Found: Sorcerer's servant flees burning workshop in castle, joins quest, slays dragon
Original topic subject: Sorcerer's servant flees burning workshop in castle, joins quest, slays dragon
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1gabbyraja
I know, this should be easy, right? ;)
Fantasy genre
Likely YA, but no romance element
I read this book about 10 years ago but I don't remember if it was new or old at the time. It was either new and there were no more books written in the series at the time, or it was old and by one of the classic authors of the fantasy genre.
There was a lowly servant boy between 12 and 16yo in the castle, cleaning the workshop of the sorcerer. He was not his official Apprentice, if I recall correctly, just a servant. The wizard already had an apprentice, i think, older and bigger than the boy, possibly bullying him. One day there was a fire. I think it may have been part of the castle being invaded, or it was magical in nature?
The sorcerer was killed in the fire but the boy escaped through a tunnel at the back of the workshop. He fled into the forest and met a companion. They picked up more people along a quest, though I can't remember anything about them. Except i think that one was small, maybe a dwarf or halfling type.
They ended up on a mountain, fighting a dragon. I remember a scene like they were inside of an old volcano or something because it was a circular crevasse and it was snowy/cold. I think it seemed that most of his companions had died in the fight, and he was sure he was dead too. But in the end he woke up having killed the dragon. But it was not clear how. He had had no magic throughout the book. In fact after mentioning the sorcerer in the beginning I don't think there were any clear signs of actual magic in the book, but I highly suspected that him killing the dragon was his magic emerging.
It was clear that there were more books in the series (or would be, if they were not yet written), but I never moved on after that one. I don't remember why. I cannot remember any character names or anything other than what I have written here.
Fantasy genre
Likely YA, but no romance element
I read this book about 10 years ago but I don't remember if it was new or old at the time. It was either new and there were no more books written in the series at the time, or it was old and by one of the classic authors of the fantasy genre.
There was a lowly servant boy between 12 and 16yo in the castle, cleaning the workshop of the sorcerer. He was not his official Apprentice, if I recall correctly, just a servant. The wizard already had an apprentice, i think, older and bigger than the boy, possibly bullying him. One day there was a fire. I think it may have been part of the castle being invaded, or it was magical in nature?
The sorcerer was killed in the fire but the boy escaped through a tunnel at the back of the workshop. He fled into the forest and met a companion. They picked up more people along a quest, though I can't remember anything about them. Except i think that one was small, maybe a dwarf or halfling type.
They ended up on a mountain, fighting a dragon. I remember a scene like they were inside of an old volcano or something because it was a circular crevasse and it was snowy/cold. I think it seemed that most of his companions had died in the fight, and he was sure he was dead too. But in the end he woke up having killed the dragon. But it was not clear how. He had had no magic throughout the book. In fact after mentioning the sorcerer in the beginning I don't think there were any clear signs of actual magic in the book, but I highly suspected that him killing the dragon was his magic emerging.
It was clear that there were more books in the series (or would be, if they were not yet written), but I never moved on after that one. I don't remember why. I cannot remember any character names or anything other than what I have written here.
2saskia17
Long shot, as it doesn't fit all your particulars, but the maybe The Ring of Allaire by Susan Dexter? Mainly the cold fight inside a crevasse is similar.
3BrainFireBob
This is The Dragonbone Chair, first book of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams.
Simon "Mooncalf" (Seoman Snowlock) is the kitchen boy, Morgenes is the doctor in the Hayholt, and Inch is an assistant but not an apprentice. The small man is Binnabennquegabennik (IIRC), "Binabik". He is a troll from the Trollshaws.
The dragon is the ice dragon Igjarjuk.
EDIT: This is widely considered a fantasy classic. There's the initial trilogy- which at one point contained the longest book written in English- two outriggers, at least one short story in the Legends anthology by Silverberg ("The Burning Man"), and Tad just returned to Osten Ard to write a sequel series, freshly completed.
EDIT2: Fun fact: This series is a significant part of why George R.R. Martin changed his mind about there still being novel tales to tell in fantasy, leading him to write A Game of Thrones. Originally published something like 1988 for the first book, so you are correct that it was older.
Simon "Mooncalf" (Seoman Snowlock) is the kitchen boy, Morgenes is the doctor in the Hayholt, and Inch is an assistant but not an apprentice. The small man is Binnabennquegabennik (IIRC), "Binabik". He is a troll from the Trollshaws.
The dragon is the ice dragon Igjarjuk.
EDIT: This is widely considered a fantasy classic. There's the initial trilogy- which at one point contained the longest book written in English- two outriggers, at least one short story in the Legends anthology by Silverberg ("The Burning Man"), and Tad just returned to Osten Ard to write a sequel series, freshly completed.
EDIT2: Fun fact: This series is a significant part of why George R.R. Martin changed his mind about there still being novel tales to tell in fantasy, leading him to write A Game of Thrones. Originally published something like 1988 for the first book, so you are correct that it was older.
