to the authors' respective works (Black's Doll Bones was a 2014 Newbery Honor Book), and there are several missed opportunities, the end offers a few intriguing twists and perspectives that hint at what's to come in the next installments. And with four Magisterium volumes still in the works, Black and Clare have ample time to hit their stride as a team. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The six-figure initial print run may still be shy of the demand from the fans of these two wildly popular authors.

Horn Book

The lone survivor of a horrific massacre as a baby, Callum Hunt is found with a curious note from his mother: "KILL THE CHILD." His mysterious past and inexplicable powers seem to mark Callum as the classic child of destiny, but the authors stand that trope on its head. With a clever ending twist, this series seems poised to attract a loyal following.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Set in a magic-inflected version of the present-day U.S., this first title in the Magisterium series combines the talents of Black (Doll Bones) and Clare (the Mortal Instruments series) in a thrilling coming-of-age story that embraces fantasy tropes while keeping readers guessing. Twelve-year-old Callum Hunt has been raised to distrust magic. Mages killed his mother, and his father has warned him that the Magisterium, a school where young mages are trained, is a deathtrap. Callum-s attempts to fail the entrance exam go awry, and he is chosen to apprentice under Master Rufus, along with fellow students Aaron and Tamara. As Callum, Tamara, Aaron, and their classmates embark on their first of five years of schooling, Callum realizes how little he knows of his own heritage. The strange, subterranean Magisterium is vividly rendered, and a string of ominous revelations will leave readers eager for future installments. Fans of both authors will enjoy getting to know this well-rounded cast in the first steps of their adventure. Ages 8-12. Agent: (for Black) Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary; (for Clare) Russell Galen, Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency. (Sept.)

School Library Journal (Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Gr 5-8 All his life Callum Hunt has been warned by his father that practicing magic is a guaranteed death sentence, the only certain way to make sure he doesn't reach his 18th birthday. When Call is summoned to attend the entrance exams for The Magisterium, a more-sinister version of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft &; Wizardry, he promises his father he will deliberately fail the test to avoid the dangerous lure of magic school. Unfortunately, magic is in Call's blood, and though his permanent limp and sarcastic attitude do not appear to serve him well during testing, he is selected with two other "Iron Years" to be a pupil of the greatest mage of all, Master Rufus. Black and Clare have created a unique world in The Magisterium, adroitly sidestepping reader fatigue with the many post-Harry Potter "magical academy" fiction series. The underground school's labyrinthine tunnels, mysterious caverns, and strange rivers are an alternately wondrous and creepy setting for this hero's quest. The diverse main trio's multidimensional portrayals leave aside easy characterizations in favor of complex motivations which add depth to each character. Best of all, a late-stage reveal of the novel's true hero and villain neatly turn fantasy tropes on their heads. Elisabeth Gattullo Marrocolla, Darien Library, CT

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
ALA Booklist (Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)
Horn Book
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
ALA/YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
School Library Journal (Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)
Wilson's Children's Catalog
Word Count: 83,311
Reading Level: 5.6
Interest Level: 4-7
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 5.6 / points: 13.0 / quiz: 167615 / grade: Middle Grades
Reading Counts!: reading level:5.4 / points:20.0 / quiz:Q64104
Lexile: 830L
From The Iron Trial: Book 1 of The Magisterium:

His fingers grazed her cold cheek.

A cry made him whip around. In this cave full of death and silence, a cry.

A child.

He turned, searching frantically for the source of the thready wail. It seemed to be coming from closer to the cave entrance. He plunged back the way he had come, stumbling over bodies, some frozen stiff as statues -- until suddenly another familiar face stared up at him from the carnage.

Declan. Sarah's brother, wounded in the last battle. He appeared to have been choked to death by a particularly cruel use of air magic; his face was blue, his eyes shot with broken blood vessels. One ofhis arms was outflung, and just underneath it, protected from the icy cave floor by a woven blanket, was Alastair's infant son. As he stared in amazement, the boy opened his mouth and gave another thin,mewling cry.

As if in trance, shaking with relief, Alistair bent and lifted his child. The boy looked up at him with wide gray eyes and opened his mouth to scream again. As the blanket fell aside, Alastair could see why. The baby's left leg hung at a terrible angle, like a snapped tree branch.

Alastair tried to call up earth magic to heal the boy, but only had enough power left to take away some of the pain. Heart racing, he rewrapped his son tightly in the blanket and wound his way back through the cave to where Sarah lay. Holding the baby as if she could see him, he knelt down beside her body.

"Sarah," he whispered, tears thick in his throat. "I'll tell him how you died protecting him. I will raise him to remember how brave you were."

Her eyes stared at him, blank and pale. He held the child more closely to his side and reached to take Semiramis from her hand. As he did, he saw that the ice near the blade was strangely marked, as if she had clawed at it while dying. But the marks were too deliberate for that. As he bent closer, he realized that they were words -- words his wife had carved into the cave ice with the last of her dying strength. As he read them, he felt them like three hard blows to the stomach.

KILL THE CHILD.


Excerpted from The Iron Trial by Holly Black, Cassandra Clare
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

From New York Times bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare comes a riveting new series that defies what you think you know about the world of magic.

Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial. Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail. All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him. So he tries his best to do his worst -- and fails at failing. Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future. The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come . . . From the remarkable imaginations of bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare comes a heart-stopping, mind-blowing, pulse-pounding plunge into the magical unknown.


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