An Unexpected Apprentice

by Jody Lynn Nye

Book Overview

Halfling Tildi Summerbee has led a typical, unexciting life, tending the house for her brothers while they manage the family farm. Her days are boring, but happy...until a Thraik attack decimates her family. In an effort to provide for Tildi, the town's leaders prepare an arranged marriage and take control of her farm's assets. After all, a female halfling is incapable of handling such matters on her own. Tildi sees things differently. In order to...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765314339
• ISBN13: 9780765314338
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.6" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

A magical and dangerous adventure

This epic tale is exciting and full of new worlds. I love the sense of dangerous adventure and wonder. The characters are well thought out and the world building is fantastic. Easy to jump in and imagine it all in my mind. Loved this one

Quest for the Great Book

An Unexpected Apprentice (2007) is the first fantasy novel in a new series. It is set in a world with smallfolks and wizards. If it reminds you of Lord of the Rings, surely it is a case of convergent evolution. In this novel, Tildi Summerbee is having a bad day. The flying monsters called thraik have taken away her four brothers just like they had carried off her parents ten year before. Now the Elders of her town want to marry her off to odious Bardol! They are more concerned about the farm than her own wishes! Tildi goes home and has another good cry. She busies herself tidying up the belongings of her brothers and finds the letter of acceptance of an apprenticeship for her brother Teldo. Teldo has always shared his interest in wizardry with Tildi and was looking forward to learning more about magic. Olen the Wizard has been exchanging letters with Teldo for some time. Teldo is now gone, but the wizard doesn't know that. Tildi decides to go to Overhill as Teldo and become a wizard. Tildi cuts her hair and dresses as a boy. She packs food, tools, Teldo's papers and a memento for each brother into a rucksack. Then she takes the trail over the Eastern Hills. In this story, Tildi avoids other people, but only sees one traveler as she crosses the mountains. The human has multicolored hair, rides a multicolored horse, and carries a jitar. Obviously he must be a minstrel. Tildi stays in her hiding place after the minstrel rides by and fixes herself a bit of tea. Naturally, she has forgotten the firestriker, but she reaches deep within herself and produces a spark of green fire. She enjoys the tea, but is scared almost witless by the fire demon that suddenly appears. She makes it vanish with water, but quenches the fire and moves on as fast as she can. Tildi finally reaches Rushet on the other side of the mountain and takes a room and a warm bath. The people at the inn are very friendly to her and she gets drunk enough to sing in public. Things get dicey for a while, but settle down before she goes for her bath. Eventually Tildi reaches Overhill and meets Olen. He notices that she is a girl, but doesn't care. In fact, he seems to relish having her as his apprentice. Tildi spends much of her time reading about runes, but she is unhappy with her lack of a job to do. She helps with small chores around the Silvertree until Olen insists that she concentrate on her studies. He appreciates her offers to help, but her main task is to learn to be a wizard. Others can perform the household tasks, but only a few people can become wizards. This tale involves Tildi in the search for the stolen Great Book. During her journey, she had noted signs the passage of the magical talisman without really understanding their significance. She also discovers that she has a copy of a page from the Great Book among Teldo's papers. Since she can carry that page without pain or injury, Tildi becomes one of the group following the thief. The sto

An Unexpected Apprentice

Absolutely delicious! Tildi is not only an unexpected apprentice but also an unexpected heroine. Innocent, loving, kind and rebellious, but not obnoxious in her rebellion. After the loss of her parents and then her four brothers, the elders of Tildi's village decide a lone female can't possibly fend for herself or run the farm on her own and decide to marry her off whether she wants to be married or not. Though it would seem Tildi has no choice, it turns out she does. Her brother, Tildo, had been offered an apprenticeship with a wizard and Tildi decides to take him up on the offer by pretending to be her brother. She innocently sets off to find her future and find it she does! I am eagerly awaiting the second book in what is obviously a new series. Now, all I need is patience. :-)

The Perfect Summer Read

I was surprised and delighted by An Unexpected Apprentice. I found it to be a fast-paced yet richly detailed fantasy adventure. Smallfolk Tildi Summerbee gets more than she bargained for when she takes her brother's place as apprentice to Olen, a powerful wizard. No sooner has she completed her last lesson, a crisis looms large on the horizon. Someone has stolen the Great Book which contains the runes describing all of creation. Any alteration to the original rune will result in the same alteration to the living being. Not only is the Book in unknown hands, it is moving across the landscape towards unknown ends. Armed with a copy of a page of the Great Book (and some powerful magic of her own), Tildi leads a party in search of the thief. Along the way, they encounter dangers and temptations greater than they ever imagined. With an endearing heroine and a lively cast of characters, it's easy to get swept up in Tildi's adventure. This novel has the right mix of suspense, wonder and humor, making it the perfect summer read!

Not Your Typical Coming of Age Tale

For one thing, the young hero that goes off on a quest isn't a hero, but a heroine. Her name is Tildi, and she's not a lost human princess, either. She a hafling. And she's wonderful! I love this book. I love the characters, especially Tildi and Olen. I also love the world they inhabit and its multi-faceted, multi-magicalspecies citizens. I think Charming, and "I want more, Jody!" sums up my opinion.