A review by octavia_cade
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner

4.0

This is one of those children's fantasy classics I'd heard of but never read before - and having read it now, I can only think how I would have loved this as a kid. It's very reminiscent of Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising series, if it doesn't quite have her depth, but it's still an extremely enjoyable read. The characterisation is a little thin, and the end is strangely abrupt, but the real shining strength of this book lies in its sense of place. This is tied very cleverly into plot, using local legends and industry to shape the story. (There's one long section where the kids are stuck in the abandoned mines that is just excellently written and is I think the story highlight for me.) Weirdstone is clearly set in a part of Cheshire that Garner knows extremely well, and I can easily picture fans retracing steps and visiting the landmarks he's written about here - I may have been Googling pictures of places mentioned as I read. Clear too is that Garner not only knows this setting in his bones but also loves it, and his passion for it makes me love it too.

I am genuinely delighted. And taking a copy of this book to one day wander around Alderley Edge myself is the latest entry on my bucket list.