Lycanthor the Werewolf (The Dragon Fyre Blade #1) by Aiden Storm

24 Jul 2014 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, General, Junior Fiction Tags: , , , ,

Published: 1 July 2014
Publisher: Dreaming Empire
Pages: 71
Format: ebook
Genre: Junior Fiction/Fantasy
★   ★   ★  – 3 Stars

Note: I was provided a copy for review

Thirteen year old Jack is spending the summer at his Aunt’s house in the country. Unfortunately, it’s done nothing but rain and he’s stuck in her old mansion without cable or internet. Bored and alone, he sets out to explore the house. When he reaches the attic, he finds an intricate and unusual mural painted on the walls. Life for Jack gets turned upside down when he stumbles and is transported through a portal into a magical world. 

914ldY8Ar9L._AA1500_For Jasyra, the daughter of the High King, life couldn’t be worse. Her father has been turned to glass, her kingdom has been taken over by the Demon Emperor, and she and her friend, Evooku, have been exiled. The only way to save the land is to reassemble the Dragon Fyre Blade, but the Demon Emperor has hidden all six pieces and each is guarded by great mythical beasts. There is only one person who can help restore peace, but it has been said that he is not of their land. 

When Jack awakens in the Great Forest of Karandur, he encounters Jasyra and Evooku. He discovers the only way home is to band together to fight the evil Lycanthor, a giant werewolf that guards a piece of the Dragon Fyre Blade. But first they have to make it through an enchanted land full of danger. 

The Queen of Light appears to Jack and delivers a gift, as well as a revelation. He, Jasyra and Evooku form an unlikely friendship along the way and lasting bonds are made when they realize they are Karandur’s only hope. Will the trio be able to defeat Lycanthor and save the kingdom from an eternity of despair?

Lycanthor the Werewolf is the first book in the Dragon Fyre Blade series and tells the story of Jack, a thirteen year old who has found himself in the magical realm of Karandur and must help save the kingdom from the Demon Emperor who has taken control of the land. The story that Storm has presented is interesting and has some great action throughout the story. It has the potential to be a great series but while the story itself was engaging there were some things missing and I felt it lacked the well rounded introduction not just a new land, but to the characters as well.

One of the things I noticed was that for some reason I kept forgetting Jack was supposed to be thirteen, I kept imagining him as younger. I don’t know why, perhaps it was the way he spoke, or how he thought; it didn’t have the voice of a thirteen year old. But I think this was due to the fact that there wasn’t a lot of depth to Jack’s character, or to the others really. There is a lot about the other characters we don’t know, and while Storm provides a little character detail for Jack and Jasyra, we know nothing about Evooku aside from a physical description. Being the first of six books there is a chance that more information will be revealed about these characters, but being a first introduction it seems odd that a little more wasn’t explained to Jack or to the reader, especially about Evooku who is a key character. Understandably, plot wise Jack does arrive in the middle of a quest as it were, but I felt he didn’t ask enough questions. And even though he has a revelation and understands more when he meets the Queen of Light, the readers are still left in the dark about certain things.

Aside from that the story is good, I actually liked how Jack came into the middle of Jasyra’s quest as they were hunting for the blade as it means there is action almost immediately, it follows on well from the prologue. The narrative focuses on a small period of time but makes good use of it, especially with the events that occur. Jack gets thrown into the world at a crucial moment and there is no time initially to stop and take it in and as a result we get to see him think on his feet quite well. Jasyra is also a good character; she is strong and determined and is the person who provides us with a little more information about their mission. Her attitude to Jack is one that starts off harsh but softens as the story goes on. I liked her because she has a clear goal in mind, and while Jack seems to have arrived and interrupted, she is not going to let him ruin her plans and she puts him to work almost instantly to help. Jack’s role in this quest is interesting. How he helps initially is based on the orders he gets and doesn’t come across as a prophesised saviour per se, but you can see hints of it develop as the story goes on, even if it is only slightly, and he soon comes into his own as they hunt down Lycanthor.

With his aunt’s mural being the link between worlds it is clear that Jack is the destined hero the kingdom is after, but this element is not really addressed once Jack is in Karandur. Before he lands in the world there is a great and very detailed description of the mural that creates a great image in your mind, but I would have liked a little bit more focus on the house and what the connection  was (if any) between it and Karandur. That may have been a personal issue though and you do get caught up in the story quite quickly to really get to think about it. Hopefully this is something that is addressed in later books though because it could be an interesting addition.

Overall the narrative itself is interesting, and I thought the writing style was suitable for the intended audience and the characters were intriguing. And aside from feeling a little let down by the lack of information in parts and some unanswered questions the story was still engaging and enjoyable to read. There is definitely the start of a good series here, one that Storm will hopefully continue to expand and develop on further as we follow these characters in finishing off their quest to save the kingdom.

Runaway Joe by David Hight

15 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, General Tags: , , ,

Published: February 8th, 2014
Goodreads badgePublisher: Self Published
Format: Ebook
Genre: Literary Fiction
★   ★   ★  – 3 Stars

Note: I was asked for a review by the author

Runaway Joe is the story of a young drifter who has isolated himself from the rest of humanity, both physically and emotionally. Until in the summer of 1972, he meets an exceptional young woman, who introduces him to the magic and power of theatre, taking him on a journey through his own mind, and healing his spirit in the process. 
There’s a huge cast of characters that revolve around Joe’s story, and they’ll guide you through tales that run the gamut of human emotion and ethics. 
Tragedy and sorrow, as well as triumph and joy are well represented. Grace and elegance, compassion and courtesy are there too. But it’s not all flowers and sunshine, there’s despair so deep, it’s crippling, there is maliciousness, manipulation, unconscionable villainy and horrifying insanity. 

 

The story is about Joe, Vietnam Vet, now a wanderer who sells arrowheads and artifacts he finds in his travels. We’re introduced to Joe as he is heading to the east coast of America, hoping to arrive alongside a mystery letter he has mailed. Through the early chapters we grow to understand Joe through his reflections and flashbacks on his father and his childhood and we begin to understand who he is and why he is in the situation he’s in. These are very powerful chapters I felt, as they show the relationship and impact a parent can have on their child, as well as the lessons that stay with them years later.

Understanding who Joe is entirely is revealed in snippets as he chats to people who offer him a lift or through further reflections, flashbacks, and conversations sparked by events around him. The types of people and the conversations that happen with those who offer Joe a lift are certainly interesting; some people are very open in discussing their entire lives, while others are a key reason why no one should ever hitchhike. Ever.

Writing about the past is no doubt a hard task, trying to write about an era that has already happened with the knowledge and history of the years afterwards influencing how something is written. The social changes and opinions of the present day are established and by talking about the past the tendency to add a philosophical and prophetic tone to the narrative is tempting and it can also make it appear too reflective.

From early on there are many philosophical discussions and moments with characters, between Joe and his father, with Joe and strangers who offers him lifts, and eventually between Joe, Tom, and Laura, a father and daughter he gets to know after arriving in a small town. These discussions were an interesting aspect, for some characters it suited the context and worked well, while others seems out of place, either because of the character speaking or the context.

Whether it is the 70s setting, the United States location, or the literary fiction genre, I found the dialogue on occasion slightly tedious. I thought that sometimes the characters were saying more things than were necessary and occasionally it sounded out of character or unnatural as a realistic conversational tone.  Character conversations often sound like narrative rather than believable conversation, especially when it does not always uphold this tone throughout. In doing so it makes the characters seem more than what they are portrayed to be, and when it returns to normal conversation it reads as stilted, I never got comfortable with the conversation tone that was depicted, no matter how casual it was intended to sound. I will admit though that like the philosophical discussions, these in-depth and detailed long conversations worked with some people and scenes and not with others.

Joe is usually very reserved but speaks with experience from what he has seen, and on occasion with an acceptable ignorance, Tom on the other hand speaks in a way that I thought didn’t suit his nature, for a man who holds many jobs in a small town he was often preachy and spoke like someone who knew everything about the world. Though being Police Chief, Judge, as well as running a farm could be explained for Tom’s manner, seeing what he does and having age and experience on his side, but with an air of judgement in his subtle lectures to Joe it always felt slightly patronising.

This highly philosophical and in-depth style of conversation worked well for Tom’s daughter Laura though. I saw her as a girl who was very talkative and passionate, very much the philosophical 70s girl who was going to university to be a playwright and actor and was going to be a star. After awhile the intense dialogue and philosophy lessens and conversations become slightly more natural though remain occasionally stiff and stilted. I never felt entirely convinced that there was a casual nature in the conversations but this perhaps could just be a result of genre.

The plot covers a short space of time, slightly longer if you included the extensive flashback in the middle, and in this space of time the development and evolution of Joe’s character is evident. Under the guise of Laura producing her play for the town we see changes in Joe, influenced by the theatre and the lessons learnt through Tom’s guidance and see him on the verge of becoming the man we are greeted with in the opening pages. He is a seemingly calm person but there is a darkness about him that gets him into trouble and as we see him change there are no quick solutions but an eagerness to try and redemption is clearly visible.

With the understanding this is a literary fiction book, which of course comes with certain tropes and expectations, some of these were a bit too prominent I found. In terms of narrative there was a lot of description, not even necessarily about certain people and their clothes which is common, but more in terms of actions. Every action was mentioned, often in extreme detail, and what could be told in a sentence was dragged out, almost tediously sometimes.

One aspect I found interesting was Laura’s play within the story. I find it rather commendable when authors include other unrelated stories within their stories, the act of creating not one workable story but another entirely different one within it is no doubt a challenge. They are also interesting to assess for quality, is it based on how good the reader thinks it is, or as we supposed to be influenced by how it is received by other characters in the book? Either way, the use of the play was a great marker as it allowed a lot of events and character developments on all sides to stem from this one event.

Overall I enjoyed the story. I understand the intention Hight was going for and the nature of the message that was trying to be conveyed, and in some respects I feel these were achieved, but overshadowed perhaps by difficult dialogue expression, over description, and maybe too little plot expansion, and quick fixes and explanations in some cases.

Giveaway (US & Aust only) + Copper Girl by Jennifer Allis Provost

12 Jun 2013 8 Comments

by Amy in 3 Stars, General Tags: , , , ,

Published: June 25th, 2013
Goodreads badgePublisher: Spence City
Pages: 248
Format: Book
Genre: Romance/Fantasy
★   ★   ★  – 3 Stars

Sara had always been careful.
She never spoke of magic, never associated with those suspected of handling magic, never thought of magic, and never, ever, let anyone see her mark. After all, the last thing she wanted was to end up missing, like her father and brother.
Then, a silver elf pushed his way into Sara’s dream, and her life became anything but ordinary.

I was given an ARC copy of this book by the publisher.

Copper Girl is the story of Sara, from the blurb we know nothing except that she had always been careful, never spoken of magic, and never revealed her mark. Then, a silver elf called Micah pushes his way into Sara’s life, a mysterious elf who knows things others don’t, and her life becomes anything but ordinary. We watch as Sara learns more about her family, her world, and herself, and in doing so reveals that the start of something important is about to begin.

The hint of hidden magic draws you in and with no explanation why, aside from a missing father and brother, your mind begins to deduce and create its own answers before you even begin. The answer I was creating was not what I expected from this book. Provost has done a great job in creating this world, this dystopian world where magic has become something to be hidden, something wars have been fought and lost over, and something that is punishable by those who now run the government.
On the opening page we are introduced by a standalone sentence that suggests the coming action has created a problem. This sets you up immediately waiting to see what this problem is, and when it arrives with no clear indication it is a problem, that just creates more mystery, making you keep going. From this beginning though I felt the follow up was a little strange, and as the story began it took me awhile to completely understand what was going on; the explanations are scattered and you have to keep track and recognise what is information that must be remembered and what isn’t. Terms and phrases are used in conversations that are important, and you realise that they are important yet you don’t know what they mean or have any understanding of what they are.

One of the main aspects that I was confused with was the switch between regular and italicised text. The story is told from Sara’s point of view, but while she narrates her life there are also moments where the narrative halts while something is explained, whether it is her job description or telling us about the war. These remain in Sara’s voice, but they definitely feel like it is a paused moment in the story to add information, then the story continues. These italic sections are not always for explanations sometimes they are dreams and memories that are part of the narrative, small tangents like the mind wandering off topic so they seem to hold different purposes; in the end I found it easier to just read them without thinking of them as something separate and I found that after a few chapters the italics sections disappear.

The good news is that after this bump in the beginning a pretty great story emerges. The idea that Provost has created with this dystopian world, hidden and banned magic, and a monotonous and yet highly regulated existence, is rather enticing. The post war environment was not apocalyptic, more highly run with contraband, curfews, and strict regimes and routines that should be adhered to to keep things running smoothly. It is a bother but with Sara being used to it, you get the idea that people just do what they do and get on with it, with just an occasional comment at its unfair nature. The magical aspect with the Otherworld, the concept of ‘Metals’, as well as the secrets and capabilities of those who possess magic is also engaging and leads itself to being explored at greater length and from multiple angles in the series.

Trying to understand the relationship between regular humans and the magic was interesting, but not hard to comprehend. The coexisting worlds were well explained, as was the outcome of the conflict. From what I understood of the War and the world that existed before it was that it seemed to be very similar to the X-Men. Humans and those with magic coexisted until those without became paranoid, fearful, all the usual responses, thus creating war and sending magical people underground or into submission. The resulting society is not explained completely, but we catch glimpses as Sara makes reference or certain events reveal the life they all now lead.

There was uncertainty about the nature of the world, the same with the other parts in the beginning, but the confusion I got is soon smoothed out as the story goes on. The slow reveal technique has its advantages and disadvantages; the key is I think to know what works best and where. Certainly secrets and mysteries can be revealed in the narrative slowly, however the set up of the world and the systems in place perhaps could have been explained earlier than it was. Once we were given this information there was a greater understanding of the society, which in turn supported and aided the characters and plot nicely.

The characters in the novel are good. They are unique, each with their own personalities and peculiarities that are humorous and mystifying. Sara is a great character, she has a wit and a sarcasm about her that makes her enjoyable to read. She is a young adult from what I could determine and she is caught up in these two worlds, all of which bring out her character really well. Micah is a strange character, he is very forward, a tad annoying at times, though his reasons for his behaviour are understandable. As the love interest I felt that his relationship with Sara happened very quickly and with little or no questions. He comes on very strong and she falls fast. The issue I had about their fast affection is explained towards the later part of the book which was ok, having an explanation makes it much more understandable.

Aside from Sara, and partially Micah, most of the remaining characters are not explained with a lot of depth. Their past, history and nature are revealed as the plot requires, or within family dynamics and other relationships, but being the first book in the series one can hope that they are developed further as the series progresses.

When the real world and the other realm truly combine it is quite late in the book, with the relationship between Micah and Sara taking up a lot of the book. The relationship is interesting, Provost explains the emotions and the hold they have over one another, yet a few aspects such as dream walking seemed unexplained, resulting in the idea to be pieced together as the story continued. This was ok, but considering there were clear moments where we’re told a history or something, a longer explanation would not have gone astray.

I did like that Sara existed in a world, and came from a world where magic was known, and she herself was magical. This reduced the level of surprise when it is reintroduced into her life and makes this different than stories where an issue of a non-magical person having to come to terms with being magical or understand magic is hard to do properly. Even with her existing knowledge Sara is still naive, she tells us that she was very young when the war happened, and she grew up with no magic and was not old enough at the time to be introduced to the world entirely. This situation of her being half in the door means that she is learning some things alongside us, but without the need to accept the entire concept, just filling in a few blanks about history and certain elements. I think this is where the unbalance about what is told and what isn’t happens. Having a character knowing so much results in too much telling to catch up the reader and leaves nothing for us to piece together ourselves, but on the other hand without any information we can become lost due to lack of telling. Provost switches between both, some information is unnecessarily included, left out completely, or told at just the right time.

As the reader who knows nothing, a lot still seems a bit unanswered, with enough history given, yet not enough at the same time. I felt like I had missed something or that the fleeting explanations were not enough. It didn’t hinder the story exactly, I knew what was going on, however the information and world Provost hints at seems so rich with history and magic that I wanted a grander introduction to it all. Perhaps slowly revealing bits and pieces throughout is enough, and maybe it was just my desire to have the complete history that was on my mind. I can only assume that more is to be revealed in the coming books.

The ending was very well rounded, there was no direct cliff hanger, but there was enough to see where the story could grow. We are given an introduction into this world and enough to peak curiosity about where it is headed, but we are not left in the middle of a scene or without real answers to leave us unfulfilled and impatient for book two. I look forward to the second in the series to see how this plays out and hopefully to get a greater understanding of the intricacies of the society and otherworld complexities.

Copper Girl comes out 25 June thanks to Spencer Hill Press and Spence City.

GIVEAWAY (US & Aust only)

Thanks to Spencer Hill Press and Spence City I am offering some goodies to celebrate Copper Girl coming out. Those who enter go in the draw to win

 A token (replica from the book)

$10 Barnes and Noble gift card

T-Shirt

Update: Now, there is a Rafflecopter widget but WordPress is against them being in posts but I have been fiddling and I think we can get it to work another way, so you can continue with the first tweeting/commenting combo, or you can hopefully click the  link and open the widget up and enter that way. Let’s see how that goes. If it doesn’t work, let me know and I will revert back to only original set up. Those already entered via comments are still included in the draw.

Options
1) Enter via the Rafflecopter widget

OR

2) Tweet the book’s Goodreads link and you get two points towards winning. Once you tweet the link, provide your name and your Twitter name in the comments of this post so I can check your entry.

Example tweet:

“Tweet a link to Copper Girl’s Goodreads page to enter the competition over at @lostinagoodbk http://wp.me/p3x8rS-8i http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16193519-copper-girl?ac=1”

Entries close on 24 July. Good luck!

Andy Smithson: Blast of the Dragon’s Fury (#1) by L.R.W. Lee

31 May 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, General, Junior Fiction Tags: , , , ,

Published: April 13th 2013
Goodreads badgePublisher: Createspace
Pages: 220
Format: eBook
Genre: Junior Fiction/Fantasy/Adventure
★   ★   ★  – 3 Stars

From the After Life, ten-year-old Andy Smithson’s relatives initiated a curse 500 years ago. Now they no longer agree it should continue and one is willing to sacrifice Andy’s life to end it. Unaware of the disagreement and with no say in the matter, Andy is unexpectedly and magically transported from his home. He finds himself in the Land of Oomaldee, facing mortal danger at every turn as he seeks to find a scale from a rare red dragon, the most ferocious of dragon species, to break the curse and save his life.

I was given a free ebook by the author for review purposes.

Andy Smithson: Blast of the Dragon’s Fury is the first book in L. R. W. Lee‘s series and is the story about Andy, a ten year old kid who is trying to live a normal life, however when he is drawn towards a trunk in the attic everything changes. Dragged from his home he is transported to the mysterious Land of Oomaldee where he is told he is the one who will break a curse, find a dragon, and rescue a kingdom.

I enjoyed reading this book, I think the idea behind the narrative is very clever, and certainly leaves room to be developed further through a series. We are introduced to this curse but we are not given the exact nature aside from snippets of information. This makes you very curious about what is happening and certainly makes you eager to find more about the curse. This is a good tactic, and one Lee does well, while we are not privy to everything going on, we learn with Andy about the land, the curse, and what his role is to save the King and the kingdom.

The story opens with a prologue, and while some people dislike prologues, I don’t mind them when they are done right. I don’t think of them as a set up or explanatory back story exactly, I think they can sometimes be something that just gives you a glimpse of the story or the world even before you know what is going on. Then once the story starts you can dive deeper and read the rest, maybe even have a moment in the middle where a detail from the prologue makes the story make a bit more sense and brings clarity to a scene. The prologue in Andy Smithson does show us a history, but also does not give a lot of answers either. Once you get involved in the story you know certain things, but there is still a lot unsaid.

Lee gives us a great idea of the world Andy finds himself in, the descriptions are just right, without being too bogged down with detail, and there is enough the create a great image in your mind of the land and the people. Like a true fantasy novel, a map of the land if given at the start of the book showing the regions of the Oomaldee land as well as the surrounding lands. Through the novel a lot of regions are mentioned, and as Andy begins his quest it is a good focal point to understand where he is and where he needs to be, but Lee uses words well and as Andy travels around the land the pace and detail used is enough to make sure a clear image is created in your mind. With more books in the series no doubt we will get to explore more of the land, as well as those surrounding it, but what Lee has already provided is an enticing teaser.

The characters in Andy Smithson are unique, and have their own quirks and characteristics. There is the King of Oomaldee who is tired of the curse and wishes to free his kingdom, and by his side is Mermin, Mermin apparently being the brother of the great Merlin, and who has a speech impediment. Another character is Alden, a servant boy in the castle who becomes friends with Andy. Alden is a good character, he is bright and helps Andy find his way around the land.

Certain characters of course get more padding, but there is still plenty to gain an understanding of their character, especially through other character’s eyes and in their actions. This reduces the need for complicated histories and analysis of minor characters. This is almost true for the main characters as well, there is not a lot of intentional describing or catch up histories, instead, as Lee focuses on them a lot more, we see who they are, the life they lead, as well as the person they are through the narrative. This works well as a book for this age bracket because it is woven into the story, and the character of a person is developed through the story and readers can see it for themselves rather than be told how a character is as a person.

The only thing that caught my eye was the strong moral messages that were throughout. I can see that reading it as a child these may not be as noticeable, one of the disadvantages of reading as an adult I suppose, but they could have been less obvious I felt. They come and go quite quickly but they stood out. Even if a moral message was intended, perhaps weaving it into the story a bit better would be better rather than having Andy experience inner conflict and resolve it almost within the same page. Perhaps this is connected to the fact we see so much of this world through Andy’s perspective, as a child we are shown things through the eyes of a child and therefore we are exposed to the feelings and emotions that come along with this perspective.

I think that these lessons are good, they show kids a range of issues such as keeping secrets, controlling jealousy, and dealing with other issues that arise in a kid’s life, but whether they were too deliberate may be a disadvantage. There are some excellent moments where you can read between the lines with relationships and gain a lot of insight into characters and relationships, especially what is said and not said, those moments can speak volumes compared to what is spelled out. These were the moments I thought Lee did very well, a great example was Alden and Andy towards the end of the book; a lot could be said by what Alden did and especially did not say and lessons are shown as well as an insight into his character.

Even given the small insights in the prologue we still learn alongside Andy, we uncover things as he does, and while we may have theories or figure things out before him, it doesn’t always mean we necessarily know things he doesn’t. There is drama and friendship, and the fairytale notion of the child hero that is trying to save the world.  As I say, the premise is quite good, an adventure story with secrets, mysteries, and curses to keep you engaged. This story goes back to the long adventure stories where there are dragons to fight, kingdoms to save, and travellers wandered the lands with bags on their back with everything in it, seeking help from people they meet or in villages. It is ideal for a kid to read about this kind of adventure and imagine the world Andy fell into.

With the ending Lee gives us it is enough of a cliff hanger to make you want to get right into book two, yet still manages to feel like the book was finished right, a bit like the last chapter was more of a teaser into book two rather than an ending to book one, it is done quite well. I look forward to seeing where it goes next.

The Sword in the Stone (#1) by T. H. White

29 May 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Birthdays, Classic, General, Junior Fiction Tags: , , , , ,

Birthday

Today is T.H White‘s birthday, the man who wrote the series The Once and Future King, about the legend of Arthur, Merlyn, and the knights of Camelot. Terence Hanbury White was born in Bombay in 1906, and was 32 when he published The Sword in the Stone, which was initially meant as a prequel to Sir Thomas Malory‘s famous 1485 Le Morte d’Arthur. Two sequels were published, The Witch in the Wood (later rewritten as The Queen of Air and Darkness) in 1939, and The Ill-Made Knight in 1940. But when the complete collection was compiled there were five stories in total and the order was altered a bit. The version of The Sword in the Stone included in the complete text The Once and Future King differs from the earlier version. It is darker, and White’s indirect experience of World War II had a profound effect on these tales of King Arthur, which include commentaries on war and human nature. This is certainly evident in the later books as well.

I knew nothing about T.H White and reading up on him he certainly was interesting, there are speculations he was a homosexual sadomasochist; into small girls; not a homosexual, all these things. Good ol’ Wikipedia has the theories and the references if you wish to explore his life a bit more, I’ll admit I am only here for the wonderful stories. He revised Sword in the Stone a few times, which resulted in a few stories being added and removed and all sorts of things. I read a couple versions and trying to figure out what went where and who was left out does your head in, so I won’t try and explain how that went down and what stayed in or not.

Published: December 2nd, 1996 (As part of The Once and Future King complete edition)
Goodreads badgePublisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 223
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction
★   ★   ★  – 3 Stars

In old Merry England weather behaves. In the Castle of Forest Sauvage, Wart (rhymes with Art for Arthur) follows Sir Ector’s ‘proper son’ Kay, two years older. Wizard Merlyn, fewmets from talking owl familiar Archimedes, turns boy into perch, hawk, owl, stone, and badger for their lessons and stories – until King Uther dies without heirs.

The Sword in the Stone is the first book as part of what became ‘The Once and Future King’ series, and my first criticism is that I can see why there are sequels, you can’t get it in one book, and because White starts from the very beginning it would hardly do it justice. I read the version that ended up in the collection, so I don’t think I got to experience the lighter version as it were, but it was still great. This first story is about a young orphan named Arthur living in medieval Great Britain. Arthur is nicknamed Wart, and works as a page for his guardian Sir Ector. With his companion and foster brother Kay, he leads an ok existence, but the true adventure begins when he stumbles across Merlyn, a time travelling wizard, and Arthur soon becomes the student, alongside Kay, to Merlyn’s tutelage. Merlyn guides Arthur and teaches him about the world through magic, and trains him in the ways of the world.

So much of this book is setting up Arthur and his life as a child and his adventures, the known aspects of the story are not a main focus, instead we see Arthur and his relationship to Sir Ector, Kay, and the Merlyn. Kay does have a few roles to play in this early tale, and while Merlyn focuses on Arthur, Kay is not left out of the loop much, either that or Merlyn concocts some distraction to find some time to play with magic.

With Merlyn’s help, Arthur is turned into animals of all kinds to gain a sense of their life, and he has many adventures with other humans such as Robin Hood (Wood in the book) and Maid Marian, King Pellinore in his quest for the Beast, and many more. These adventures seem trivial and fun at first, but with Merlyn’s knowledge of the future, he is essentially training Arthur to be the King, teaching him about the world, nature, and man’s duty in the world.

It was a pretty good book, especially some of the explanations and science behind why things are what they are. I think having Merlyn be a magical character who knew more than most was a great advantage because you had modern knowledge in the medieval setting. And White’s knowledge of the medieval era was excellent, his attention to detail about the sports, dress, and other aspects added to this sense of reality, however there are clear indications that no real effort was made for some aspects of historical accuracy, as well as the fact that Merlyn was a wizard, a wizard that experienced time backwards rather than forwards.

After accidentally starting an abridge version, when I switched to a full copy I realised a few good stories had been removed which I thought was a shame because in the version included in the complete collection they all kind of return in the end and come full circle so I am not sure how the edited text would have covered that.

The animal stories White explores when Arthur is transformed by Merlyn, are very sweet, and give you a great look at the inner workings of the animals and their lives. The way White explores the life and manner of the animals, and Arthur’s uneasy and new presence in there, it is pretty spectacular, it balances out the anachronisms. There is some realistic and detail science and observation evident, and manages to teach you things.

The Sword in the Stone is such a famous story and I did not know there was more than one, and waiting as I read to find the familiar scenes I knew was interesting because it is a very drawn out story. I guess in a way the extra novels means that it is not condensed into one, and there is no hanging unexplained conclusion about what happened, but it is interesting that the key moment is such a small part of the first novel in terms of pages. The effect of course would be seen in the sequels.

There was a Disney version in 1963, because there always is, and it is rather good. This only covers the first book and sticks to the general plot, and a lot of the fleshed out substance is removed, but a lot of the scenes are similar to what is found in White’s. Perhaps there are just some elements of this story that will be kept true, even if other aspects are reimagined.

So Happy Birthday T. H. White, and I thank him for writing this series. I know everyone upon everyone has done an Arthur story and made a version, or told a story about it, but I loved White’s telling. You get drawn into the life of this kid, who started out small and became so big. By the time I had finished all the books I was so enthralled and amazed it was simply divine. I do recommend that you read Sword in the Stone and the sequels because it is well written and as I say, manages to teach you about things you never really thought about before, not just about animals, but about humanity, war, education and even a little bit of history.

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