DEERHEART

An original Irish fable, replete with true love, betrayal, battles, and a world in need of saving.

Created by an earth goddess to protect a stone containing the world’s magic, three sister witches guard their enchantments from greedy humans. When the witches’ only brother, Droogol, betrays his sisters and kills one of them, the youngest witch, Deerheart, is born. Years pass, and an army of humans approaches. The young witch’s curiosity about humanity draws her to a young man named Halvar. Before the two know it, they’ve fallen in love, and just in time, too. Droogol, long thought dead, has returned to claim the stone for himself, and it will take all of Deerheart’s bravery to defeat this terrible enemy. Colfer layers this rich story with evocative details (“the sun had dipped behind the trees, and with the gloaming came a spectral light from the Creedon Stone as the rock’s pictograms glowed softly with a pulsing heat from deep in the earth”). His wordplay calls to mind ancient tales of romance and valor, all culminating in a single larger-than-life showdown. Lynch’s art conjures up men, witches, and beasts with equal aplomb; he is as adept at depicting a malevolent giant hagworm as a single finger caressing a cheek. Characters present white.

Storytelling at its epic best.