Holiday reading 1

Alan Garner, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen

 

This lovely piece of English faerie draws on all manner of archetypes in order to tell its story of an England threatened by an ancient evil. There are wizards and dwarves and shape-shifters and strange goblin type characters called Svarts. Garner’s tale takes place on Alderley Edge and the surrounding area, and demonstrates a clear love of the countryside but also a sense of its eerieness. Colin and Susan are saved from strange pursuers by a Wizard who relates them the legend of Fundindelve, where a virtuous army sleeps awaiting the hour that they must fight Nastrond. They are guarded by strong magic sealed within Wierdstone by Firefrost, but the Wierdstone has disappeared and must be found lest the world be destroyed. It is a neat adventure story with cave rescues and duels, but also an attempt in many ways to distil the darker tones of Tolkein into a children’s book.