Readers then have the tantalising prospect that this young boy may be a magical prodigy, and, just as excitingly, the young princess Carline now seems to be infatuated by him.

In order to do so he recites a magic spell from memory, something considered impossible (the power of spells is thought to be in the parchment from which they are read). But then the young boy saves Carline, the Duke’s daughter, from a violent attack. Pug grapples with magic unsuccessfully, and it appears Kulgan may have been mistaken about the boy’s talent and might have to let him go. At the last moment, and to the surprise of all, Kulgan, the town’s magician and confidant of the Duke, chooses Pug, having spotted a certain something about the boy.

He is liked well enough but is small of stature and heartbreakingly when every other young boy is selected for a profession in a large public ceremony, he is left standing unwanted. A young orphan, Pug, aged thirteen, is stumbling upon manhood in a small seaside town. The characters and plot are real and believable, with the more exotic elements simply enriching the story rather than making it seem silly or strange.

If you are not a fan of fantasy, fear not. Also typical of the genre, (and as given away by the title), magic is very real and powerful. In the grand tradition of fantasy novels, Midkemia is in a medieval age and knights castles, bows and arrows and royalty abound. The 800 odd page novel (broken into two books in the USA) is set on the fictional planet of Midkemia. It is particularly suitable for good readers in their early teens – the depth of scope and imagination compared to the children’s books they are used to will leave them wide eyed in delight. Magician is intended as a book for adults but the family friendly content and relatively simple vocabulary mean it is also ideal for younger readers. Magician is a novel in its own right but also the start of a series of books called the Riftwar Cycle – and these have been so successful they make it onto the Wikipedia page for the bestselling books of all time – with sales of approximately 15 million. You’ll often see it featured on lists of ‘most loved books’ or ‘world’s best ever books’. Written in 1982 by American author Raymond E Feist, it was a standout bestseller at the time, and still sells well today. Later, in America, it was re-published in two volumes – Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master.) (Note that initially it was released as the one novel, Magician.

Magician master raymond e feist