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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
reread
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Of Alan Garner's books, I only read The Owl Service as a child, which I absolutely loved. I read The Weirdstone of Brisingamen last year and now I've read this sequel. They're very strange, twisty fantasy novels for children or teenagers really. I could detect a lot of bits and pieces of British folklore, all jumbled together, particularly the Wild Hunt and Garanhir, who is similar to Herne the Hunter in The Dark is Rising. It creates a really wild and unnerving whole that I enjoyed a lot. The violence of the good vs evil battles and the magic is quite brutal. I was astonished to learn that Garners have lived at Alderley Edge for more than 400 years - I am sure growing up with that sort of connection to the landscape and the history literally embedded in it is part of what makes Alan Garner such a good fantasy writer. These books are perhaps a more old-fashioned style of children's fantasy for modern readers, but I'd still say they were worth it. It reminded me of Skellig, which I also loved as a child it was exciting to read fantasy set in the real world, which played on the strangeness and ambiguities in life that children can willingly accept.
Audiobook notes: I listened to the Philip Madoc recording, who also read Weirdstone. He's a very good narrator, but for both I found it too difficult to keep the unfamiliar names of characters and places straight in my mind without a paper copy. The paperback also has some lovely maps of the area, which you'd miss out on with the audio version.
Audiobook notes: I listened to the Philip Madoc recording, who also read Weirdstone. He's a very good narrator, but for both I found it too difficult to keep the unfamiliar names of characters and places straight in my mind without a paper copy. The paperback also has some lovely maps of the area, which you'd miss out on with the audio version.
"The Moon of Gomrath" brings us back to Alderly and Susan and Colin, who are still with Bess and Gowther Mossock at their farm. Whenever they can, Susan and Colin return to the hidden areas of the wood surrounding Alderly, looking for Cadellin, the wizard they encountered in the first book. But Cadellin seems to have forgotten the children, or at least doesn't want to contact them again. Until Susan is touched by the Brochallan, an entity of the Old Magic in the guise of a Celtic water horse. They encounter a dwarf and a ranger-like human who take them to Cadellin. Although Cadellin doesn't tell them much, he has feared this happening, since he senses that Susan is drawn to the Old Magic through the bracelet she was give by the lady of the lake. The Magic compulsion causes Susan to insist on lighting a fire on a sacred hill on the eve of the Moon of Gomrath, and the Wild Hunt is awakened with their bloodlust in force. When Colin is captured by their old enemy, the Morrigan, it is left to Susan to harness the Old Magic in order to save her brother and herself.
Although on the surface a children's book because of the age of the protagonists, "Moon of Gomrath", like it's predecessor, is not an easily read book. The style is very formal, bordering on stilted and somewhat reminiscent of Tolkien. There is a lot going on, and many characters have similar names and are easily confused. The plot moves forward at a good pace, with few gaps or misses. The biggest problem to me was Cadellin's rather abrupt decision not to help in the battle to save Colin. Instead, he stays with his charges, the army that he alone can awaken at the final battle. Given his almost constant aid in the first story, this was a convenient way to put the powerful mage to the side so that Susan could find her own strengths.
Still, it is a good story, with a lot of detail about the setting, a real world location and where the author grew up. He draws heavily from Celtic mythology, with a bit of Norse and British folklore also. The different folk stories are woven together well, and work as a complete tale. The strong dialect that the Mossock's use can be a bit difficult to parse at times, but becomes familiar quickly.
This is another book that fans of Susan Cooper, the Narnia Chronicles, and even Tolkien will probably enjoy, although these don't have the same scope. Parents and children could easily read this together, and it could make a good introduction to high fantasy for grade school ages.
Although on the surface a children's book because of the age of the protagonists, "Moon of Gomrath", like it's predecessor, is not an easily read book. The style is very formal, bordering on stilted and somewhat reminiscent of Tolkien. There is a lot going on, and many characters have similar names and are easily confused. The plot moves forward at a good pace, with few gaps or misses. The biggest problem to me was Cadellin's rather abrupt decision not to help in the battle to save Colin. Instead, he stays with his charges, the army that he alone can awaken at the final battle. Given his almost constant aid in the first story, this was a convenient way to put the powerful mage to the side so that Susan could find her own strengths.
Still, it is a good story, with a lot of detail about the setting, a real world location and where the author grew up. He draws heavily from Celtic mythology, with a bit of Norse and British folklore also. The different folk stories are woven together well, and work as a complete tale. The strong dialect that the Mossock's use can be a bit difficult to parse at times, but becomes familiar quickly.
This is another book that fans of Susan Cooper, the Narnia Chronicles, and even Tolkien will probably enjoy, although these don't have the same scope. Parents and children could easily read this together, and it could make a good introduction to high fantasy for grade school ages.
I've been eye-balling this book on my shelf, wondering if I actually want to read it, and since I've been having a hard time reading anything lately, I naturally thought it was the perfect time to try this. At the very least, I thought, it would be really easy to put the book down if I didn't like it, given my current mood. Except that this was so short and nostalgic, I ended up reading it in a single afternoon.
I won't say it's great literature. But if you're looking something to remind you of Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and The Dark is Rising, this might be right for you. It's not quite as good as any of the examples I mentioned, but it definitely has a similar vibe. Susan and Colin are two kids who keep getting involved in magical escapades with their foundations in Arthurian myth. They meet tons of mythical creatures, and yet remain silly British children, with that peculiar mix of common sense and tolerance for the fantastical.
The story itself does feel quite rushed, but I was pretty okay with it. There wasn't a lot to draw me to the characters, so if it had dragged on at all, I would have enjoyed it considerably less. As it was, I breezed through on the strength of the shortness and the fast pace. I do think it's something I would have enjoyed considerably more if I was in the target age range, but it was still a good way to spend a slumpy Saturday afternoon. I didn't enjoy it enough to say that I'll go out and read the rest of the series, but it was just fine for what it was.
I won't say it's great literature. But if you're looking something to remind you of Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and The Dark is Rising, this might be right for you. It's not quite as good as any of the examples I mentioned, but it definitely has a similar vibe. Susan and Colin are two kids who keep getting involved in magical escapades with their foundations in Arthurian myth. They meet tons of mythical creatures, and yet remain silly British children, with that peculiar mix of common sense and tolerance for the fantastical.
The story itself does feel quite rushed, but I was pretty okay with it. There wasn't a lot to draw me to the characters, so if it had dragged on at all, I would have enjoyed it considerably less. As it was, I breezed through on the strength of the shortness and the fast pace. I do think it's something I would have enjoyed considerably more if I was in the target age range, but it was still a good way to spend a slumpy Saturday afternoon. I didn't enjoy it enough to say that I'll go out and read the rest of the series, but it was just fine for what it was.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I read the Weirdstone years ago and this is the first time i have picked up the Moon. I could barely put it down. I loved the combination of multiple folklores and legends into a new tale.
The Hunt! The Hunt! Aaaaarghhhhhh this is unlocking so many core childhood memories for me, I loved that scene of the Wild Hunt riding so hard when I first read it.
This book is stronger than Weirdstone for me, I just really enjoy this kind of mythology-infused soft magic system. This is a wilder, weirder book about a wilder, weirder magic. Also, while I think Weirdstone loses it’s footing in the ending some, personally this one does really land for me. It’s bittersweet and unsettling and reminds us that it;s not all just happy-go-lucky adventures in fantasy, and no-one gets out of events like these unscathed. Plus it lets Susan really take centre stage, after she was a little more in the background in book one.
Also, yes, Albanac might be discount Aragorn but that doesn’t mean I’m not into it.
A sequel to [b:The Weirdstone of Brisingamen|694997|The Weirdstone of Brisingamen (Tales of Alderley, #1)|Alan Garner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1177345171l/694997._SY75_.jpg|279305], written soon after (early 1960s), often held up as an example of fantasy that was flourishing before the influence of Tolkien came to dominate the fantasy literature landscape. Garner definitely draws from some of the same sources as Tolkien but does very different things with the source material. The story continues the story of two British kids in the 1960s staying in Cheshire, England, exploring a nearby wilderness (the Edge) and discovering that fantastic creatures and magic have deep roots there. I look forward to reading the 3rd book, [b:Boneland|13549953|Boneland (Tales of Alderley, #3)|Alan Garner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1346014001l/13549953._SY75_.jpg|19116465], which was not published until the 21st century but continues the story of some of the characters from the 1960s . . .
See my review of [b:The Weirdstone of Brisingamen|2101621|The Weirdstone of Brisingamen A Tale of Alderley Edge|Alan Garner|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327575910s/2101621.jpg|279305]
adventurous