SABIN, E(lenora) Rose

PERSONAL:

Female. Hobbies and other interests: Caring for dogs, B'Elanna and Dax.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Pinellas County, FL. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Tor Books, Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010.

CAREER:

Writer. Former teacher of Spanish and English.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Andre Norton Gryphon Award for best unpublished fantasy novel by a new female author, 1992, for A School for Sorcery.

WRITINGS:

A School for Sorcery (young adult), Tor Books (New York, NY), 2002.

The Perilous Power (young adult), Tor Books (New York, NY), 2004.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

When the Beast Ravens, Tor Books (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

E. Rose Sabin's manuscript for A School for Sorcery was awarded the Andre Norton Gryphon Award ten years before the book was published. At first glance it might be compared to J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, but it is only vaguely similar. The story takes place in Arucadia in a technological society. The female protagonist, Tria Tesserell, has special powers that her mother wants her to develop by attending the Lesley Simonton School for the Magically Gifted. Tria's father is opposed to the idea, but her mother wins him over.

Tria is disappointed upon arriving. The school, which appeared lovely in the brochure, is, in fact, crumbling and dirty. The food grown by the students is tasteless and poorly prepared, and Tria's assigned roommate, who instigates trouble among the boys, can turn into a panther. Tria quickly learns to draw on her powers as protection from the girl-turned-cat.

Victoria McManus, who reviewed the novel for ZEN-tertainment online, wrote that Tria "has depth and her magic has many original elements, but I would have enjoyed the book more if the subsidiary characters had been more than mere adjuncts to her apotheosis. Too often, Tria seemed to save the day alone. I wanted the opportunity to care for the other characters, as well. Perhaps in future Sabin novels, that will happen."

Sabin's follow-up novel A Perilous Power offers an account of events that take place before A School for Sorcery. In the novel friends Trevor Blake and Les Simonton leave their home in the country to undergo magical arts training in the big city, encountering numerous adventures and meeting some unsavory characters. A third novel in the series, a sequel to the first, is planned for publication in 2005.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 2002, Sally Estes, review of A School for Sorcery, p. 212.

Locus, September, 2002, Carolyn Cushman, review of A School for Sorcery, p. 35.

Publishers Weekly, September 9, 2002, review of A School for Sorcery, p. 48.

ONLINE

E. Rose Sabin (author Web site) http://www.erosesabin.com/ (November 18, 2003).

ZENtertainment,http://www.zentertainment.com/ (November 7, 2002), Victoria McManus, review of A School for Sorcery.*