BOOK REVIEW - Book of Names (Novel)

Book of Names (Book 1 of the "Diadem, Worlds of Magic" series) by John
Peel © 1997, 2004 Llewellyn ISBN 0-7387-0617-5 198 pages Paperback
$4.99 (U.S.) $6.50 (Canada)



Okay, first things first. This is a series of books intended for readers in
the 8- to 12-year-old range. It might work a bit either side of that range,
but that is in the target audience. There are several more in the series,
originally published by Scholastic. It isn't a series about Paganism or
Witchcraft, and I don't think it would stand up to the Harry Potter series,
but for the intended age group it should be a fun read.



As a fantasy adventure series, it offers a few unusual twists. Most of the
fantasy series for younger readers either have a single protagonist, or else
a group of individuals who are utterly different in appearance, or who share
a common background. The three protagonists of the Diadem series come from
very different worlds (literally), but are all quite human in appearance.



They are transported, involuntarily, to a world where magic is very real
(albeit feared by many). There they discover that they all possess
rudimentary magical powers - Score (from New York City on earth) can cause
small changes in physical form, Renald (from the castle of Lord Votrin on
Ordin) can sense the future in a very limited fashion, and Pixel (from a
life lived in Virtual Reality on a world called Calomir) can see visions.



On Treen they are taken in by Aranak, who oversees their training. He
conceals as much as he reveals, and freely admits that he set up an ambush
of the three newcomers. Everyone has a secret to protect. For instance,
Score and Pixel assume that Renald is another boy their own age, but Helaine
(Renald's true name) is, in fact, the daughter of Lord Votrin, Score is the
child of a criminal, and Pixel has never been out of his house and into the
"real" world before the start of this adventure.



Anarak tries to drain the trio of their magical abilities, but finds out tha
t he has made a major mistake. What is that mistake? I guess you'll need
to read the book to find out.



This first book is most like a prologue. There is minimal action, but you
get to know the characters a bit and get a feel for how they will react in a
pinch. You begin to see their reliance on each other for their strengths,
and see how they slowly stop thinking of "I" and begin to think of "we."
There are occasional diagrams and drawings scattered throughout, which
challenge the reader to "think outside the box."