Circle of Three [Paperback]

This first book in the projected Tales of the Nine Charms trilogy is unoriginal and scattered in its focus, a B-list choice for fantasy readers. The beginning is disorienting: three separate child protagonists pursue seemingly unrelated adventures. Only in mid-novel do they find themselves united in a fight against "The Dark One" who threatens the magical world of Sunnebeam--but the exact nature of the threat remains murky even at the close of the book ("The dark will rise again," says a villain, in one of several obvious echoes of Susan Cooper's classic The Dark Is Rising fantasy sequence). Smart-mouth Walker, an American, has been called into Sunnebeam to be "the Bearer," while Gypsy girl Aurora, gifted with second sight, is "the Protector." And smart but sexist Niko, formerly in training to become a kind of peaceful warrior, finds himself "the Chooser." Farber, formerly a children's book editor, and Sansevere, who collaborated with Mercer Mayer on children's computer programs, leave readers hanging--but their world of wise gypsies, sage warriors and magic charms may not be wondrous enough to bring any but the most ardent fantasy buffs back to learn the ending. Ages 8-12. (Jan.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Grade 6-9-The first in a new fantasy trilogy, this book begins in our world but moves quickly to a parallel one. Walker Crane is on a school field trip when he falls into a fountain and finds himself in a strange place. His fate soon becomes entangled with that of two other young people who inhabit this world: Niko, a warrior in training, and Aurora, a Gypsy girl with unusual though untapped powers. Together these three become Bearer, Chooser, and Protector in a dramatic saga that pits the Lords of Time against the dark. Like Susan Cooper's "Dark Is Rising" series (McElderry), this title contains prophetic, cryptic rhymes and a quest for symbolic objects, in this case nine jeweled charms. The foes of the light are malevolent men served by merciless, cruel soldiers called Dragons. The plot twists and turns its way through numerous exciting but sometimes confusing adventures. Walker finds himself perilously caught in the midst of some Dragons in training. Aurora meets otherworldly spirits who may or may not wish her well. And Niko learns that his master has taught him well how to fight. The elements of high fantasy are here but the story never quite gels. Characters lack depth and the plot elements have little cohesiveness. Events occur, and readers will just have to trust that the pieces of the puzzle will eventually come together.
Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

A pedestrian and unimaginative fantasy, the first in the Tales of the Nine Charms trilogy, that commits the sin of ending midstream with no resolution or denouement. Following interlocking paths are Walker, a contemporary boy, Niko, studying as a scholar but longing to be a warrior, and Aurora, a gypsy girl. Walker is sent into a strange world with a ruby-red charm, one of nine, whose silver-gilt settings are part of a mysterious rhyme that reflects the battle between light and dark. Walker disappears in the first pages and remains so for nearly 100 pages; the plot moves in fits and starts, with undeveloped characters who, at key moments, conveniently recall advice given them by parents or teachers; the language and descriptions of settings are leaden, unenlivened by evil Dragon soldiers and a magical black horse that responds to Walker. A ponderous, self-important tone betrays readers further; they might want to shake the book in search of a mislaid last chapter before abandoning this trilogy for good. (Fiction. 9-12) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"Fantasy fans will want to keep an eye open for the next installment." — The Bulletin

The first volume in a thrilling new fantasy trilogy in which the characters must fight evil using only their wits . . . and nine special charms.

Walker, ever the class clown, reaches into a fountain on a school field trip and sees that the joke is on him when he finds himself in the middle of a training camp for soldiers, worlds away from his own.

Niko wants to be a warrior, but his master insists he learn the ways of a philosopher. When he rebels against his master’s quiet ways, he finds the path to his destiny, but the price he must pay for becoming a hero is greater than he ever imagined.

Aurora can do simple gypsy magic tricks, but even she doesn’t know the true depths of her power until a mysterious woman asks to have her cards read and begs Aurora to come to her aid.

Drawn together by forces they don’t understand to combat an evil they can’t imagine, their only weapons are nine simple charms.

"Fantasy fans will want to keep an eye open for the next installment." — The Bulletin

Erica Farber, a children’s book editor turned writer, and J. R. Sansevere, a longtime veteran of the children’s entertainment industry, have collaborated on numerous children’s projects.