James, a high school senior, went looking for a job. But instead, he begins what turns out to be an adventure of a lifetime. Whisked unexpectedly to a world where magic works, he must learn to master its power, all the while searching for the meaning of why he was brought there and what he must do.
Excerpt from The Unsuspecting Mage, a novel for teens by Brian S. Pratt:
Having your nose in a book may be a great way to spend your spare time unless you do it to the exclusion of everything else. You get up, grab your book, and read until night comes when you’re forced to put it down for sleep. Oh sure, you have the occasional interruptions in the pattern like eating and school, but that I suppose must be tolerated. James Reese, a young man in his senior year of high school, does just that. Unless there is something of dire importance demanding his attention, he will be found lying on his bed, deep within his current favorite book. He sees nothing wrong with spending every possible, available moment reading. Reading to him is grand adventure, new ideas and it sure keeps him out of trouble. His main interest is fantasy adventure books, though he does dabble in sci-fi occasionally. He has kept every book he has ever read since he was around twelve. His book collection, now pushing over five hundred titles, is the one thing he takes the most pride in.
An obtrusive knock at the door brings him back from the middle of a particularly exciting battle. “James, breakfast is almost ready,” he hears his grandmother’s voice through the door. “Put your book down and get ready, or you’re going to be late for school.”
Finding a good place to stop, he carefully inserts the bookmark and places it gingerly on his nightstand. He’s read it before, many of the books lining his walls have been read several times over the years, and most are still in very good condition. Some think that he cares more for his books than for anything else. There are times when he thinks they may be right. His friends always kid him about rereading the same book over and over, but he asks them if they ever saw the same movie twice or ever went to the same place for a vacation. Having made his point they leave him alone.
He picks up some clothes from off the floor that don’t seem too dirty and gets dressed. After slipping on his shoes, he grabs his backpack which he’s rarely seen without. Slinging it over his shoulder, he opens the door.
Coming out of his room, the aroma of eggs, bacon and biscuits fill the house. His grandmother is in the kitchen where she’s just finishing cooking breakfast. “Have a seat at the table, James,” she says from the kitchen. “It’ll be ready in a few minutes.” His grandparents have raised him for the past five years, ever since his parents were killed by a drunk driver.
At the table, his grandfather is reading the morning paper. So intent is he on an article that he doesn’t notice him right away. James has some trepidation about disturbing his grandfather. For the last few months his grandfather has been encouraging him to get a job and has been directing his attention to the latest ads in the paper that he feels James might be interested in. It’s his senior year in high school and it’s almost over. He knows he needs to make some decisions about his future but has never been that great trying new things. Some call him antisocial but he thinks of himself as just nonsocial. He doesn’t hate being around others, he just prefers time to himself, with his books.
Setting his backpack on the floor by the legs of his chair, he joins his grandfather at the table. Having noticed him, his grandfather leans toward James and shows him an article in the paper.
