Book Review: Jack of all Trades, by K. C. Shaw

Jack of all Trades, by K. C. Shaw
Reviewed by Mary Rosenblum

Publisher:Ancient Tomes Press
Year Published: 2009

I am not a fan of ?cute?. Sorry. Pictures of kittens and puppies being adorable make me roll my eyes and books that depend on that ?cute puppy? factor usually end up in the ?Friends of the Library? donation box. So when I received K.C. Shaw?s ?Jack of All Trades? with its cute picture of a couple chatting over a white picket fence while a plump (and cute) red dragon chased a butterfly, I did the eye-roll and glanced longingly at the ?Friends of the Library? box. But I did say I?d read it, so I sat down to sample the first chapter and see if this was something that I could finish or if I was right and the library needed to benefit.

Three hours later, I decided I really did need to go to bed, even though I wanted to finish the book (I was halfway through it). I did have to get up quite early the next morning. So I put it aside. And finished it the next afternoon instead of doing things I was supposed to be doing.

That, from me, is high praise. Very.

Cute? Oh, no, it?s not cute. Not in the ?adorable puppy? meaning of cute anyway. The word that comes to me most readily is ?charming?. It is the epitome of charming.

We have Jack Bywater who arrives in what seems to be a quiet English countryside village with his pet dragon to rent Rose Cottage and work for awhile at whatever job is offered. ?Awhile? because a curse is following him and eventually he must move on to stay ahead of it. A ?hedge wizard? as a sorcerer sneers, (and not a particularly talented one at that), a carpenter, horse trainer, and doer of whatever job will pay, including working as a butler, he settles in to support himself with a hammer or magic as the job of the day demands, accompanied by the adoring Pepper, his dragon. In the course of a collection of stories, a plot builds slowly and steadily.

There?s little serious dramatic tension here. No matter how bad things are, Jack manages to make things turn out reasonably well, and meanwhile, falls in love. But his jobs and the people he manages to help are vividly drawn, entertaining, and I found myself comparing this to the delightful ?comfort food? feel of Agatha Christie?s Miss Marple mysteries. You won?t find many life and death moments here, but you?ll find?well? a charming village, interesting people, some puzzles for Jack, and a local mystery that needs to be solved. And then, of course, there is the curse. If Jack and his dragon choose to stay so he can wed his newfound lady-love?.what will happen? And how bad will it be for Jack?

This is a deceptively compelling book. Off to the beach for a nice summer weekend? Bring it along. You?ll be very glad you did. Just don?t start reading it an hour before bedtime?


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