Eleven-year-old Jason Adrian’s world is thrown into disarray when a chance injury renders him incapable of attending soccer camp like he’d planned. Looks like it’s Grandmother McIntyre’s home for him, this summer! Anything’s better than spending time with the family he’s not sure really wants him to begin with… right? Luckily, something comes up to save him from the clutches of his grandmother. When Jason’s English teacher tells him he’s eligible to attend the mysterious Camp Ravenwyng, he takes the chance, little knowing that his life will never be the same again.

First, there’re the teachers. Not a one of them is anything less than highly unusual, whether it’s the Victorian Gothic Eleanora, the tie-dyed Gaven Rainwater, or the flamboyantly Celtic cook, FireAnn. Then, there’re the other kids at camp: computer-savvy Trent, bearish Stefan and his constant companion Rich, clever redheaded Bailey, owlish Henry, and more. Things are perfectly fine at first… save for the empty, haunted Dead Man’s Cabin, the person stealing tiny objects from the girls’ cabin, and the wolflike creature which attacks and bites Jason on his first night in camp. Then you have the midnight meetings of the counselors, Jason’s own disturbing dreams, and whatever FireAnn’s brewing up in the kitchen.

It all becomes much clearer when the counselors explain a few things. Such as that centuries after a near-cataclysmic battle between two great wizards, or Magickers, magic is harder to find in the world, those trained to it even rarer. Camp Ravenwyng is an experimental program to find those with a Talent for magic, and train them. Small problem: the elder Magickers are opposed to mass training; if this fails, the experiment is over. Big problem: the forces of the Dark Hand, those mortally opposed to the Magickers, lurk in the darkness, willing to do whatever is necessary to take the potential power of the Camp. And for those children without the talent or cunning, a potion of forgetfulness and a ride home await. Jason and his friends have to embrace whatever powers await them, and master their Talents, before it’s too late. And just to make things difficult, there’s a traitor in their midst, and Bailey’s already vanished…

In Book Two, The Curse of Arkady, those few students from Camp Ravenwyng who survived with powers and memories intact have returned home for the start of a new school year. Jason and his friends are still in terrible danger from the Dark Hand, and the menacing jackalwolves, and the elder Magickers can’t always be there to protect the fledging students. Jason’s having terrifying dreams again, which threaten to bring him into direct contact with Antoine Brennard, master of the Dark Hand, himself. A new counselor at school jeopardizes Jason’s chances of remaining on the soccer team. A family emergency may take one of Jason’s friends far away, placing her out of immediate aid’s reach. And just what is the Curse of Arkady?
As if that wasn’t enough, Jason has to deal with his new status as Gatekeeper, an extremely rare position of responsibility among the Magickers. He’s one of the only people who can help them to unlock the Gates and find a permanent, safe home for Camp Ravenwyng, and he’s barely trained. He’ll have to take some major risks and rely upon help from unexpected corners, if he’s to survive and succeed. It’s going to be an interesting year. Thankfully, an ally thought lost may return to the fold, even as another ally reveals their true colors.

Initially, I made the mistake of comparing the Magickers series to Harry Potter. Sure, similarities will and do exist, starting with the common genre conceit in which an otherwise ordinary kid discovers his or her magical heritage, goes to a special place to develop it, makes friends and combats dark enemies, often outshining the adults he’s supposed to be learning from. When looked at from that angle, the Magickers comes off as second-best every time. However, taken on its own merits, the series is well written, entertaining, and will undoubtedly satisfy the same literary tastes the Potter series does. The protagonists are believable, though I don’t remember if I was that mature at eleven or twelve, and they certainly learn to stand on their own without overly relying upon adults to save them. While the opening of the series seemed a little rough, the Magickers has visibly improved over the course of two books, developing into something quite different from Harry Potter or its literary cousins. I daresay that this is a series with a lot of potential, and that in all likelihood it will grow to fulfill said potential. My only real complaint now is that the books seem to end rather abruptly, as if choosing to stop at a certain point no matter what, rather than take the extra chapter and wrap things up a little neater. On the whole, the Magickers pleasantly surprised me, and now I’m looking forward to seeing how the series develops.