Chris Conese Reviews: The Warrior Heir

The Warrior Heir, a novel by Cinda Williams Chima, is a fantastic read in more ways than one.  I couldn’t put it down–I literally read the book in one sitting.  The character interactions and emotions are so realistic that they draw you right into the story.

There is however, one thing throughout this book filled with wizardry that I couldn’t quite believe: all of the magically endowed characters were also upper middle class.  The only exception to Chima’s upper-middle-class cast is Harmon Fitch, Jack’s lifelong friend.

Although it was a noble attempt by Chima to bring some socioeconomic diversity to the table, and what is shown of his character is definitely intriguing, he is unfortunately not central to the plot and this causes him to be a bit static.  The attempt is noted, though, and appreciated as it helps to liven up the intro of the book.

Some might say that wealth wouldn’t be much of a challenge for a person who can become invisible, and, admittedly this is true. Yet, it still would have been refreshing for me had Chima seen fit to include some real socioeconomic diversity.

On the bright side, something that I find to be a major plus in Chima’s first person writing, or in her characters rather, is the wide perspective and intelligence common in them both.  Something that is ever an impediment to me as a reader is when my perceptive abilities are limited due to the filter that is those of the character.

Jacks Swift’s father, Thomas Swift is a lawyer working out of Boston.  Jack however shares an old victorian “painted lady” home with his mother Rebecca Downey, an attorney, in Trinity Ohio.  He is much like his fellow 16 year old classmates, with one exception, the star-shaped scar on his chest and the medication he takes daily.  Jack has lived in Trinity for the entirety of his life, he knows everyone, they know him, and yet nothing is as it seems.

Jack’s Aunt Linda decides to take her nephew and his friends on a road trip to look up their  family genealogy.  What Jack discovers goes far beyond family records.

This road trip changed everything for Jack.  It is the road to discovering an underground society of magical people in which Aunt Linda is an Enchanter and Jack is a Weirlind.

Despite my reservations about the choice of class by Chima, the protagonist and main character Jack Swift is surprisingly relatable.  Jack is a varsity soccer player at the age of 16, on his way to becoming valedictorian, and there is, of course, the small matter of him being a wizard.  I am none of these things.  I am, however, a fellow teen, and that is more than enough to realize that jack is a person of such substance that he is barely contained within the written word.

This book is a good read that can be enjoyed by all, whether the reader is rich, poor, a longtime lover of fantasy, or a casual reader.

The Warrior Heir can be found in the Talawanda High School library, along with it’s sequel The Wizard Heir.