3 out of 4 stars
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Tommy is a high school student who hates math but enjoys reading. He lives in a world where magic has reappeared, forcing the government to capture potential mages. After all, you can't have someone running around who has the potential to create havoc when "normal" people can't stop them; therefore, they must be caught early, before they can do any harm. That hasn't really affected Tommy, though; none of his family was arrested, and he didn't really have any friends taken, either.
On the way home from school one day, he goes past his house, as he's lost in his own world. Tommy finds himself in an unknown area when a mage confronts him and knocks him out. Luckily a man comes to his rescue, (this man is himself a mage) and he tells Tommy that the attack has awoken the mage inside of Tommy. Since the government conducts random mage screenings, Tommy has no choice but to go with the stranger to a special school in order to avoid capture. Tommy must leave behind everything he's ever known; his life will never be the same.
The Channeler by William H. Kline IV is a science fiction/fantasy book with a little over 250 pages. It's fast-paced and action-packed which makes for a quick read. Some violence along with the introduction of dark magic does make this inappropriate for younger audiences; however, high school age kids to adults wouldn't have any problem with the content.
At first glance, you can probably see that this book does have similarities to the Harry Potter series. In fact, if you enjoyed that series, you'll probably be intrigued by this book. Having said that, this is in no way a copy of Rowling's work. Tommy does go off to a magical boarding school, but he doesn't use a train to get there. There aren't any houses that the kids are sorted into. He makes friends, but there was no Hermione Granger or Ronald Weasley.
The book captured my attention from the first pages and didn't let go until the end. The author has built a world that is similar to our own, but yet just different enough to enrapture me. I wanted to be a mage; I wanted to attend this special school. I could find no flaws in his world building.
As for the characters, there is diversity on many levels. There are different ages, different skill levels, different interests and pursuits. Plus, some are good, others bad. I didn't find out who the villain in this particular novel was until right at the end. You'll have to read it and see if you can guess correctly. The only fault I could find was that Tommy isn't always the greatest role model. Still, neither was Harry Potter, as he was constantly breaking the rules and defying authority. In fact, I think Tommy might just be more of a law-abiding citizen than Harry.
Unfortunately, there was one big flaw with the book - the editing. "Incredible" was often substituted for "incredibly." The first word after a semicolon was frequently capitalized when it should not have been. The first word in a sentence was sometimes not capitalized. "Breath" was almost always used in place of "breathe." The errors were frequent and distracting. The book is in desperate need of more proofreading and editing.
Overall, I found myself so wrapped up in The Channeler that I forgot I was reviewing the book. That hasn't happened to me very much lately, so I am desperate to give this book a perfect score. Regrettably, the editing keeps me from doing so. Thus, I rate this book a 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a Harry Potter-ish book that can overlook editing errors. Otherwise, you might want to wait until the author revises the book a bit. This was the first book in the series; and, while there wasn't really a cliffhanger, the author manages to hint at things to come. I, for one, will definitely be picking up the second book as soon as it's out.
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The Channeler
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