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The Magician of Tiger Castle

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The Magician of Tiger Castle

By: Louis Sachar
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Louis Sachar
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About this listen

 THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED DEBUT ADULT NOVEL BY LOUIS SACHAR, THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF CHILDREN'S FICTION AND AUTHOR OF CLASSIC NOVEL, HOLES.

****

Is true love the greatest form of magic?

Long ago, in a kingdom far away, the magician of tiger castle is on thin ice. Once the greatest in the land, Anatole's spells have dried up. He can't even turn sand into gold anymore. The only one who still believes in him is kind Princess Tullia, and he hopes - for the sake of their friendship - that he can soon redeem himself and stay within the king's court.

When the opportunity arises, Anatole is faced with an impossible decision. Princess Tullia is betrothed to the prince of a rich neighbouring kingdom, an alliance which will save bankrupt Esquaveta and all its citizens. But, Tullia has secretly fallen in love with a lowly apprentice scribe and refuses to wed the prince.

The King tasks Anatole with the most difficult magic of all: an anti-love potion. Anatole can save everything and everyone if he can shatter the young lovers' romance. But, with the fate of the kingdom hanging in the balance, can he achieve it? Can he even bring himself to try? After all, is true love not the purest form of magic?

Told with the same wit and warmth that has made Louis Sachar's books classics of children's literature, The Magician of Tiger Castle is a colourful and enigmatic tale of adventure, love, loss and triumph.

'Wise and whimsical . . . I loved it' Alix E. Harrow, bestselling author of Starling House

'The kind of book that lodges itself in your heart!' Sarah Beth Durst, bestselling author of The Spellshop©2025 Louis Sachar (P)2025 Headline Publishing Group Limited Action & Adventure Editors Select Fantasy Historical Fiction Royalty Science Fiction Heartfelt Magic Users Magic

Editorial Review

An unexpected return from a favourite
Fantasy listeners will be delighted to know that Louis Sachar, the beloved children’s book author of Holes, has written his first adult novel about a kingdom in peril, a doomed princess and a down-on-his-luck magician. It’s a quirky tale that feels adult without being adult, catering to the classic fantasy elements we all know and love. Narrator Edoardo Ballerini captures the magician Anatole’s sceptical but playful inner voice as he observes his slightly absurd world of tigers in castles, silly kings and star-crossed lovers. Touched by real-life historical details about living during Renaissance times, Sachar leads the listener down a whimsical path with a satisfying, it-all-comes-together moment at the end. —Melissa B., Audible Editor

Critic reviews

I adored this book. It is undoubtedly a new favourite, perfect for fans of Holes - or for any reader who wants to go on a grand, magical adventure for the sake of true love (Susan Dennard)
While keeping the heart and humanity of Holes, Louis Sachar blazes into the adult space with The Magician of Tiger Castle (Rebecca Thorne)
All stars
Most relevant
There were moments of huge enjoyment in this debut ‘adult’ novel by Louis Sachar. But the story is all over the place and the ending very unsatisfying. Inconsistent and uneven.

Great voice performance, wonky plotting

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This is such a well written book and fantastic to read. It captures your imagination and takes you into a different but believable world. The narrator is brilliant too, and I really loved the main character. More than worth a credit. A poignant and beautiful story. Really really enjoyed listening to it. Thank you so much to the author for taking a leap of faith and writing for adults. Your stories have always been amazing for children and you do not disappoint for adults. You will not regret spending a credit on this book.

Fantastic book to read

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I was excited to listen to this as I loved holes. Holes felt like a very well thought out and satisfying story. A web of mystery that was all solved at the end.

This book although the ideas are novel, I didn’t find engaging. I like the premise and some elements of the story. I didn’t find character arch’s, plot or ending satisfying. I didn’t care about any of it. I am left feeling like I missed part of the book that would have made it satisfying. Maybe it was because I didn’t care about the main characters. Or maybe it was because I’m used to longer fantasy adventure books like name of the wind or the way of kings.

Lots of historic references but it’s hard to know what’s real and what’s fiction. So I don’t feel like I learnt much because I don’t know which ideas are made up.

I am left feeling wanting of more. A revelation at the end, more moments of relationship building between characters, anything which would make it ‘clever’ or satisfying. Cannot wait for more reviews which might help me understand this book. Can I learn to like it through the observations of someone else ? I sadly doubt it.


I liked the spy character. Maybe something more could have been made of him ?

Was just a long line of connected events. And lots of detail about making potions. And a love story you didn’t feel invested in.

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