Diferencia entre revisiones de «El rithmatista»

{{for|The Rithmatist/Summary|a chapter by chapter summary}}▼

The Rithmatist takes place on an alternate Earth quite different from our own. North America is not a continent but a group of islands, and these were almost empty of human life when Europeans arrived. The islands were, however, home to two-dimensional creatures made of chalk. There was little that the colonists could do to defend themselves from these “wild chalklings” until King Gregory III discovered the magic of [[Rithmatics]], which is performed by drawing with chalk. Several hundred years later, the continued prosperity of the [[United Isles of America]] is bought with the efforts of Rithmatists who fight an ongoing battle to contain the chalklings (and other, more mysterious creatures) on the island of Nebrask.▼

[[Joel Saxon]] is a student at the prestigious [[Armedius Academy]] in Jamestown, New Britannia. Though not a Rithmatist himself, he is obsessed with Rithmatics and studies the magic as much as he can. The poor son of the campus cleaning lady, Joel doesn’t fit in with the other students who are all either Rithmatists or children of privilege. Joel’s father Trent was the chalk maker for the academy, and shared Joel’s obsession with Rithmatics. When Trent died eight years ago, he left behind debts incurred searching for new Rithmatic lines (undiscovered elements of the magic). Joel believes his father died in a rail accident, but it is implied that there is more to the story than he has been told. ▼

Joel obtains permission to tutor under [[Fitch|Professor Fitch]] during the summer holidays. Professor Fitch is also tutoring [[Melody Muns]], a Rithmatic student struggling in her magical studies. When one of the school’s Rithmatics students disappears and evidence points to foul play by a Rithmatist, Fitch is assigned by [[Thomas York|Principal York]] to help with the investigation. As more students disappear, first Joel then Melody are admitted into Fitch’s confidence to help track down the suspected kidnapper.▼

Joel’s own suspicions center on [[Andrew Nalizar|Professor Nalizar]], a self-important and condescending man recently arrived from Nebrask. Joel discovers that Nalizar is researching new Rithmatic lines. Joel particularly dislikes Nalizar because his first act at Armedius was to challenge and defeat Professor Fitch in a Rithmatic duel, by which he was able to claim Fitch’s tenure for himself.. When Joel shares his suspicions, however, Fitch, Harding, and Melody each argue against him. They say that while Nalizar is not a likeable person, he is an acclaimed war hero from Nebrask who has saved many lives (including Harding’s). Melody reveals that her brother William recently died in Nebrask, and Nalizar left the front because of his failure in saving William from the chalklings.▼

One night, Joel himself becomes the target of an attack. Chalklings chase him towards a trap of Rithmatic lines, but he manages to evade them long enough to take shelter in the academy office with clerk [[Exton L. Pratt|Exton Pratt]], then escape and alert the police guarding the campus. After the chalklings retreat, Inspector Harding searches the office and finds evidence in Exton’s desk that leads him to arrest Exton for the kidnappings. ▼

Joel later confronts Nalizar, who he suspects of being the mastermind behind the Forgotten’s actions. Nalizar confirms that he was behind the plot and that he is not entirely human, but reminds Joel that nobody will believe him if he tries to expose Nalizar.▼

Tor has published an [http://www.tor.com/the-rithmatist-excerpt excerpt from The Rithmatist] (Prologue and Chapters One to Five).▼