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Cartographer's Apprentice: Leave Them Wanting More
Four short stories from the Land of the Three Seas casting a light on the early career of Benor Dorfinngil. The trials and tribulations of a young cartographer; this book features duels, savage halfmen, gassy beer, blood feuds and most dangerous of all, beautiful women.
130 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Jim Webster
90 books73 followersOld enough to know better and young enough not to care. I'm married with a wife and three daughters.
Since I left school I've supported myself with farming, freelance writing and some consultancy.
The consultancy dried up a bit so having time on my hands I wrote the fantasy novel 'Swords for a Dead Lady'. This is on Amazon as an e-book. It didn't hurt so I did it again, and 'Dead Man Riding East' is also available on Amazon. A third book, 'The Flames of the City,' and a fourth book, 'Learning a Hard Trade', set in the same background, are now available.
Then as a bit of a change I produced a shorter book, 'The Cartographer's Apprentice' which is something of a 'prequel' to the story of Benor Dorfingil.
The whole 'facebook/twitter/blogging' experience is something I'm not very good at. I'd far rather chat to people on forums, or better still talk over a pint or a really good cappuccino.
Since I left school I've supported myself with farming, freelance writing and some consultancy.
The consultancy dried up a bit so having time on my hands I wrote the fantasy novel 'Swords for a Dead Lady'. This is on Amazon as an e-book. It didn't hurt so I did it again, and 'Dead Man Riding East' is also available on Amazon. A third book, 'The Flames of the City,' and a fourth book, 'Learning a Hard Trade', set in the same background, are now available.
Then as a bit of a change I produced a shorter book, 'The Cartographer's Apprentice' which is something of a 'prequel' to the story of Benor Dorfingil.
The whole 'facebook/twitter/blogging' experience is something I'm not very good at. I'd far rather chat to people on forums, or better still talk over a pint or a really good cappuccino.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 2, 2013
A thoroughly enjoyable read that did indeed leave me wanting more.
Jim Webster has an authorial voice that, while distinct, put me in mind of Charles Dickens, particularly in the way he builds his characters, while certain turns of phrase reminded me of Katherine Mansfield. Neither of those authors wrote fantasy, of course, but had they done so they would have been well advised to delve into the believable world that Jim has created.
The tales immersed me into a world I wanted to explore, and introduced me to characters I wanted to know. Benor, the principle character, is a very easy to like kind of rogue, whose antics often made me chuckle; I laughed out loud at one encounter, when Benor converses with a lady of the night while wearing a short skirt. On other occasions I found myself not chuckling, but agreeing with the world view that the author puts through his characters, for example:
Benor contemplated his tankard. “Is there anywhere with better beer?” “No, but you’ll find other places with more life.” Hurdelk bent forward slightly as if speaking in confidence. “I’ve come to the conclusion that the better the beer in the bar, the fewer the number of pretty women who frequent it.
I’d say you don’t need to be a fan of fantasy to enjoy this book, but then I claim all fiction is fantasy.
Jim Webster has an authorial voice that, while distinct, put me in mind of Charles Dickens, particularly in the way he builds his characters, while certain turns of phrase reminded me of Katherine Mansfield. Neither of those authors wrote fantasy, of course, but had they done so they would have been well advised to delve into the believable world that Jim has created.
The tales immersed me into a world I wanted to explore, and introduced me to characters I wanted to know. Benor, the principle character, is a very easy to like kind of rogue, whose antics often made me chuckle; I laughed out loud at one encounter, when Benor converses with a lady of the night while wearing a short skirt. On other occasions I found myself not chuckling, but agreeing with the world view that the author puts through his characters, for example:
Benor contemplated his tankard. “Is there anywhere with better beer?” “No, but you’ll find other places with more life.” Hurdelk bent forward slightly as if speaking in confidence. “I’ve come to the conclusion that the better the beer in the bar, the fewer the number of pretty women who frequent it.
I’d say you don’t need to be a fan of fantasy to enjoy this book, but then I claim all fiction is fantasy.
September 1, 2016
Wonderful taste of Jim Webster's writing. Looking forward to reading his longer work!
September 30, 2013
This book of short stories acts as a prequel to the tales of the Land of the Three Seas. If you’re a fan of Jim Webster’s work, as I am, you’ll be delighted to read some of the earlier exploits of Benor, a character it’s very easy to become fond of. The other books contain more fantasy in the sense that there is magic and there are strange beasts, more so than you will find here. This gives the flavour though. Speaking of flavours, there’s always a good deal of food involved in these stories!
The longer books are, by ebook standards, pricy, so there may well be people who have held off reading them. Wait no longer! Read this one and dip your toes into the gentle humour and wonderful way with words that characterise this series. Jim Webster manages to write his stories as though they were ancient Greek myth. It’s a wonderful gift!
The longer books are, by ebook standards, pricy, so there may well be people who have held off reading them. Wait no longer! Read this one and dip your toes into the gentle humour and wonderful way with words that characterise this series. Jim Webster manages to write his stories as though they were ancient Greek myth. It’s a wonderful gift!
September 21, 2013
This is a fine collection of short fantasy stories, well written and with plenty of background detail. They fit into Jim's "Land of the Three Seas" world, which in itself has to be one of the best evolved of all fantasy worlds, but are relatively short and make an excellent introduction to both his style and the world. I found myself following the plots from the outset and wanting more at the end.
September 22, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed it, left me wanting more. Luckily, there is more!
October 2, 2013
In the current world of Fantasy publishing there are many authors who publish their work confident in their opinion that it is 'good stuff' and everybody will love it. Some few - regrettably few - of them are correct in that opinion. Jim Webster is one of the few!
Perhaps it just happens to be the sort of story that appeals to me, but I rather liked this one. Here we have a fairly standard Fantasy world (though without magic) and a puzzle to solve - but that is only a small part of it.
Our hero is a 'roof runner' - frequently in trouble with various women's husbands, in scenes that avoid any explicit sexual content, but leave the reader with a cheerful grin. He is, by profession, a cartographer; this is a nice touch, it helps give him some depth of background and justify his position in the world - he is not just a sword-swinging and/or magic-using hero.
I suspect a large part of the reasons I liked this work were the minor 'set pieces' and nice turns of phrase that contributed to the background and to the humour, though not much to the main tale. A minor character is described "... the sergeant is at a dangerous age. He's given up trying to enforce the law and would rather see justice done." Then there are several scenes in alehouses that reminded me of my mis-spent youth; and a side-story involving a large dog (called an erret) that appealed to my sense of humour ("No errets in Tarsteps [...] They're banned. Ever since that one they named the inn after ate a solicitor's clerk.").
This is good stuff, and I recommend it. For comparison - it doesn't quite match up to The Lies of Locke Lamora, but it has similarities, and in some ways it comes close!
Of course, nothing is perfect, and there are some minor criticisms to make. A part of the main story-thread depends on some aspects of mining that did not sit well with my own background in geology - but that is not important. Also, I found some of the names, both of characters and of places, did not flow well, and there were occasional scene jumps that could have been better handled - in a couple of cases (plain bad luck) a scene changed at a page-break on my Kindle, and left me confused for a moment - better marking, or maybe more chapter breaks would have helped.
Nevetheless, I was impressed - a comfortable four stars - and I shall most certainly be reading more by this author!
Perhaps it just happens to be the sort of story that appeals to me, but I rather liked this one. Here we have a fairly standard Fantasy world (though without magic) and a puzzle to solve - but that is only a small part of it.
Our hero is a 'roof runner' - frequently in trouble with various women's husbands, in scenes that avoid any explicit sexual content, but leave the reader with a cheerful grin. He is, by profession, a cartographer; this is a nice touch, it helps give him some depth of background and justify his position in the world - he is not just a sword-swinging and/or magic-using hero.
I suspect a large part of the reasons I liked this work were the minor 'set pieces' and nice turns of phrase that contributed to the background and to the humour, though not much to the main tale. A minor character is described "... the sergeant is at a dangerous age. He's given up trying to enforce the law and would rather see justice done." Then there are several scenes in alehouses that reminded me of my mis-spent youth; and a side-story involving a large dog (called an erret) that appealed to my sense of humour ("No errets in Tarsteps [...] They're banned. Ever since that one they named the inn after ate a solicitor's clerk.").
This is good stuff, and I recommend it. For comparison - it doesn't quite match up to The Lies of Locke Lamora, but it has similarities, and in some ways it comes close!
Of course, nothing is perfect, and there are some minor criticisms to make. A part of the main story-thread depends on some aspects of mining that did not sit well with my own background in geology - but that is not important. Also, I found some of the names, both of characters and of places, did not flow well, and there were occasional scene jumps that could have been better handled - in a couple of cases (plain bad luck) a scene changed at a page-break on my Kindle, and left me confused for a moment - better marking, or maybe more chapter breaks would have helped.
Nevetheless, I was impressed - a comfortable four stars - and I shall most certainly be reading more by this author!
May 6, 2014
This is the first book by Jim Webster that I've read, but it will certainly not be the last!
The world that is opened up around the main character, Benor Dorfinngil, is an interesting combination of historical fiction, legend and non-magical fantasy (although some of the creatures described are certainly, in some cases thankfully, not existing in our world).
Gripping tales, interesting situations and characters, clever plots and thoroughly entertaining.
See my review also at:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Cartograp...
http://www.amazon.com/The-Cartographe...
http://www.amazon.ca/product-reviews/...
http://www.amazon.com.au/product-revi...
The world that is opened up around the main character, Benor Dorfinngil, is an interesting combination of historical fiction, legend and non-magical fantasy (although some of the creatures described are certainly, in some cases thankfully, not existing in our world).
Gripping tales, interesting situations and characters, clever plots and thoroughly entertaining.
See my review also at:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Cartograp...
http://www.amazon.com/The-Cartographe...
http://www.amazon.ca/product-reviews/...
http://www.amazon.com.au/product-revi...
August 1, 2018
These are four excellent short stories introducing the early days of Benor. Each tale pulses with humour as the well-drawn characters engage in various adventures. Each story features great dialogue, lots of good food, wine and ale, all taking place in a believable and well-drawn world where the streets pulse with life. The reader gets a powerful sense of being there in a real world with real people going about their real lives.
I look forward to reading the next book and wish I’d read this one far sooner.
I look forward to reading the next book and wish I’d read this one far sooner.
April 19, 2019
The Cartographer’s Apprentice by Jim Webster is a collection of four short stories that according to one reviewer serves as an introduction to the writings of Jim Webster. I stumbled across another of his works, Deep Water and Other Stories, got completely lost in the first thirty pages, and decided to find out more about this author and his stories. There are many novels in which an author gets praise for effective and complete world building. Jim Webster is the equal of any writer I’ve read. The world building element all by itself is on a level with Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and the fantasy novels of J. K. Rowling. The storytelling can become confusing for readers either not familiar with or unwilling to follow British English. This is writing that requires a reader to pay attention. Readers will not be sanctioned for the inattentiveness, but neither will they receive the full rewards of this excellent writing.
This is one of the few cases for which I looked at other reviewer comments before reading. Two reviewers commented; one with a four-star rating, another rated the collection at five stars. One reviewer commented that The Cartographers Apprentice was a good place to start with Jim Webster writings. That was the advice I was looking for. I have found sixteen Kindle publications by Webster. Although I can tell that they are all stand-alone works, I was looking for some organized way to approach them so I would at least be familiar with main characters as they entered the stage. Since this collection begins with The Prequel’s Prequel, I felt I was in the right place.
We begin in the Land of the Three Seas and meet Benor Dorfinngil, two elements which will appear in many later works. Benor begins this short story collection as a person in search of a trade. His father, Jillig, had already picked out a trade for Benor, he was to be a cartographer. Benor would leave Toelar and go to Meor in a sort of apprenticeship program. Benor could not understand why he could not hang out in Toelar and pursue one of his favorite hobbies, the pursuit of married women He did not have to do much pursuing of neighbor Haitha Giltbar; she seemed attracted to him. Expectedly, husband Gartan Giltbar, was not agreeable to Benor’s games, no matter who was the pursued and who was the pursuer. Throughout the stories in this collection, Benor will relocate often in service of his addiction. Benor became very skillful at departing homes in a hurry through windows and escaping along rooftops.
We next meet Benor after he has joined a group of fellow students as an articled Cartographer looking for his first assignment. What better place to find a job than by word of mouth in the company of friends while drinking? It was at The Gallows Tavern near the barracks at Ointment Gripe that the fellows would have their final meeting before taking separate paths to employment. Hurdelk, a miner’s son from Tarsteps, would go home to work with his father. Palothos Custeel would return to his family’s farm. Tiel was a new member of the group and had yet to start studying. He appreciated the company and the information he received from the new graduates. Benor had received hints from Hurdelk that there might be cartography work connected to the family mine in Tarsteps. The fifth member of the group was Amor Amiche-Aranillu, the son of a large landholder who also had many business interests in the town of Seramis. He didn’t mean much as a friend as he would die that same evening.
The above two paragraphs give a brief idea of the creativity of Jim Webster when it comes to names and settings. This passage describing the social stratification that exists in Tarsteps shows a different kind of creativity. Describing two classes of women: “…they are women from ‘Below the Drain.’ It is a woman thing. Women from Tarsteps Proper, or ‘Above the Drain,’ will only marry men who are taller than themselves. But women from below the Drain will happily marry men who are shorter than themselves. Hence the women from Tarsteps Proper regard the women from ‘Below the Drain’ as little more than hussies. Because of this, when out socially women from ‘Below the Drain’ wear veils to show that they are modest and concerned about maintaining proper decorum.” (Kindle Location 2014).
This deserves five-star Amazon. I am looking forward to reading all of his Kindle novels. The paperback editions cost too much.
This is one of the few cases for which I looked at other reviewer comments before reading. Two reviewers commented; one with a four-star rating, another rated the collection at five stars. One reviewer commented that The Cartographers Apprentice was a good place to start with Jim Webster writings. That was the advice I was looking for. I have found sixteen Kindle publications by Webster. Although I can tell that they are all stand-alone works, I was looking for some organized way to approach them so I would at least be familiar with main characters as they entered the stage. Since this collection begins with The Prequel’s Prequel, I felt I was in the right place.
We begin in the Land of the Three Seas and meet Benor Dorfinngil, two elements which will appear in many later works. Benor begins this short story collection as a person in search of a trade. His father, Jillig, had already picked out a trade for Benor, he was to be a cartographer. Benor would leave Toelar and go to Meor in a sort of apprenticeship program. Benor could not understand why he could not hang out in Toelar and pursue one of his favorite hobbies, the pursuit of married women He did not have to do much pursuing of neighbor Haitha Giltbar; she seemed attracted to him. Expectedly, husband Gartan Giltbar, was not agreeable to Benor’s games, no matter who was the pursued and who was the pursuer. Throughout the stories in this collection, Benor will relocate often in service of his addiction. Benor became very skillful at departing homes in a hurry through windows and escaping along rooftops.
We next meet Benor after he has joined a group of fellow students as an articled Cartographer looking for his first assignment. What better place to find a job than by word of mouth in the company of friends while drinking? It was at The Gallows Tavern near the barracks at Ointment Gripe that the fellows would have their final meeting before taking separate paths to employment. Hurdelk, a miner’s son from Tarsteps, would go home to work with his father. Palothos Custeel would return to his family’s farm. Tiel was a new member of the group and had yet to start studying. He appreciated the company and the information he received from the new graduates. Benor had received hints from Hurdelk that there might be cartography work connected to the family mine in Tarsteps. The fifth member of the group was Amor Amiche-Aranillu, the son of a large landholder who also had many business interests in the town of Seramis. He didn’t mean much as a friend as he would die that same evening.
The above two paragraphs give a brief idea of the creativity of Jim Webster when it comes to names and settings. This passage describing the social stratification that exists in Tarsteps shows a different kind of creativity. Describing two classes of women: “…they are women from ‘Below the Drain.’ It is a woman thing. Women from Tarsteps Proper, or ‘Above the Drain,’ will only marry men who are taller than themselves. But women from below the Drain will happily marry men who are shorter than themselves. Hence the women from Tarsteps Proper regard the women from ‘Below the Drain’ as little more than hussies. Because of this, when out socially women from ‘Below the Drain’ wear veils to show that they are modest and concerned about maintaining proper decorum.” (Kindle Location 2014).
This deserves five-star Amazon. I am looking forward to reading all of his Kindle novels. The paperback editions cost too much.
May 5, 2014
The Cartographer’s Apprentice by Jim Webster was an interesting fun read.
This book seemed to take me along time to read for such a short set of tales, but unlike all the previous books I’ve read this year life really got into the way. Between work, the Easter holidays and a new game being released in the past month that I have become a little addicted to I just couldn’t find the extra hours in the day for everything.
That in no way is Webster’s fault and really I was pushing myself to find time to not only read but finish each tale wanting to know more an more who did it and if I had worked it out before Benor.
Speaking of Benor I really liked him and was pleased he was in every story and that there wasn’t one where he was missing. Given there were 4 stories within this book as I neared the end of each tale it was a legitimate fear for me, having not read any of Webster’s other books I wasn’t sure if he would lead me into another characters world to introduce someone else I should know about in the following titles.
I think my only true disappointment was, at least to me, each of the stories were too short, yes I know the book took me forever to read but, I would have loved for the mysteries within them to have been drawn out and gotten to know more about the surrounding characters.Webster does a fantastic job of bringing you into the world of these characters and the motivation of the people behind the murders.
Although I liked them all I think the one I wanted to read more about and was gutted it was over most was the first real story. The politics within the life of the murdered boy and the town for which he was murdered was really interesting to me, more so than the others. I would have liked to get to know him and his friends a bit more so I felt a bit more hurt by his death. The next tale that left an impression on me was the last one in the mines where not only one person died but a pile of bodies started appearing bit by bit.
I loved the mystery Webster drew not only of who did it but what was motivating them to kill each person that got found as the story progressed. I will definitely read more of Webster’s books and have them ready on my Kindle, I just need a small break from fantasy, what with reading so many lately I had quite a few images from several books filtering into this one and to fully enjoy Webster’s other works with the intriguing Benor I need to purge the other worlds from my mind with some other tales.
4 stars but not due to the story telling, the dock is due to wishing there had been more which given there are more books by Webster where there is only one mystery (I think) within them I shall have my wish. Given the book is titled the Cartographer’s Apprentice : Leave Them Wanting More, on Goodreads I’d say Webster has achieved what he hoped for here.
This book seemed to take me along time to read for such a short set of tales, but unlike all the previous books I’ve read this year life really got into the way. Between work, the Easter holidays and a new game being released in the past month that I have become a little addicted to I just couldn’t find the extra hours in the day for everything.
That in no way is Webster’s fault and really I was pushing myself to find time to not only read but finish each tale wanting to know more an more who did it and if I had worked it out before Benor.
Speaking of Benor I really liked him and was pleased he was in every story and that there wasn’t one where he was missing. Given there were 4 stories within this book as I neared the end of each tale it was a legitimate fear for me, having not read any of Webster’s other books I wasn’t sure if he would lead me into another characters world to introduce someone else I should know about in the following titles.
I think my only true disappointment was, at least to me, each of the stories were too short, yes I know the book took me forever to read but, I would have loved for the mysteries within them to have been drawn out and gotten to know more about the surrounding characters.Webster does a fantastic job of bringing you into the world of these characters and the motivation of the people behind the murders.
Although I liked them all I think the one I wanted to read more about and was gutted it was over most was the first real story. The politics within the life of the murdered boy and the town for which he was murdered was really interesting to me, more so than the others. I would have liked to get to know him and his friends a bit more so I felt a bit more hurt by his death. The next tale that left an impression on me was the last one in the mines where not only one person died but a pile of bodies started appearing bit by bit.
I loved the mystery Webster drew not only of who did it but what was motivating them to kill each person that got found as the story progressed. I will definitely read more of Webster’s books and have them ready on my Kindle, I just need a small break from fantasy, what with reading so many lately I had quite a few images from several books filtering into this one and to fully enjoy Webster’s other works with the intriguing Benor I need to purge the other worlds from my mind with some other tales.
4 stars but not due to the story telling, the dock is due to wishing there had been more which given there are more books by Webster where there is only one mystery (I think) within them I shall have my wish. Given the book is titled the Cartographer’s Apprentice : Leave Them Wanting More, on Goodreads I’d say Webster has achieved what he hoped for here.
July 10, 2014
A great introduction into the work of Jim Webster.
Jim Webster has a very authoritative style of writing, that I found to be very engaging. I liked the gentle humour, which seemed effortless but very effective. I also really liked the way that he developed his characters as the stories went on. My favourite character was Benor Dorginngil and I was very glad that he featured in all four short stories. I look forward to reading longer works by this author!
See my full review here: http://wp.me/p4Dssh-dG
Jim Webster has a very authoritative style of writing, that I found to be very engaging. I liked the gentle humour, which seemed effortless but very effective. I also really liked the way that he developed his characters as the stories went on. My favourite character was Benor Dorginngil and I was very glad that he featured in all four short stories. I look forward to reading longer works by this author!
See my full review here: http://wp.me/p4Dssh-dG
January 2, 2016
Three stories, all linked with the same hero moving from one to the next. The last one was less typical and more tantalising: the first two had mysteries to solve in the fantasy world inhabited by Benor the roofrunner. These are hugely enjoyable books, very amusing in a dry fashion, with very engaging characters - my only qualm once again was that this one could have benefitted from more rigorous editing.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews