Review: Engineering Guide to Magic 101
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 14, 2012
In the eyes of P. S. Power, magic is the manipulation of fields that make up the world.  For certain talented people, fields can be changed through manipulation of the interaction of these fields, via devices that can be used by anyone.  Torrence Baker is a student in the Builder major at a university, learning to create and build such devices.  When he finally succeeds in creating such a device, it is the beginning of a grand adventure for this country bumpkin from The Two Bends village.The Builder is a tale of a socially awkward 17 year old, who learns to deal with attention and popularity as he churns out one ingenious device after another.  His engineering mind allows him to come up brilliant solutions to problems that befuddle everyone else in the Kingdom.  Soon enough he attracts the attention of nobility and the King himself.  Along the way, Tor learns the value of friendship, and what's inside in a person, characterwise, is just as important as his social standing in life.The Builder (The Young Ancients) is an encouraging tale of a boy's rise socially through hard work, and a willingness to help others in need.  It is a story that grows on the reader, as much as the main character himself.