Graceling

Graceling
Author: Kristen Cashore
Publisher: Harcourt
ISBN: ISBN 9780152063962

In a world of seven kingdoms where seven very different kings rule there are . A special people called the Graced. The Graced have eyes of different colors and their graces manifest in different ways. Katsa has been graced with killing and the rumors of her bare-handed and terrible skill is famed throughout the kingdoms. Katsa has learned to live with her grace but it is a lonely life. She is a key player in a secret organization called the Council and tries to make use of her grace in a positive way.

One day a venerable grandfather of kings has been kidnapped and Kasta is determined to find out what lies behind it. In her quest, she meets Po, a prince of another kingdom unlike anyone she’s ever met, with a fighting grace that is uncanny and mysterious. With Po, she has found a friend and together they set out to solve the mystery of who kidnapped the grandfather.

Not all is as it seems with Po or the very creepy King Leck who is known for his kindness to animals and children. There is something strangely unsettling about this king who lives very far away.

Katsa and Po are wonderful characters, rich and breathing life, fire and intelligence. I found myself completely caught up in this wonderful story of intrigue, mystery and romance. I was almost breathless at the adventure and admired the loner Katsa more and more as the story progressed. Prince Po is equally wonderful and complex, his mysterious fighting grace coupled with his sensitivity to nature, his deep kindness and warm heart made him a hero worth cheering for.

Kristen Cashore in her publishing debut has penned a rollicking good read. Political intrigue, adventure, a richly imagined world with well-defined characters that leap off the page make this book one that will be read again and again. I sense a sequel and I can’t wait! Katsa is my new favorite heroine and the brave Princess Bitterblue is someone I want to hear more about. Both boys and girls will want to read this story if they can wrest the book away from their parents.

Fred Patten Reviews The Game

The Game
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Publisher: Firebird/Penguin Group
ISBN: 10: 0-14-240718-6
ISBN: 13: 978-0-14-240718-9

Hayley is a young girl living in London with her grandparents since her parents disappeared when she was a baby. Her overly strict grandmother keeps her virtually a prisoner at home, especially denying her knowledge of the mysteriously beautiful “mythosphere” which her grandfather studies on his computers. Finally she is banished in disgrace (but without being told why) to the home of relatives in Ireland.

Glumly expecting an even harsher household, Hayley is pleasantly bewildered to find that “the Castle” is a lively place overflowing with friendly aunts and young cousins her own age who seem to have been expecting her for ages.

The children eagerly introduce her into their secret game, a scavenger hunt for objects like a scale from the dragon that circles the zodiac, Sleeping Beauty’s spindle, a drinking horn used by Beowulf, and a hair from Prester John’s beard. Since Hayley has grown up uneducated, she does not realize how rare these are; but she is delighted when the search takes them into the forbidden mythosphere:

“They could see the strand they were on now, a silvery, slithery path, coiling away up ahead. The worst part, to Hayley’s mind, was the way it didn’t seem to be fastened to anything at the sides. Her feet, in their one pink boot and one black boot, kept slipping. She was quite afraid that she was going to pitch off the edge. It was like trying to climb a strip of tinsel. She hung on hard to Troy’s warmer, larger hand and wished it were not so cold. The deep chilliness made the scrapes on the front of her ache.

To take her mind off it, she stared around. The rest of the mythosphere was coming into view overhead and far away, in dim, feathery streaks. Some parts of it were starry swirls, like the Milky Way, only white, green, and pale pink, and other more distant parts flickered and waved like curtains of light blowing in the wind. Hayley found her chest filling with great admiring breaths at its beauty, and she stared and stared as more and more streaks and strands came into view.”

It is obvious almost from the start that Hayley is a special child. Just how special is revealed slowly as the story progresses and Hayley learns who she and her parents really are. Jones has used the plot device of walking between worlds in previous novels, but The Game is separate from her other books.

A knowledge of Greek and Roman mythology may help the reader recognize some of the characters whom Hayley does not know, but Jones introduces them all in a curtain-call endnote. This short novel or novella is in the Firebird series for young readers, although it, like Jones’ other novels, will charm readers of all ages.

The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Mysterious Benedict Society
Author: Trenton Lee Stewart
Illustrator: Carson Ellis
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0316057770
ISBN-13: 978-0316057776

When orphaned and lonely Reynie Muldoon answers a recruitment ad for "gifted children looking for special opportunities," he finds himself smack dab in the midst of a highly secretive and dangerous adventure. He is given a series of challenging tests and puzzles to complete until he finally passes them all and meet Mr. Benedict. Reynie and three other children are chosen by the mysterious Mr. Benedict, a kind old man who wears a bright green suit and given to fits of narcolepsy to penetrate The Institute, an isolated school for orphans run by the evil Mr. Curtain.

The other children, tiny Constance Contraire, George “Sticky” Washington and Kate Weatherhill quickly form a friendship and bravely choose to help Mr. Benedict who believes that Mr. Curtain is planning something very dangerous and evil which is tied to something called The Emergency. He lets the children know that subliminal messages are being sent through the televisions and that only they can help stop it.

The four children journey to the school and learn that each of them has their own strength. Constance has her stubbornness, Kat, her athleticism and seemingly magical bucket full of stuff; Sticky, his incredible photographic memory and knowledge and Reynie his leadership ability and heart. Working together they discover not only the nefarious plot to take over the world but also themselves and what really is important.

The book tackles issues of loneliness, abandonment, family, loyalty and truth. It has underlying messages about the dubious power of media and the value of education, honesty, courage and strength of character. It’s the story of orphans facing up to strong issues, a criminal mastermind and their own self doubt. The book brings to mind those wonderful Blue Bailliet books or Roald Dahl. It’s full of intricate plot twisting and intelligent dialogue. While it is a long story (485 pages), it doesn’t feel long as the writing and storytelling keep the reader engaged till the very end. Both boys and girls will love this story. I hope there’s a sequel. This one is a keeper.

Fred Patten Reviews Lady Friday

Lady Friday (The Keys to the Kingdom, Book #5)
Author: Garth Nix
Publisher: Scholastic Press
ISBN 10: 0-439-70088-4
ISBN 13: 978-0-439-70088-7

Here is another adventure fantasy that is part of a complex series. Readers are advised to begin with Mister Monday, Grim Tuesday, Drowned Wednesday, and Sir Thursday in order to understand what is going on in Lady Friday.

Arthur Penhaligon is a sickly adolescent who may be the heir to what is essentially the whole universe; but the seven Trustees (think of fallen archangels) are loath to give up the godlike power that they have been wielding in the Architect’s absence. Arthur has been fighting them individually, to stay alive and protect his human family and friends more than to gain his inheritance.

As he defeats each enemy, Arthur gains another portion of the Architect’s Will; yet each gain transforms him slightly more into a Denizen of the House. If Arthur is forced to claim his full Inheritance (defeat all seven Trustees), he will have become more than mortal and can never return to Earth. By this volume, the action has already moved from Arthur’s normal home and school locale into the supernatural realms within the House.

Lady Friday is divided into two parallel stories. Leaf, Arthur’s mortal school chum, is drawn into the House despite Arthur’s hopes to protect her, when Lady Friday decides that the girl may make a valuable hostage. Arthur has the support of the loyal teen friends he has met previously, Suzy Turquoise Blue and Fred Initial Numbers Gold; but they are now identified as children of the Piper, one of Arthur’s more dangerous adversaries, and possible pawns under his control. Arthur is urged to kill them by all of his other supporters.

The plot and action, full of traps and potential betrayals, are almost incidental to the exotic areas within the House. Leaf explores and tries to escape from Lady Friday’s lair within the huge crater of an extinct volcano, with hundreds of galleries and balconies and walkways surrounding a large central lake.

Arthur and his companions must traverse a snowbound Middle House which is the locale of the Guild of Gilding and Illumination (a castlelike stone fortress), the Guild of Illustration and Augmentation (“and a nastier bunch you’ll never meet, unless you go up to the Top Shelf, where the so-called High Guild of Binding and Restoration laze about. I understand that Lady Friday’s Scriptorium is actually beyond that, on the mountain peak, …”), and the Extremely Grand Canal which flows up the mountainside, with the Paper Pushers (“the Noble and Exalted Association of Waterway Motivators”) who regulate the traffic upon it.

All the novels of The Keys to the Kingdom series are filled with imaginatively bizarre imagery, and Lady Friday adds to the eclectic marvel of the universe-filling House.

The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After

The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After
Authors: Patricia C. Wrede, Caroline Stevermer
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books
ISBN-10: 0152055487
ISBN-13: 978-0152055486

The Mislaid Magician is the third in a series about two letter writing cousins who live in an alternate England where magic, magicians and wizards exist. There’s even a Royal College of Magicians. The other two books in the series are Sorcery and Cecilia and The Grand Tour. This book is ten years after the honeymoon and both cousins now have families of their own.

The story begins with Cecilia’s husband being called by the Duke of Wellington to investigate the disappearance of an engineer/magician. Cecilia leaves her children with Kate and Thomas and sets off with her husband to help find the missing magician. The mystery deepens as they discover something wrong with the ley lines in the area.

The story is told via correspondence between Kate and Cecilia as well as Thomas and James (the husbands).

The children figure into this story as well. Edward gets kidnapped when investigating a mysterious gypsy caravan on their property. Kate and Thomas rescue him and find another child, a silent, seemingly very well off girl named Drina.

The Mislaid Magician is a charming story with lots of mystery. There’s several to solve and the epistolary way it is told is very original.

Wildwood Dancing

Wildwood Dancing
Author: Juliet Mariller
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0375833641
ISBN-13: 978-0375833649

Recommended for grades 8 and up

Wildwood Dancing is the amazing and spellbinding tale of five Transylvanian sisters that sneak out of their old Romanian castle – the Piscul Draculi on the full moon to go dance in the world of fairy. They dance the night away with trolls, giants, dwarves and other fantastic creatures.

It’s an interesting twist of two classic fairytales – The Twelve Dancing Princesses and The Frog Prince.

16 year old Jenica is the sensible sister who’s beloved pet frog Gogo sits on her shoulder and goes with her everywhere. It is Jena who narrates the tale and her voice is captivating. From the first page she captures you and brings you into the two worlds – hers and that of the fairy.

When the girls were very young, their father bought Piscul Draculi and set about restoring it. Jena and her sisters by accident found the portal that leads to the other world and for nine years they have come and gone with no one being the wiser.

This time however, something is different. They find that the Night People have come to dance and these scary people are very vampiric and monstrous. Jena immediately worries for her sisters but one of them Tati, is already in love with one of them, a sad eyed man named Sorrow. Jena is determined to keep her sisters safe and contemplates not letting them attend on the next full moon.

At home, not everything is as it should be either. Jena’s father is ill and must go away for the winter to warmer climes on doctor’s order. Capable Jena is left to run things with her cousin Cezar to help. Immediately upon her father’s departure, Cezar begins to try and dominate. He’s really a creep. He’s completely overbearing, chauvinistic and pushy. Jena is thwarted at every turn as he insidiously tries to take over.

Wildwood Dancing is a captivating read. Every page pulls you in and you care desperately for Jena and her sisters. I was on the edge of my seat all through the book dying to know what would happen while not wanting it to end. I loved the descriptions of the wild wood, the Night People, and the fairy dances. The story is one of intrigue, love and so much more. There’s a mystery to solve as well and I got so caught up in that. Nothing in this book is as it seems and everything is wonderful.

The Lighthouse Land

The Lighthouse Land
Author: Adrian McKinty
Publisher: Amulet Books
ISBN-10: 081095480X
ISBN-13: 978-0810954809

Jamie O’Neill and his mother have it rough. Jamie’s lost his arm to bone cancer and since the amputation isn’t speaking. His parents divorced while he was sick and now he and his mother live in a leaky apartment in Harlem. Things couldn’t get much worse for them but somehow Jamie and his mom are making things work.

Jamie has a friend, Thaddeus an older gentleman that he plays chess with who seems to understand his need to be silent. He’s also become quite adept at duct taping the windows to keep the snow out. Then one day a letter changes their lives. Jamie’s mother has inherited a house in Ireland along with the island it’s on and money to maintain it.

So off they go to Ireland and Thaddeus gifts him with a tablet laptop to help him communicate. Once they get to the coast of Ireland and their new home, they find that there’s also an old tower, a lighthouse on their land and that Jaime is descended from a line of Irish kings. Turns out Jamie gets a title as well, Laid Ui Neill, Lord of the Muck, Guardian of the Passage…yeah, Lord of the Muck. I thought that was hysterical.

Jamie quickly makes friends with Ramsey, a clever and mathematically brilliant boy of his own age. Together they discover a secret room in the tower and an object that takes them hurtling through a portal and into another world where they find an alien girl named Wishaway. Wishaway thinks that Jamie is the Ui Neill come to save her people from the Alkhavans, an evil pirating people who will enslave her race.

The Alkhavans travel the seas on ships made of ice that look like glaciers. It turns out that Jamie’s ancestors had saved her people before. Jamie. mysteriously in this world has both his voice and his lost arm. Now it is up to him and Ramsay to save the world and its people from destruction.

The Lighthouse Land is an astonishing tale of fantasy, sci-fi and ordinary life. I fell in love with McKinty’s writing from the very first two paragraphs. I fell in love with his way of writing a sentence. His use of language is gorgeous and lush while starkly simple.

“Through the window is the uncoiled arm of the Milky Way and the moon the color of narcissus.”

Isn’t that a great sentence? I can eat it, it’s so delicious!

The Lighthouse Land is the first in a planned trilogy and I for one, can’t wait till the next.

About the author:
Adrian McKinty, now a U.S. citizen, was born and grew up in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. Educated at Oxford University, he then immigrated to New York City, where he lived in Harlem for five years, working in bars and on construction crews, and enjoying a stint as a bookseller. The author of highly acclaimed crime novels that have earned starred reviews and universal praise, he currently lives in Denver, where he teaches high school.

The Cobra King of Kathmandu

The Cobra King of Kathmandu
Author: P.B. Kerr
Publisher: Orchard Books
ISBN-10: 0439670233
ISBN-13: 978-0439670234


The third book in the The Children of the Lamp series brings back 12-year old djinn children John and Philippa Gaunt on yet another adventure. This time they are trying to uncover a murderer and protect their friend Dybbuk or Buck as he likes to be called, all the time unaware that their mother, Leila Gaunt has agreed to become the new Blue Djinn of Babylon and will be leaving soon – forever.

The book starts with an exorcism by the children’s cigar smoking Uncle Nimrod on the day the children were born. The story then hurtles forward to the present day when Dybbuk seeks the children’s help as he is hidden on a small island after finding his best friend and his father murdered. As the story progresses, the children find themselves in India on the trail of a creepy cobra cult led by an equally creepy (not to mention gross) evil villain that wants to steal their wisdom teeth and thus control the children for their own evil purposes.

The Cobra King of Kathmandu is a fast-paced and wild adventure written with P.B. Kerr’s usual fascinating style. It doesn’t disappoint or feel stale. If anything, it gets the reader more excited about these amazing children.

Why hasn’t anyone made movies of these books yet? I find them exhilarating, educational and fun, fun, fun.

John and Philippa are great characters. They’re good children, they love their parents, they care enough about their friends (even if their not the best of friends) to try and save them. The other characters - Uncle Nimrod, the one-armed butler Mr. Groanin, Mr. Rakhasas, the Indian djinn with an Irish accent who lives in a bottle, Mr. and Mrs. Gaunt, the other djinn children all are so complex and interesting. They are constantly developing and the reader is finding out more and more about them with each book. I see this as a series of movies in the style of Harry Potter. They just have that feel but are something completely original and wonderful.

The imagery in this book is wonderful as well. I love when John, Philippa and Dybbuk go into Mr. Rakshasas’ bottle and find it to be absolutely huge and very well appointed – complete with an astounding library. I love that the djinn are claustrophobic and have to eat charcoal to help the feeling go away. There’s just so much to love in this series and in this book alone that I could go on for days. The Cobra King of Kathmandu (don’t you just love that title? It’s so fun to say out loud.) is highly recommended for anyone who loves a good mystery and adventure galore.

Fans of The Children of the Lamp series will adore this third installment and newcomers to the series will find that it works very well as a stand alone novel. It will however, infect the newcomer to seek out and read the first two books.

Fred Patten Reviews The Pinhoe Egg

The Pinhoe Egg: A Chrestomanci Book
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Publisher: Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins
ISBN10: 0-06-113124-5
ISBN13: 978-0-06-113124-0

The Pinhoe Egg adds a sixth novel to Jones’ witty Young Adult tales of Chrestomanci, the debonair and unflappable super-enchanter who is a government employee in a Related World where magic exists. It takes place about a year after the events in Charmed Life (1977).

The Pinhoe Egg is set in Chrestomanci Castle and the nearby village of Ulverscote. As is common in centuries-old English small villages, one family has come to predominate. Practically everyone in Ulverscote is a Pinhoe or is married to a Pinhoe. The same situation exists in neighboring Helm St. Mary where the dominant family is the Farleighs.

The adult Pinhoes and the Farleighs are all wizards and witches to some degree, overseen by a male Gaffer and a female Gammer who are the most powerful magicians in their clans, but trying to keep a low profile living so close to Chrestomanci.

The main characters are four pre-teens; Marianne and Joe Pinhoe in Ulverscote, and Eric (Cat) Chant and Chrestomanci’s son Roger who live in the Castle. Marianne is an observer when Gammer Edith, the ancient Pinhoe matriarch, loses her wits and has to be gently locked away.

Unfortunately, she has not lost any of her powers, and she begins casting spells against the Farleighs whom she has never liked. The Farleighs, assuming that all the Pinhoes are attacking them, retaliate. Gammer Edith has previously bespelled the other Pinhoes to keep them from noticing her misuse of magic. Marianne grows increasingly frustrated as her parents and all her uncles and aunts and cousins refuse to believe that their plagues of frogs and other disasters are due to anything more than natural causes.

As the curses grow increasingly life-threatening, Marianne tries to get help from the Castle, but Joe and Roger are too busy inventing magical machines, while Cat is distracted by learning to care for a semi-magical horse, Syracuse, and the baby griffin that hatches from the strange egg that Marianne innocently gives him. Much more is going on at the same time, including some deliberately malicious spellcasting, and it all escalates into a potentially lethal magical muddle (not unlike the Sorcerer’s Apprentice’s situation) before Chrestomanci steps forth to put things right and strip the powers from those who have misused their magic.

Those who have read Charmed Life will recognize many of the supporting characters, but The Pinhoe Egg stands nicely on its own as a humorous fantasy-mystery. The old-fashioned English village setting should be attractively exotic to American readers.

Fred Patten Reviews Command Decision

Command Decision
Author: Elizabeth Moon
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine Books
ISBN 10: 0-345-49159-9
ISBN 13: 978-0-345-49159-6

This is the fourth annual novel in Moon’s “Vatta’s War” series, following Trading in Danger, Marque and Reprisal, and Engaging the Enemy. I have been enjoying this series, so I eagerly dove into Command Decision, and I was not disappointed. Yet it begins in mid-story. Mysteriously disgraced Rafe Dunbarger, son of the CEO of ISC (InterStellar Communications), lands on the planet Cascadia in disguise, seeking to learn what has happened to his family; while harried Stella Vatta on an orbiting space station begins rebuilding Vatta Transport, the family’s sabotaged interstellar shipping fleet. Kylara Vatta, the main protagonist who is trying to make three tiny merchant spaceships into the nucleus of an anti-pirate military space fleet, does not appear until chapter three. “Vatta’s War” is a wonderfully exciting, fast-paced galaxy-spanning adventure saga, but readers unfamiliar with it should definitely begin with Trading in Danger, the first novel.

“Vatta’s War” takes place in a galactic society bound together commercially by merchant spaceships, and technologically by “ansibles”, interstellar communication devices that are a monopoly of the powerful ISC. In the previous novels 21-year-old Kylara Vatta, a member of the family that owns one of the largest fleets of merchant spaceships, is unfairly expelled from her homeworld’s Spaceforce Academy. Her father creates a job for her by appointing her captain of an old freighter being flown to a wrecking yard; a ceremonial assignment that Ky tries to make more profitable by signing a contract to deliver cargo to a nearby planet en route. She gets caught in an interplanetary war, attacks by space pirates, a bloody mutiny, and more. While this is going on, the ansibles that provide interstellar communication suddenly go silent, and an unknown enemy kills most members of the Vatta family and destroys their spaceships. Ky, using the skills she learned as a military cadet, gradually finds herself leading a tiny group of armed freighters acting as privateers against the space pirates that take advantage of the breakdown in communication between the worlds.

Command Decision is full of suspense ranging from space battles and commando raids to corporate hostile takeovers. Moon, who served in the U.S. Marines, writes taut military action scenes. This series is in the tradition of the “Heinlein juveniles” that have introduced teens to s-f for over fifty years, with a quietly assured young woman commander who makes these novels good escape reading for girls as well as boys.

Tantalize

Tantalize
Author: Cynthia Leitich Smith
Publisher: Candlewick Press
ISBN-10: 0763627917
ISBN-13: 978-0763627911

Tantalize is a very delicious and thrilling dark fantasy. It was a page turner that kept me glued to the book till the very unexpected ending.

Quince Morris is a 17 year girl with a lot on her plate. Her parents have died, she’s living with her uncle, managing a restaurant and trying to keep it going all the while trying to get the guy she loves to see her as more than just a friend. Oh yeah and the boyfriend Kieran happens to be half werewolf.

Adding to the things she has to deal with, Quince’s boyish uncle is remodeling the restaurant to have a vampire flare and flavor – they’ve renamed it Sanguini’s – A Very Rare Restaurant. He also has a very weird girlfriend that is drives Quince crazy.

After the mysterious death of the chef and Kieran is a suspect, a new chef steps in and boy is he is creepy with his red contacts and always plying Quince with wine. His menu item – baby squirrels with honey sauce totally creeped me out. Yech!

There’s good stuff here and it’s all very original and different. Quince made a great narrator and character. The other characters in the book were different, multi-dimensional and interesting. My only disappointment was that it ended. I smell sequel!

The Chestnut Soldier

The Chestnut Soldier
Author: Jenny Nimmo
Publisher: Scholastic
ISBN-10: 0439846773
ISBN-13: 978-0439846776

Recommended for grades 5-7


The Chestnut Soldier is the third in the fantasy Snow Spider series set in the hills of Wales. Gwyn the magician is back, along with Emlyn and Nia. This story takes place two years after Emlyn’s Moon. The children are older now and settling into their lives when things take a turn when the mad prince Efnisien’s dark spirit is accidentally released. At first, the children think that everything is okay, but when a mysterious relative – a soldier appears things really start to get interesting.

This is by far the strongest in the series and a worthy ending to the trilogy. The children are teenagers now and have their tumultuous emotions to deal with as well as the mysterious stranger, dark magic and danger.

Gwyn’s magic is challenged as he desperately battles to save his friends and the world from the dark soul which has captured the troubled soldier all the while trying to save his friendship with Nia as well.

Once again Jenny Nimmo has created a magical and completely believable fantasy. Her ability to mingle legend and the everyday modern life and make it completely plausible is nothing short of masterful. The Chestnut Soldier is sure to be an all time favorite.

Fred Patten Reviews The Secret Country

The Eidolon Chronicles. Book 1, The Secret Country
Author: Jane Johnson
Artist: Adam Stower
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN 10: 1-4169-0712-2
ISBN 13: 978-1-4169-0712-1

12-year-old Ben Arnold is about to buy Mongolian Fighting Fish at Mr. Dodds’ Pet Emporium in the British city of Bixbury, when a talking cat persuades Ben to buy him instead. Ben, a shy preteen loner, suddenly finds himself thrust into a miasma of unseen magic all around him, which is leaking into our world from the dimension of Eidolon, the “Secret Country” of dragons, unicorns, goblins, centaurs, and all the creatures of faerie that exists alongside ours. The villainous Mr. Dobbs, actually the dog-headed Dodman (Dead Man) from Eidolon, has been kidnapping intelligent animals from Eidolon and selling them as exotic pets in our world, both to make money (with the help of Ben’s greedy Uncle Aleister) and to weaken Eidolon so he can seize its throne. Iggy (Ignatius Sorvo Coromandel), the talking cat who has come to our world to get help, persuades Ben that he is the only one who can rescue Eidolon, and not incidentally save the life of his dying mother.

In today’s world of Harry Potter mania, this British import (the first in a trilogy) is a Harry Potter-lite. Still, 9-to-12’s will enjoy its breezy, humorous adventure. What kid can’t identify with a young hero who finds that he can talk to all animals, gets to ride on dragonback, thwarts some comically nasty adult villains, and discovers that he is really a lost prince of a magic world? American readers will also be introduced to selkies, the Horned Man, and other colorful characters of British and Celtic mythology that are relatively unknown in this country. The Secret Country ends on a cliffhanger, as the Dodman escapes and threatens to reappear and kill Ben’s mother after he has finished conquering Eidolon. The next novel, The Shadow World, will be published in August.

Fred Patten Reviews The Spriggan Mirror

The Spriggan Mirror
Author: Lawrence Watt-Evans
Publisher: Wildside Press
ISBN; 10: 0-8095-5672-3
ISBN; 13: 978-0-8095-5672-4

This ninth of s-f author Watt-Evans’ popular “Legends of Ethshar” light fantasies stands on its own, but it helps to have read the second novel, With a Single Spell, first. In it the neophyte wizard Tobas accidentally conjured a mirror that became a doorway allowing small, green, froglike manikins to enter the world. In the subsequent novels spriggans remain in the background, rather like intelligent mice; annoying vermin to be shooed away.

Now the spriggans have multiplied to plaguelike numbers. The all-powerful Wizards’ Guild decides to destroy the mirror that is their entry portal. Since the mirror has been lost, and Tobas is clearly incompetent, the Guild drafts Gresh the Supplier to help him find and destroy it – or else. Gresh specializes in finding the rare and often dangerous items that the many kinds of magicians of Ethshar – sorcerers, witches, warlocks, necromancers, diviners, theurgists, demonologists, and others -- need for their spells. So if anyone can find a hidden magic mirror, he should be able to; right?

The Spriggan Mirror is Gresh’s adventure. He is not reluctant to search for the mirror; his reputation is at stake, and the reward offered is high. But he resents being ordered to drop everything else to do the wizards’ bidding. The quest is complicated from the start when the well-meaning but ineffectual Tobas’ two wives insist on accompanying them on his flying carpet into the Small Kingdoms where the mirror was last seen and the spriggans are coming from.

What follows is more of a magical domestic comedy than the usual Ethshar adventure. Gresh finds himself mediating between Tobas’ two squabbling wives while the latter is temporarily transformed into a fire-breathing dragon. Gresh is nonplussed when the spriggans frantically plead that breaking the mirror will kill them all. The tiny green creatures are nuisances, but Gresh does not want to be responsible for a Holocaust of any intelligent beings. Yet it is dangerous to ignore the orders of the autocratic Guild. Does Gresh have the time and the skill to work out a solution that will satisfy everyone?

Watt-Evans has admirably crafted a tale that is amusing yet thoughtful, cleverly original, and that adds new dimensions to his Ethshar canon. The Spriggan Mirror is highly recommended to fans of sophisticated modern fantasy in the Arabian Nights tradition.

Chronicles of Fairie: The Light-Bearer's Daughter

Chronicles of Fairie: The Light-Bearer’s Daughter
Author: O.R. Melling
Publisher: Amulet Books
ISBN-10: 081090781X
ISBN-13: 978-0810907812

Earlier this month, I reviewed and highly recommended the second book in The Chronicles of Fairie: The Summer King and I couldn’t say enough good things about it. I hesitated a bit reading The Light-Bearer’s Daughter because I was afraid it wouldn’t be as good. Typically, sequels tend to disappoint me and I wanted so much for this one to be good that I dreaded picking it up.

I finally picked it up on a Sunday morning when I had errands to run, laundry to do and a closet to clean. I figured I’d read the first page and get on with my chores and go about my day as planned. From the first sentence, I was swept away and couldn’t put the darned book down. I literally gobbled the first two chapters, looked at the pile of laundry and the list of errands and begrudgingly put the book down only to grab it and run out the door with it in my bag. As soon as I got home, I picked up the book and didn’t put it down till I finished. Needless to say, I was doing laundry at midnight.

The Light-Bearer’s Daughter is the story of Dana, a pre-teen girl living with her single Dad in Ireland. Gabe her father is a poor musician and has decided to move back to Canada and take a teaching job there. Dana is angry and heartbroken. You see, her mother disappeared when Dana was just a baby and she fears that her mother will never find her if they move.

Once again the present day world and the world of fairie collide. A demon has entered the world and is seeking to destroy everything. The Fairie need help.

One day as Dana wanders about a section of the forest that is being threatened with development, she comes across a beautiful tree house where she finds a fairy queen who gives her a task to complete. If she can get a message to King Lugh by a certain day, he will grant her a wish on Lughnasadh, his special day.

What follows is an amazing and magical adventure. The writing is lyrical and exciting. I got so caught up in the beautiful language of the book. The imagery is so vivid, so gorgeous. The descriptions of nature, of leaves, of the smells and sights of the forest really leap off the page. The author’s love of her homeland shines through. It’s an amazing story and also makes a strong case against development and destruction of nature. I loved it.

Book Description from the publisher
The third book in this critically acclaimed trilogy, which Booklist described as “shimmering with magic, myth, and romance”

Dana has few memories of her mother, who disappeared when she was small. But she has always dreamed, despite her father’s discouragement, that her mother would come back one day. When her dad decides to leave Ireland and take a job across the ocean in Canada, Dana is heartbroken. How can she leave her home and the only chance of seeing her mother again? She runs away, high into the fairy mountains of Ireland. Following ancient paths, with a mysterious wolf companion at her side, Dana encounters a world of tragic enchantment and fairy romance, and discovers a great secret about herself.

With lush descriptions and rich Celtic lore, plus cameo appearances by characters from the previous books, this latest chronicle will satisfy fans of the series and entice new readers.

About the Author
O.R. Melling was born in Ireland and grew up in Canada with her seven sisters and two brothers. She is the author of many beloved fantasy novels, which have been translated into numerous languages. She lives in her hometown of Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland, with her teenage daughter, Findabhair. Visit her Web site at www.ormelling.com.

Tomorrow's Magic

Tomorrow’s Magic
Author: Pamela F. Service
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 978-0-375-84087-6


England.
Sometime in the future.
Nuclear winter.
Mutants.
Magic.
Arthurian legend.
Boarding school.

It’s five centuries after the world has been torn apart by nuclear war. England has fared better than other countries because they had disarmed and destroyed all nuclear weapons and so weren’t a target when all hell broke loose. Still, the nuclear war has affected everywhere in the world. People that aren’t mutants are dark skinned, the sky is brown not blue and ice is everywhere. Trees and nature are almost extinct.

Wellington Jones and Heather McKenna are outcasts in their British boarding school. Heather isn’t wanted by her mother and her new stepfather, she’s plain and she hangs out with animals. Wellington or Welly is fat, nearsighted and a bit of a nerd. He reads about military campaigns and dreams of becoming a strategist since he can’t become a soldier. Needless to say the bullies of the school, in particular one named Nigel pick on them constantly but Heather and Welly are fast friends and find a way to survive.

On one of their adventures they run into trouble and are saved by Earl, a thin, pale boy who was found years ago speaking a strange language and taken in as a charity case. The children welcome Earl into their circle of friendship and try to find out more about him. Why is he so pale? Who were his people? Where did he come from? Why does he have those screaming nightmares?

One day a couple claiming to be Earl’s aunt and uncle come to claim him but he feels something wrong about them, something evil and escapes. Heather and Welly follow him, determined to protect their newfound friend. A battle with the aunt, who turns out to be Morgan Le Fey of Arthurian legend brings Earl’s memory back and his friends are shocked to find he is the one and only Merlin, rescued from his forced entombment by Nimue and Morgan by a chance blast to the cave.

Earl/Merlin and the children set off on a quest to find Avalon and Arthur who Merlin thinks will save this world. What follows is an incredible and beautiful tale in grand style. There are battles, magic, fairies, trolls, teen angst, friendship and loyalty.

Tomorrow’s Magic is also a timely warning about nuclear war, war in general and the importance of saving our world from destruction. The grim and icy future that Pamela Service illustrates so well is entirely possible and scarily real.

Book description from the publisher:
It's 500 years after the nuclear holocaust that devastated the earth's population and left the few survivors dealing with unending winter. At their remote British boarding school, Wellington Jones and Heather McKenna have a lot in common. Both are misfits trying to avoid attention, and both are fascinated by Earl, a tall, calm, older boy with no recollection of his past, but a remarkable knack for showing up when he is needed most.

When a blow to the head brings Earl's memory back, he claims that he is actually Merlin . . . a 2000-year-old wizard.

Originally published in two volumes in the mid-1980s, Pamela F. Service's creative, futuristic spin on the Camelot legend will appeal to Arthurian purists and fantasy lovers alike.

Emlyn's Moon

Emlyn’s Moon
Author: Jenny Nimmo
Publisher: Orchard Books
ISBN-10: 0439846765
ISBN-13: 978-0439846769

Emlyn’s Moon is the sequel to The Snow Spider which I haven’t read but that was no problem as Emlyn’s Moon is a stand alone story. It gives just enough background to let you know what was going on in The Snow Spider and then moves quickly into this magical and kind of dark story.

Young magician Gywn and his friend Nia have been warned to stay away from Emlyn Llewelyn, the strange boy who claims his mother lives on the moon. Nia’s curiousity gets the better of her and she wanders into his home and becomes enchanted by the fantastic paintings his father has done. Emlyn and Nia become fast friends and learn that a deep mystery and a mysterious magic have something to do with his mother who disappeared many years ago.

I loved this book! It’s not your typical fantasy, but rather a dark scary one set in modern day Wales. Magic runs in family lines and mystical and alien frost children come visiting the earth. There’s mystery, magic, art and nature in abundance. The book is also very realistic in the way the children interact and the emotions that they have. Nia is stressed out about moving into their new home and leaving the farm that she loves, she doesn’t understand the secrets of the grown ups and why she isn’t supposed to visit Emlyn and his father who she thinks are wonderful. There’s a lot going on in a short book and it begs re-reading. I think this is a book for anyone who loves children’s literature and highly recommend it. I can’t wait to read the first book in the series now!

Children of the Lamp: The Blue Djinn of Babylon

Children of the Lamp: The Blue Djinn of Babylon
Author: P.B. Kerr
Publisher: Orchard Books
ISBN-10: 0439670217
ISBN-13: 978-0439670210

This is the second installment in the Children of the Lamp series and it’s wonderful. The book stands alone even if you haven’t read the first book about these great kids who just happen to descend from an ancient line of Djinn or genie and have recently come into their powers. It is truly a treat.

Twelve year old twins John and Philippa Gaunt are savvy and well behaved New Yorkers whose mother is a genie but gave up using her powers when she married their human father. One of the things I loved about this series is how well parented these children are. These kids are polite, considerate and just happen to be able to grant your wishes. They are living their lives quietly and suffering in the cold weather (djinn need hot desert air to be at their best) when they get drawn into another amazing adventure.

Philippa gets accused of cheating at a Djinnverso (djinn poker, but with seven eight-sided dice) tournament by the Blue Djinn. The twins and their uncle Nimrod find out that the Book of Solomon has been stolen and horrible consequences will befall the Djinn world if it isn’t recovered. Philippa and John aided by the Irish accented Mr. Rakshasas who lives in a lamp, Uncle Nimrod and their uncles, the family dogs who just happen to be their uncles set off for Istanbul then Iraq to recover the missing grimoire. Philippa is kidnapped and John sets off on his own to save the grimoire, his sister and the world. How amazing is that?

The Blue Djinn of Babylon is a well written and wonderful adventure. The characters are well developed, interesting and fun.

The Dragon's Eye: The Dragonology Chronicles, Volume 1

The Dragon's Eye: The Dragonology Chronicles, Volume 1
Author: Dugald A. Steer
Illustrator: Douglas Carrel
Publisher: Candlewick
ISBN-10: 0763628107
ISBN-13: 978-0763628109

The real author of Dr. Drake's comprehensive Dragonology: The Complete Book Of Dragons and The Dragonology Handbook: A Practical Course In Dragons, Dugald A. Steer has begun a series of books detailing the life of the imaginary Dr. Ernest Drake. The Dragon’s Eye is the first volume in what looks to be a wonderfully engaging and adventurous series.

In 1882, twelve year old Daniel Cook and his sister Beatrice are sent to stay with their parent’s friend, Dr. Ernest Drake. They are unaware that their parent’s prolonged stay in India is because they are dragonologists from an old and very secret society who work to protect both society and dragons. They are at first reluctant to stay with Dr. Drake but soon find out that he runs a school for budding dragonologists and quickly become fascinated in the secret study of dragons. They also quickly become involved in an adventure as the sinister Ignatius Crook plots to steal the Dragon’s Eye, a gem purported to give him powers to control all the dragons.

The illustrations give depth to the story and fans of the Dragonology books will become fast fans of this new series. There are dragons, dragons and more dragons as well as insight into the fascinating Dr. Ernest Drake who compiled those mysterious and highly detailed first books. Great background and a fun addition to the series.

Enchantment

Enchantment is the story of a modern day Jewish Ukranian boy who stumbles upon a sleeping young woman covered by a lake of leaves while on an extended visit to a cousin’s farm. The boy ends up leaving to America with his parents, his father a professor of some note and his mother, a mysterious and loving woman.

The boy grows to manhood in America, a scholar like his father with a love of running. He loves running and while his parents find it strange, he finds it suits him and joins track and field. He is haunted though by his dreams of the young woman sleeping in the forest and embarks on a trip back to the Ukraine to work on his thesis of folk tales.

He returns to his cousin’s farm and one day goes to where he believes he dreamed the young beauty sleeping in the forest. To his surprise he finds her and battles a bear to get to her. It is Sleeping Beauty and he wakes her with a kiss and a promise of marriage even though he is engaged and has left his fiancée behind in America.

What follows is a remarkable tale in which Ivan and his princess travel back in time to old Russia and battle Baba Yaga herself. It is a charming and stunning re-telling of an old fairy tale. I was completely entranced by this spell binding tale and quite surprised even though I am a long time fan of Orson Scott Card. I encourage everyone to read this incredible tale which mixes magic, time travel, folk tales and modernity. If you’re a fan of Orson Scott Card you’ll love it and if you’ve never read him, this is the book to start with.