THE FALCON BOW: An Arctic Legend

by James Houston ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1986

Returning to the characters and themes of The White Archer, Houston creates a story that will be of greatest interest to his fans. After the journey in which he discovered that his long-lost sister had married into the tribe of Indians he considers enemies, Kungo returns home and learns that he must retrace his steps: others of his people are starving from the lack of caribou, and they blame his sister's adopted tribe. Taking along Telikjuak, a dwarf who is his closet friend, and Kigavik, his magic bow, he returns to the Indians only to discover that they are suffering a famine and blame the Inuits. His journey manages to break the famine: Kigavik, which seemed to be broken, suddenly works well enough for him to kill four caribou The starvations ended, and the misunderstandings cleared up, he returns home and fires the bow one last time; it resumes falcon form and, having served its purpose, flies free. Houston matter-of-factly describes the customs and hardships of life in the Arctic to illuminate characters and the beliefs that change and mold them. His tale is powerful in its elements but seems predictable at its center. Still, readers of The White Archer will appreciate this closing or the circle of the fates of Kungo and Kigavik.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1986

Categories: CHILDREN'S