The Wizard Without a Wand

Volume 1

By: Dale Stubbart

Narrated by: Gareth Johnson

A wizard without a wand? How can that be? Aren't "wizard" and "wand" almost synonymous?

In this first title of the series, we meet this wizard without a wand - Shmedley Thrumbledack - and his closest friends in their first year at Wizard School. This Wizard School is so expensive that Shmedley's parents run out of money buying his supplies and don't have enough left over to buy him a wand.

Shmedley is part of a group of kind students dubbed "The Tensome". Shmedley is very smart in wizard math and knows exactly how much a kajillion is.

©2015 Dale Stubbart (P)2018 Dale Stubbart

Move over Harry Potter

The first book in a series, Volume 1 sets the stage by introducing the characters as they begin their first year of wizarding school. Fun, entertaining and not too serious, this is a great book for the YA crowd of for the young at heart who love a magical setting that doesn't require you speak Elvish, engage in long quests or fight battles with trolls and balrogs.
Ideal for an afternoon's entertainment. I loved it.

More Dicsworld than Harry Potter

While this book is listed in the 'swords and sorcery' section, it is very much a kids, maybe early teens, book. The cover, with an adult on it, is deceptive. The wizard school is a high school, with the characters being 14-15 years old.

It is almost impossible nowadays to have a 'wizards goes to wizards school' story without Harry Potter comparisons. So here it is: This book is not Harry Potter. HP is serious, at times dark, and with deep themes of love and loss and family. this book is a fun, absurdist delve into a strange world. Imagine more Discworld's Unseen University rather than Hogwarts. Professors, students, logic etc is all a bit off kilter. It's fun and strange and interesting.

Once you get what the book is going for in style, it's easy to enjoy.

That isn't to say it is perfect. There is a little too much info dump (for example how the grading system works). Partially due to the length much is just brushed over. Few characters get any real depth, as do few situations. The school term/semester just flies by with little telling of what actually goes on other than broad strokes. The whole thing could have been fleshed out more to give an actual feel for the school and characters

And the book just ends. There is a bit of a cliffhanger, but not much. It almost feels like the end of Act One, so you don't get anything like a full story arc. To know the rest you will have to pick up the rest of the books, but the ending isn't one that leaves you with a "must know" feeling.

Narration by Gareth Johnson is really good. Initially I really disliked narration. To the point I wondered if I could get through the book. It is over-the-top, and I really disliked the way the main characters name was said. Every time it was said it is painful. But the author describes in the text how the name is supposed to be said, and Johnson get's it right. And that's the thing, the over the top, slightly annoying narration is perfect for the book. Once I realised what the book was going to be, rather than what i initially thought it might be, it all fell into place. It suits the text and the characters and the silly humour of the whole thing really well. It's the right narration for it.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this review voluntarily.

narrator made this story worth listening to

I found this story I believe in young adult so you get what you look for but occasionally there's a gym in them the narrator made this story worth listening to

Good book

Good book within an interesting story and nice characters. The narration fits it very well.

kinda potery?

a very good nice short book I think the story was very nice for the first one in the series the narrator was good and I liked it the idea was nice and for this length of story I haven't felt that I don't know details or something like that so I liked it
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

Good

A great book with excellent narration that is full of emotion and the most interesting descriptive story line. I was very much impressed by the narrator:) I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend trying it to those who are on the fence about it.
"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

good

Loved it !! this story. the narrator is so fantastic it's like your really there!! good overall

Slow beginning too fast of an ending

This started out pretty slow I feel it could have skipped some of the beginning I did stick with it and it did get better. I do think it was a bit too short that the end of the story left way too many questions and there is no knowing if there will be another. Was a pretty short read. I did enjoy the narrator of the story thought he did great with many things. I had requested this book for free but the opinion is of my own.

Is no harry potter

anytime wizards are involved the comparison to harry potter is going to drawn. incredibly short and the world building is just not there. But maybe if this book is successful maybe we'll see another in this universe :)

The Wiizard without a wand

Great story with over the top narration by Gareth Johnson!I am looking forward to book 2!I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.