Lovely but overwritten.
A young caribou blessed with the ability to see beyond what the other members of his herd can is given a dangerous task that can change the course of nature.
Charged with waking the spirits of humans, who in their slumber have forgotten their connection to nature, young Bou must travel deep into the Arctic Canadian wilderness to find a sacred plant. All manner of forest and magical creatures assist him in his quest. Gnomes, trolls, fairies, eagles, and wolves give all that they have, even their own lives and those they love, to help him succeed. But a terrible enemy also walks the path, hoping to take the power of the mystical Breschuvine for himself. Lyrical prose and lush description depict a world where nature and magic intersect. And while it is clear that evil and good exist in the woods, it is also evident that the world is a dangerous place and death is an inevitable part of life. Bou is a likable protagonist, but slow pacing as well as frequent moments where the descriptive writing overwhelms the story, forcing it into the background, hobble this tale. Substantial paragraphs of sensory-rich prose describing seasonal transitions or the terrain Bou navigates are impressive, but too often they act as roadblocks to the action rather than resting places. The environmental message is subtle but effective.
Lovely but overwritten. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-92708-337-6
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Fifth House
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
In this sketchy, incoherent, near-future tale, a child named Rain and the lion she has raised are stolen from an inland village for some never-explained Sacrifice by “Tekkies” inhabiting The Island, a former mountaintop surrounded by risen seas. Aside from vague references to “the Wild,” “Drylands” and air-conditioned “chill chambers,” the author does little to set up either the scene or the back story, nor does she ever reveal why Rain or the lion are considered so significant. Instead she focuses almost entirely on Rain’s unhappiness and confusion through disconnected encounters with Island residents, and then she engineers a highly contrived escape for the girl and lion as their former prison is totally destroyed for unknown reasons. The deadly effects of global warming certainly make a cogent theme, but this effort to take it up seems to have been, at best, phoned in by a veteran South African author who usually offers much more careful and sensitive work (Song of Be, 1993, etc.). Goodness knows, there's a raft of other eco-disaster tales out there for readers so inclined. (Science fiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-84780-114-2
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More serious in tone than Radiance (2010), this supernatural adventure story finds perpetually 12-year-old Riley and her 14-year-old guide, Bodhi, first battling then helping Rebecca, an angry ghost child who initially seems to be evil personified. After the death of her mother, Rebecca, the daughter of an unloving plantation owner in the 1700s, was ignored by her father and reared by her family’s uncaring household slaves, leaving her bereft and psychologically damaged. The slaves on the plantation were cruelly and barbarically treated, and they eventually rebelled, killing Rebecca and her father. Rebecca is holding the ghosts of some of these slaves in what could be called memory hell, a place where they must constantly relive their most nightmarish remembrances. Riley, who is dead and existing in the “Here & Now,” is compelled to go where angels fear to tread when Rebecca captures Bodhi and Riley’s faithful dog Buttercup. In the rather tedious adventure that follows, Riley frees her friends, then, with their help, tries to bring forgiveness and peace to the slaves and Rebecca, so they can all cross the bridge to the happiness that awaits on the other side. The backdrop of the story, a slave revolt in the West Indies, adds some historical weight, but the situation remains abstract and the characters only marginally interesting, leaving readers ultimately unengaged. (Ghost story. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 15, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-312-64825-1
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Square Fish
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
