Reviewed by Rae C.
An orphaned
girl made to live as a servant frees a Wizard who has been trapped in a tree
for thousands of years. His powers are
all wonky from disuse, and he has aged so much while he was stuck in the tree,
that he must leave the mortal world quickly or die. But how can he travel to Vale Innis, the
magical land, without his powers? And how can he escape the other villagers
with various evil plots against him? Mallory, the orphan girl, loves fairy
tales, and Arbican, the Wizard, spends a lot of time disavowing and
disapproving of her mostly incorrect ideas about magic and magicians. But she is determined to help him, despite
the difficulties and dangers both to him and to herself.
I was given
this book as a birthday present when it first came out in 1975. I didn't appreciate it then, because I was
too much like Mallory and wanted magical enchanters that granted wishes. I was
a big fan of Ruth Chew, whose witches were also often wanting or awkward with
their powers. But Arbican insisted too much on mortals being greedy for magic,
and not relying on human powers to solve problems. I've been re-reading
Alexander’s Prydain chronicles and decided to re-visit this.
When I was a
child I didn't appreciate how strong the female character Mallory is, and how
clever. She’s a true heroine! It's a clever and well-crafted story, with great
plotting, and a very satisfying ending. The villain is a formidable opponent,
and Arbican is a lovable curmudgeon. I’m
glad I re-read it!
No comments:
Post a Comment