1890
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8037-1640-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1999
Associations aside, a chromatic fantasy full of panache and a clever sense of fun.
A heavenly blue horse introduces a young girl to a land of merriment that finds itself besieged by serpents and Kermudgins.
Turner Flint discovers a rather magical creature among her collection of horse figurines: Glory, guardian of the morning glory vine, a horse that attains the dimensions of a real horse when night comes, and ferries Turner to magical Joya. This land is perfect, “but its seemingly crazy arrangement of beauty was in danger of being straightened.” Winding lanes and serpentine brooks would be chastened by “a terrible tribe of tidy-uppers” called the Kermudgins, currently on a march through Joya. These plug-uglies are greed-heads who like things nice, neat and without smell (though they possess an alarming flatulence of their own), and who, in a pleasing contemporary touch, bear a sound resemblance to your neighborhood developer and his spate of McMansions. Turner and Glory assemble a motley crew of Joyans–Mud-Dog, Rose Falcon, Ole Beaver, Stripe-ed Bees (“What is our bussssinessss of assssissstance?”) and a Pink Cloud–to battle the Kermudgins and the hideous serpent Armanget, spookily captured in one of Lippincott’s two dozen, fine-lined drawings. Chester’s tale displays a good collection of original characters and a disarmingly frank and flawed heroine, as well as a comical fantasyland that, despite its appeal, will make readers think twice about living in a place that values hilarity above all else. Chester maintains just enough menace and hard twists of fate to keep things interesting but not morbid. On the other hand, there are some serious echoes here, loud as church bells, of another land called Oz. In the correspondence of fantasy and real characters at story’s end, the very Munchkin-like Pansies (“Personally, I found them a little bit tiresome,” says Turner) and in the woeful updating of the ruby slippers as a pair of Adidas sneakers.
Associations aside, a chromatic fantasy full of panache and a clever sense of fun.Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-59543-616-0
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Flawed, but abundantly blessed with adventure and appeal.
Despite obvious similarities with some fantasy and kids’ classics, The Fire Stone is a charming story with relatable characters for young-adult readers.
Reading book one of Carney’s series about a young boy setting out on an adventure, it’s impossible to forget the debt the book owes to The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Matt, the central character, leaves home to learn he has powers and abilities he couldn’t have imagined. He garners the help of two elves, a dwarf, a wizard, a “mergling” warrior and a rare magical creature called an alorath. Like Harry Potter, he is surprised to learn he is a special being whose full importance has not yet been revealed. And similar to Frodo Baggins, Matt and his companions must keep three stones from falling into evil hands. In spite of these comparisons, the story zips along with much action and humor, and the characters are likable beyond their archetypes. Carney has imbued Matt with an appealing combination of humility and longing for adventure, making him an easy character to root for. When he rescues a baby alorath (a largish catlike creature with feathers and magical abilities) from abusive circus workers and goes to live with his teacher, Alem, the tale is kicked off with true excitement. The elves, Emmon and Arden, have their own separate quest, but their story–along with that of Lucien, the wizard–dovetail nicely as the story evolves. There are a few nagging problems, as in a messy scene near the end where the action is stopped abruptly and then described in a flashback. Carney has four other books planned, and the development of these characters in future editions will be the real test of the series’ durability.
Flawed, but abundantly blessed with adventure and appeal.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-9841307-0-2
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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