Chris' Fish Place

Disclaimer: ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for a review.  Additionally, not all pictures were included in the ARC.   Those included were nicely chosen, but other than that I can’t say much about the illustrations.

                Long before Harry Potter ever set in Hogwarts, wizards had entrenched themselves in the imagination.  Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome all had their wizards, whether it be the son of a pharaoh or the writer accused of inscrolling his wife.

                This book takes a look at the wizards of history.  Starting in Ancient Egypt, Mcintee discusses not only the legends that surround the famous wizard but who they actually were (or might have been).        While the choice of subject matter is no doubt inspired, in part, by the popularity of Harry Potter, the book focuses more on the history and the legends.  Merlin is here as is Virgil, Dee, Flamel and Faust.  But it isn’t all just Western wizards.  Eastern wizards from the Middle East and China are also detailed and get equal page space.  This was nice considering how Western the Harry Potter books are.  I hadn’t even heard of the Chinese wizards that were mentioned.  It's great that I actually learned something.

                Stories about the wizards are presented first, usually with a theme, and what then follows is a profile of the real historical personage.  Connections are made not only to figures such as Merlin, but to Medieval Legends surrounding Saint Peter.  This gives a more comprehensive overview of the figure in legend.  The book begins and ends with connections not only to Potter and Lord of the Rings, but to Star Wars.  It nicely transitions to the legends of the past to the legends of today.

                The only negative is the focus on men – but this criticism is slightly unfair, for the term wizard is only used for men.  This is slightly tempered by the appearance of women in some of the legends.

                While designed for children –it would make a nice gift for a Harry Potter or Flamel obsessed child – the book can easily be read by adults.  It is education without being a lecture and includes a reading list.