ISBN: 0-441-72230-X Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com
A well-crafted and fresh look at Faery-based mythology and the struggle of innocence against greed.
Reviewed by David on June 15, 1998
Genre: Fantasy (High Fantasy)
Synopsis: A young orphan girl, unhappy with her guardian and bored with the village life, finds a gateway to other worlds. Running away she finds both enormous dangers and unsuspected gifts. At the end, she finds the secret of her parentage, and her place in the struggle against evil magic.
Full Review: This is one of the earliest novels which de Lint has published (at least in this country), and perhaps the best. The tone of the novel is unsophisticated and full of wonder, as Minda, the overworked village orphan follows her dreams and steps out of her world.
She finds wonders and dangers aplenty, and new companions, new enemies, and some who may be either. She meets intelligent talking animals, glimpses an ancient history and forgotten glories, and is thrust into an increasingly bitter struggle with evil.
As she finds new powers in herself, she delights in the new-found friends, but also discovers that her path is not the same as her allies'.
When she finally finds her birthright, and her responsibility in the struggle, unexpected peril and unexpected friends carry her to the ultimate battle.
The novel is a delight to read, and is as much a coming of age story as it is a magical 3-sided struggle. The mythology is firmly grounded in the Celtic Faerie, but has original elements as well. The theme of wonders, of magic, of companionship and history; the maturing of friendship and independence, the sadness of loss and the relief of survival and victory are described simply and lyrically.
Frankly, I like this book better than most of de Lint's subsequent, more ambitious novels.
Overall: 7; Plot: 6; Characters: 6.5; Style: 7; World-building: 6; Originality: 7;
Copyright date 1984, Ace, March 1985, Mass-market, 295 pages
ISBN: 0-441-72230-X Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com