The Magic Scales cover art

The Magic Scales

The Wizard Goldfish Series, Book 1

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Magic Scales

By: Paul Murdoch
Narrated by: Paul Murdoch
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

When James's father disappears up on the moor, the whole village, including James's mum, thinks David Peck has simply 'done a runner'. Unconvinced, James tries to retrace his father's steps and soon finds a weird footprint near the old circle of stones up on the moor. His mind runs riot and in his struggle to get back to the village, he has an asthma attack.

He soon encounters a wizard called Mendel, banished to Scotland in the form of a goldfish. The wizard makes a pact with James that will take the boy and many of the villagers of Drumfintley on a quest to the doomed world of Denthan.

Village rivalries and family tensions reach breaking point in a world where monsters compete to survive Denthan's inevitable destruction. Will James find his dad? Will the villagers escape Denthan in time? Which of the four ancient races of Denthan will avoid extinction?

©2023 Paul Murdoch (P)2023 Paul Murdoch Action & Adventure Village Magic Magic Users Wizardry
All stars
Most relevant
Although this book will probably be categorised as ‘Young Adult’ and end up in that section in most libraries I know many adults would enjoy the story, especially if they are into fantasy.

All the elements are there – adventure, magic, excitement, drama, together with that touch of humour so characteristic of this author, who has a fantastic imagination.

All are woven together in a story packed with action which keeps the reader spellbound to the very end.

The characters are well written, distinct, and believable – even the fantasy ones. Particularly intriguing is the wizard goldfish, Mendel.

An important aspect of the book is the hero, James Peck, who lives with asthma.

This is one of those ‘hidden’ disabilities that can be ignored but James (or rather Paul) shows how a boy deals with asthma while embarking on his quest.

There are occasions, not overdone, when James’ asthma does come to the fore but with Mendel’s help, he overcomes those times.

A well-crafted book all round and a joy to read good writing.

I would recommend you join James in his truly ‘fantastic’ quest to find his father. - The Clydesider Magazine

Adventure, magic, excitement, drama, together with that touch of humour

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.