Artezans: The Forgotten Magic (Book 1)
For ages 9+
How are your dreams these days?
By LD Lapinski, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton (Hachette, 2024)
Are you someone who doesn't remember your dreams, enjoys escaping off into wonderful fantasy worlds, or are you susceptible to nightmares? What about your kids? For this, friend, the first of a new fantasy series from the brilliant LD Lapinski, is about to shake your brain up!!
Set in a Scottish Highlands ‘wee’ coastal village called Covensea (Covesea IRL) along the Moray Firth inlet, this modern day magical adventure is packed with more immersive world building that you can shake a ‘tuil' (an object that enables an Artezan to use magic, e.g. a broomstick or animal) at!! If I to include my thoughts on all the major plot highlights I'd need a dedicated newsletter. So, buckle up, as I do my darnedest…
11 year old twins, Edward (Ed) and Elodie Crane have just finished Primary School, and with a mixture of trepidation and hope they begin their Summer holidays. Although the siblings are incredibly close, they are like yin and yang in terms of character traits. Ed is a bit of a loner, wondering when he's going to catch a break, whereas Elodie is happy go lucky, cute, bubbly and sweet - traits that Ed is envious of most of the time.
What is an Artezan then? LD calls any ‘magic users’ Artezans, including those who are known to us from history/religion/folklore for “parting the seas, raising mountains, … causing rains of frogs to fall on their enemies.” The stories of the Artezan legends differ in countries and cultures around the world, like Pakistan, or Tanzania (much like ancient flood stories). Artezans used to be insanely powerful, but over the last few hundred years they've grown weaker and rarer. Ed and Elodie's parents are Artezans, one of their adoptive dads, Harrison or Baba, has the ability to control the weather through his paintings (English accent, brown skin and locs); their other adoptive dad, Jack or Dad, can manipulate moods (long blond ponytail, Scottish accent). Their dads are blissfully, happily married and dote charmingly on their adopted children.
Every summer holiday the Crane family host a camp for magical people and every summer there is a special Reveal ceremony and training for children who are coming for age… an event of heightened anxiety and deep-rooted tradition. Ed and Elodie are adopted, so they have no clue as to whether they will be magical at all, and there is a great sense of concern over the potential shame, pressure to align with the expectations of their Artezan community, and not wanting to let their dads down. Oh the angst!
The big day comes, and it's no big secret to let you know that they both have magic. Whilst Elodie starts to understand Mr Biscuits the cat talking to her, Ed soon learns that he has the power to control and access the Land of Dreams and Nightmares. Once the quite and moody type, susceptible to the bullying attacks from Greg Poppley, now Ed becomes obsessed with his new found power, and learns how to send nightmares into his dreams ever increasing on the scare-factor scale!
As we know, with any power comes great responsibility. Ed and Elodie start out on this adventure on their own personal magical journeys, only to end up on a highly dangerous quest to restore the very ‘pillars’ of the ancient powers the Artezans!!!! Expect a twist on some familiar characters from folklore and mythology, enjoy the beautiful Scottish scenery and the children and their Dad mixing Scottish Gaelic with their English in dialogues (see guide I created below), and most of all - be prepared to be utterly gripped and woefully uncertain of whether good can truly overcome evil. I'm more than ready for the epic-ness of book 2 … in April 2025 (noooooooooo, so long to wait)!!
Scottish Gaelic terms in the book:
Dreich = miserable, cold, gloomy weather
Dorbie = weak, delicate
Boak = retch, vomit
Braw = fine, good looking
Gutties = trainers
Tatie-bogles = scarecrows
Tir Aislingean = Land of Dreams
Tir Mulad-oidhche = Land of Nightmares
Further Reading and Research
Covesea Tourist Information
https://visitforres.scot/listing/covesea/
The Sculptor's Cave
https://spookyscotland.net/sculptors-cave/
Covesea Caves Project by the University of Bradford
https://www.socantscot.org/research-project/the-covesea-caves-project/
The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft 1563-1736 by the University of Edinburgh
Witches Iron Collar
PRAISE
... this spirited, compassionate adventure resonates for our time ― The Sunday Times, Children's book of the Week
'A stupendous, witty, humane fantasy. Lapinski's done it again - an inventive, compelling world and characters I would die for. LD Lapinski is a genius!' Louie Stowell, author of 'Loki: A Bad God's Guide' series
I devoured it over the course of two nights - stayed up until about 2am reading which I can't remember having done for a long time. It's excellent: inventive, emotionally charged, equal parts funny and frightening, and utterly enthralling in the way all LD's books are. I really think they're one of the most exciting middle grade writers working today. ― Harry Woodgate
Reviewed from digital uncorrected proof.
