Kirkus Reviews QR Code
THE SIGN OF THE SALAMANDER by Eugenia Miller

THE SIGN OF THE SALAMANDER

By

Pub Date: May 22nd, 1967
Publisher: Holt, Rinehart and Winston

Through the polyhedron--into the Renaissance town of Amboise, where Leonardo presides and Francis I reigns. Henry Carter, lonely and bookish, becomes the personable Henri, aspirant to an apprentice printer's position, but Henry and Henri are not linked till the end; though we all know, the lack of any carrythrough of personality or memory and any indication of who takes over as Henri when Henry rejoins the modern world weaken the fantasy. Some problems appear without easy solutions and the character of The Florentine is affectingly drawn, but Amboise harbors many stock figures and not enough intrigue and tends to be a bit pedantic about its historical setting. A little something for everybody--young girl, young boy, history, fantasy, small crime--but not enough of anything for anybody.