by Cyn Bagley

Created on: February 14, 2009   Last Updated: December 29, 2009

"The Accidental Sorcerer," although full of danger and intrigue, has a slightly different bumbling hero type character that falls into trouble for no reason at all - Gerald Dunwoody.

Gerald Dunwoody starts out as a third grade wizard who is an inspector for the Department of Thaumaturgy. His job is to make sure that the wizard staffs are manufactured correctly and safely. Unfortunately, when Gerald reaches Ottosland's premier staff manufacturer, he finds that not only had they quit filling out the paperwork, but the manufacturer is dangerously understaffed and ripe for an accident.

In the middle of a conflict with the new owner, the staffs begin to charge and spark, meaning that there will be a huge explosion. In desperation and knowing that he (Gerald) will be either in physical or mental pieces when he is done, tries to save the staffs, the building, and the people inside. He manages to contain the blast, but not before blowing up several first grade staffs.

What makes this so astounding is that Gerald, as a third grade wizard, should not have been able to handle any of these staffs without being hurt badly. In fact there is a tear in his power grid and for awhile he is unable to do magic. Thankfully, it is not permanent; however, he finds that after a few days he is able to do magic that he shouldn't be able to do.

Well... he loses his job... of course.

But, he gets another job as a King's sorcerer. If he thinks that he had problems before, it is nothing to what he is heading into as the new Court Wizard to King Lional.

Gerald's mentor is a bird. The Prime Minister to King Lional is his sister. And the second son is a bit daft with a butterfly house. When Gerald finds out that the first grade wizards who used to work for King Lional were gone (as in disappeared as in not on this world anymore), Gerald begins to be upset about his new job... But it is too late.

Mills (Karen Miller) has done a fine job with this story. I really enjoy the concept of a wizard who has studied his wizarding skills from a long-distance college course and who is just behind the curve when it comes to knowing what to do next. Gerald did grew up as a tailor, so he is on the bottom of the bottom of the third grade wizards. Even better, when he comes into his power he is so strong he is able to transform a cat into a lion. In the story, only a handful of people have ever been able to transform anything living. It made Gerald a genius. Believe me, he didn't feel like a genius.

So it is an absolutely delightful story. And it is much better, in my opinion, that her other books.

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