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On the run from a black magic wielding bounty hunter, Aldwyn, a wily alley cat ducks into a convenient doorway to hide. Inside, he finds himself in a shop full of unusual animals with unusual talents. They are familiars, animal helpers to witches and wizards who are waiting to be chosen by a person who will become their loyal. When Jack, an 11-year-old apprentice wizard chooses Aldwyn, the cat decides to take advantage of the opportunity to escape the bounty hunter - a decision that changes his life dramatically. Outside the gates of the city where he has lived for as long as he can remember, Aldwyn begins to settle into his new life, growing closer to Jack, who studies with two other apprentices, Marianne and Dalton. He also learns more about familiars from Marianne's familiar Gilbert, a red-eyed tree frog and Dalton's familiar, Skylar, a blue jay. Before he can get too comfortable, though, Jack, Marianne and Dalton are stolen away by an evil queen who plans to kill them. Aldwyn, Gilbert and Skylar resolve to rescue their loyals and set off on a perilous journey to do so.
The Familiars, the first book by the writing team of Adam J. Epstein & Andrew Jacobson does, as other reviewers have noted, feel somewhat familiar, especially in the first few chapters. And the overall plot - people to save, an enemy to defeat, dangers to face, etc. is common to thousands of novels. So the questions are: a) did the book get past the familiarity of the early chapters and come to feel more original? and b) were the authors able to draw us into the traditional hero's journey/quest story even though we've come across the plot before?
For me, the answer to both of these questions is "yes".
The Familiars is a fast paced story with likeable characters that children will root for. There's a great mix of dialogue and narrative with just the right amount of humor, heart-warming moments and scary bits mixed in. I particularly liked that Aldwyn, Gilbert and Skylar each has a chance to shine & be the hero, making the rescue mission a true group effort. Some basic world building takes place and some elements are introduced to rouse interest in the next book. The biggest weakness, for me, was the young wizards. In The Familiars, they are barely fleshed out at all and we know almost nothing about them. Even though they are not the focus of the story (animal familiars tend not to be too fleshed out in most books focusing on witches, wizards, etc.), I hope Epstein & Jacobson will expand their characters in future books.
The real test of the book, though, came when I read it to my 6-year-old granddaughter over the last two days. Because she's very into animals (although, for her, it's mostly horses and dogs) and has long enjoyed fantasy, The Familiars seemed like it might be a good choice for our weekend together. And it was. It held her interest and kept her engaged throughout. She was asking questions, speculating about what would happen and didn't want me to stop reading. She laughed in the right places and was concerned, but not too scared, when the protagonists were in danger. She was also happy to hear that there are more books in the series planned and that a movie is in the works. When her parents arrived to pick her up, she showed them the book and was telling them all about the story. I count all of this as a success.
IMHO, The Familiars might well appeal to younger Harry Potter fans of both sexes (those not quite ready for Prisoner of Azkaban and beyond) and to those who enjoy Erin Hunter's Warriors series, Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi's Spiderwick Chronicles, Michael Buckley & Peter Ferguson's Sisters Grimm stories or Emily Rodda's Rowan of Rin series. Readers who have already finished Harry Potter, Percy Jackson or (perhaps) the Fablehaven series, on the other hand, might find The Familiars a bit too "young".
Recommended.Notes:
The cover art and interior drawings are by Peter Chan & Kei Acedera.
Book two in the planned trilogy, The Familiars #2: Secrets of the Crown, is due in bookstores in September, 2011.
The Familiars website has more information about the authors and characters and potential readers can find an excerpt there. Visitors can also take a quiz to see what type of familiar would best suit them. (My granddaughter got a raven.)
The Familiars, an animated 3D film, is in development with a tentative 2012 release.
Full disclosure: I don't know the authors and I paid for my book. :)
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