Od Magic: Difference between revisions

Od Magic
	First edition cover
Author	Patricia A. McKillip
Cover artist	Kinuko Y. Craft
Language	English
Genre	Fantasy
Publisher	Ace Books
Publication date	June 7, 2005
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print
Pages	320
ISBN	0-441-01248-5
Dewey Decimal	813/.54 22
LC Class	PS3563.C38 O425 2005

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Od Magic is a 2005 fantasy novel by American writer Patricia A. McKillip. It was a 2006 nominee for World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.^[1]

Summary

The wizard Od, a mysterious giantess who travels accompanied by the numerous animals which she has healed, once saved the city of Kelior in Numis from invasion, founded a school of magic there, then wandered the world, returning to the school only sporadically since then. Hundreds of years later, she appears at small northern farm of Brenden Vetch, a sorrowful and solitary young man, and invites him to become the gardener of magical plants at her school. He makes the long journey to the city and must acclimate himself to the strange new environment.

Kelior's magic school, instead of being a bastion for magical learning and exploration, is closely regulated by the king. The students, almost all children of the rich and powerful, learn a narrow mindset, subservient to the king's wishes. The king and his young wizard counselor Valoren Greye see any uncontrolled magic, no matter how small, as a threat to order and safety. The school's leading wizard, Yar Ayrwood, disillusioned with the rigid life at the school, is the lover of Valoren's widowed cousin, Ceta Thiel, a historian who makes puzzling discoveries while writing a history of Od.

The king arranges for his daughter Princess Sulys to become engaged with the unemotional Valoren, a man she scarcely knows. She wishes to speak with Valoren, to let him know that she has some magical powers which she practices with her elderly great-grandmother. But Valoren pays no attention to her, becoming obsessed with both the mysterious new gardener as well as a new magician, Tyramin, who has brought a popular magic show to the Twilight Quarter of the city. Believing Tyramin to be dangerous, Valoren arranges for the Twilight Quarter's warden, the bored Arneth Pyt, to investigate the magician. As a consequence, Arneth falls in love with Tyramin's daughter, the enigmatic Mistral, and attempts to help her.

Brenden's innocent trip to the Twilight Quarter to inquire about a strange plant leads to the public exposure of his strong magical powers. This revelation stirs the king and Valoren's paranoia and sets off a wild manhunt for both Brenden and Tyramin. The situation is further inflamed by the apparent disappearance of Princess Sulys, though she is close by in the school's labyrinth trying unsuccessfully to get Valoren's attention. Yar is forced to search the Twilight Quarter for the fugitives, unintentionally accompanied by the curious new student Elver, and they encounter Brenden. Brenden, fearing the pursuit of the relentless Valoren, then flees to a mysterious mountain in the far north and hides among the ancient magical rock-like beings who took refuge there long ago. Yar, using a magical gateway in the school's labyrinth discovered by Sulys and Ceta, follows Brenden. After the pursuing Valoren also arrives, Elver appears and is revealed to be Od.

Meanwhile, the king agrees to a peace-offering request from Tyramin to perform in the palace. Afterward, Sulys' attempt to hide the magician's troupe with her magic is discovered and she informs her shocked father about her harmless, though illegal, magic use. Mistral reveals publicly that Tyramin has been dead for some time, and she has used her real magic to impersonate him during performances. Od, Yar, and a visibly shaken Valoren return, accompanied by the magical beings. Brenden returns to his human form. Od says that she wants her school to continue, but only without the heavy restrictions imposed by the king, which she experienced while posing as Elver. Otherwise, she will move the school to another land. The king quickly accepts. Brenden agrees to stay to assist overwhelmed Valoren and the amazed school wizards in learning to communicate and live in peace with the beings, who embody the wonder of wild magic. Od departs to look for another gardener.

Nominations

2006 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature Finalist

References

^ Worlds Without End - 2006 Award Winners & Nominees [1]. Retrieved 2009-10-23.

External links

Od Magic title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database

[1] Worlds Without End - 2006 Award Winners & Nominees [1]. Retrieved 2009-10-23.

[1]

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+{{Short description|2005 novel by Patricia A. McKillip}}
 {{Infobox book
 | name          = Od Magic
@@ Line 19: / Line 20: @@
 | dewey= 813/.54 22
 | congress= PS3563.C38 O425 2005
-| preceded_by   = [[Alphabet of Thorn]]
+| preceded_by   =
-| followed_by   = [[Harrowing the Dragon]]
+| followed_by   =
 }}
 '''''Od Magic''''' is a 2005 [[fantasy]] novel by American writer [[Patricia A. McKillip]].  It was a 2006 nominee for [[World Fantasy Award for Best Novel]].<ref>Worlds Without End - 2006 Award Winners & Nominees [http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=2006].  Retrieved 2009-10-23.</ref>
 ==Summary==
-The [[Wizard (fantasy)|wizard]] Od, a mysterious giantess who travels accompanied by the numerous animals which she has healed, once saved the city of Kelior in Numis from invasion, founded a school of magic there, then wandered the world, returning to the school only sporadically since then.  Hundreds of years later, she appears at small northern farm of Brenden Vetch, a sorrowful and solitary young man, and invites him to become the gardener of magical plants at her school.  He makes the long journey to the city and must acclimate himself to the strange new environment.
+The [[Wizard (fantasy)|wizard]] Od, a mysterious giantess who travels accompanied by the numerous animals which she has healed, once saved the city of Kelior in Numis from invasion, founded a school of magic there, then wandered the world, returning to the school only sporadically since then. Hundreds of years later, she appears at small northern farm of Brenden Vetch, a sorrowful and solitary young man, and invites him to become the gardener of magical plants at her school. He makes the long journey to the city and must acclimate himself to the strange new environment.
-Kelior's magic school, instead of being a bastion for magical learning and exploration, is closely regulated by the king.  The students, almost all children of the rich and powerful, learn a narrow mindset, subservient to the king's wishes.  The king and his young wizard counselor Valoren Greye see any uncontrolled magic, no matter how small, as a threat to order and safety.  The school's leading wizard, Yar Ayrwood, disillusioned with the rigid life at the school, is the lover of Valoran's widowed cousin, Ceta Thiel, a historian who makes puzzling discoveries while writing a history of Od.
+Kelior's magic school, instead of being a bastion for magical learning and exploration, is closely regulated by the king. The students, almost all children of the rich and powerful, learn a narrow mindset, subservient to the king's wishes. The king and his young wizard counselor Valoren Greye see any uncontrolled magic, no matter how small, as a threat to order and safety. The school's leading wizard, Yar Ayrwood, disillusioned with the rigid life at the school, is the lover of Valoren's widowed cousin, Ceta Thiel, a historian who makes puzzling discoveries while writing a history of Od.
-The king arranges for his daughter Princess Sulys to become engaged with the unemotional Valoran, a man she scarcely knows.  She wishes to speak with Valoren, to let him know that she has some magical powers which she practices with her elderly great-grandmother.  But Valoren pays no attention to her, becoming obsessed with both the mysterious new gardener as well as a new magician, Tyramin, who has brought a popular magic show to the Twilight Quarter of the city.  Believing Tyramin to be dangerous, Valoren arranges for the Twilight Quarter's warden, the bored Arneth Pyt, to investigate the magician.  As a consequence, Arneth falls in love with Tyramin's daughter, the enigmatic Mistral, and attempts to help her.
+The king arranges for his daughter Princess Sulys to become engaged with the unemotional Valoren, a man she scarcely knows. She wishes to speak with Valoren, to let him know that she has some magical powers which she practices with her elderly great-grandmother. But Valoren pays no attention to her, becoming obsessed with both the mysterious new gardener as well as a new magician, Tyramin, who has brought a popular magic show to the Twilight Quarter of the city. Believing Tyramin to be dangerous, Valoren arranges for the Twilight Quarter's warden, the bored Arneth Pyt, to investigate the magician. As a consequence, Arneth falls in love with Tyramin's daughter, the enigmatic Mistral, and attempts to help her.
-Brenden's innocent trip to the Twilight Quarter to inquire about a strange plant leads to the public exposure of his strong magical powers.  This revelation stirs the king and Valoran's paranoia and sets off a wild manhunt for both Brenden and Tyramin.  The situation is further inflamed by the apparent disappearance of Princess Sulys, though she is close by in the school's labyrinth trying unsuccessfully to get Valoren's attention.  Yar is forced to search the Twilight Quarter for the fugitives, unintentionally accompanied by the curious new student Elver, and they encounter Brenden.  Brenden, fearing the pursuit of the relentless Valoran, then flees to a mysterious mountain in the far north and hides among the ancient magical rock-like beings who took refuge there long ago.  Yar, using a magical gateway in the school's labyrinth discovered by Sulys and Ceta, follows Brenden.  After the pursuing Valoren also arrives, Elver appears and is revealed to be Od.
+Brenden's innocent trip to the Twilight Quarter to inquire about a strange plant leads to the public exposure of his strong magical powers. This revelation stirs the king and Valoren's paranoia and sets off a wild manhunt for both Brenden and Tyramin. The situation is further inflamed by the apparent disappearance of Princess Sulys, though she is close by in the school's labyrinth trying unsuccessfully to get Valoren's attention. Yar is forced to search the Twilight Quarter for the fugitives, unintentionally accompanied by the curious new student Elver, and they encounter Brenden. Brenden, fearing the pursuit of the relentless Valoren, then flees to a mysterious mountain in the far north and hides among the ancient magical rock-like beings who took refuge there long ago. Yar, using a magical gateway in the school's labyrinth discovered by Sulys and Ceta, follows Brenden. After the pursuing Valoren also arrives, Elver appears and is revealed to be Od.
-Meanwhile, the king agrees to a peace-offering request from Tyramin to perform in the palace.  Afterward, Sulys' attempt to hide the magician's troupe with her magic is discovered and she informs her shocked father about her harmless, though illegal, magic use.  Mistral reveals publicly that Tyramin has been dead for some time, and she has used her real magic to impersonate him during performances.  Od, Yar, and a visibly shaken Valoren return, accompanied by the magical beings. Brenden returns to his human form.  Od says that she wants her school to continue, but only without the heavy restrictions imposed by the king, which she experienced while posing as Elver.  Otherwise, she will move the school to another land.  The king quickly accepts.  Brenden agrees to stay to assist overwhelmed Valoran and the amazed school wizards in learning to communicate and live in peace with the beings, who embody the wonder of wild magic.  Od departs to look for another gardener.
+Meanwhile, the king agrees to a peace-offering request from Tyramin to perform in the palace. Afterward, Sulys' attempt to hide the magician's troupe with her magic is discovered and she informs her shocked father about her harmless, though illegal, magic use. Mistral reveals publicly that Tyramin has been dead for some time, and she has used her real magic to impersonate him during performances. Od, Yar, and a visibly shaken Valoren return, accompanied by the magical beings. Brenden returns to his human form. Od says that she wants her school to continue, but only without the heavy restrictions imposed by the king, which she experienced while posing as Elver. Otherwise, she will move the school to another land. The king quickly accepts. Brenden agrees to stay to assist overwhelmed Valoren and the amazed school wizards in learning to communicate and live in peace with the beings, who embody the wonder of wild magic. Od departs to look for another gardener.
 ==Nominations==

v t e Works by Patricia A. McKillip
Riddle-Master trilogy	The Riddle-Master of Hed (1976) Heir of Sea and Fire (1977) Harpist in the Wind (1979)
Kyreol duology	Moon-Flash (1984) The Moon and the Face (1985)
Cygnet duology	The Sorceress and the Cygnet (1991) The Cygnet and the Firebird (1993)
Winter Rose duology	Winter Rose (1996) Solstice Wood (2006)
Stand-alone novels	The House on Parchment Street (1973) The Throme of the Erril of Sherill (1973) The Forgotten Beasts of Eld (1974) The Night Gift (1976) Stepping From the Shadows (1982) Fool's Run (1987) The Changeling Sea (1988) Something Rich and Strange (1994) The Book of Atrix Wolfe (1995) Song for the Basilisk (1998) The Tower at Stony Wood (2000) Ombria in Shadow (2002) In the Forests of Serre (2003) Alphabet of Thorn (2004) Od Magic (2005) The Bell at Sealey Head (2008) The Bards of Bone Plain (2010) Kingfisher (2016)
Collections	Harrowing the Dragon (2005) Wonders of the Invisible World (2012) Dreams of Distant Shores (2016)