cathodg's review against another edition
5.0
The Tales of Alderley are children’s fantasy novels written in the 1950s and 60s by Alan Garner. Despite critical success Garner actually grew to dislike his characters and the third book in the series wasn’t released until 2012!
Upon reading these books my first thought was how had I not read them when I was younger. They are a fantastic introduction to the fantasy world for children and I can’t believe it has taken me so long to stumble across them. Set in and around Macclesfield and Alderley Edge in Cheshire the books rely heavily on the folklore and landscape of the area and having grown up not too far from the area myself I definitely connected with the setting of the story.
So what is the story?
The Tales of Alderley tells the story of two children, Colin and Susan who are sent to stay with old family friends whilst their parents are overseas. Living on a farm in a quiet rural area of Cheshire the children naturally begin to explore the fields and woods and in doing so come to realise that the world they know is shared with wizards, shape shifting witches, dwarves and other magical creatures. The first book focuses on the lost Weirdstone of Brisingmen, key to protecting the world of humans and good magic from the evil spirit Nastrond. When it falls into the wrong hands the power of dark side begins to grow and Colin and Susan find themselves caught up in a great quest to take back the stone and quell the forces of darkness once more. In the second book some time has passed since the great battle and Colin and Susan have had no contact with the world of magic. But times are changing and the elves need Susan and Colin’s help with an unknown evil power in their own lands. In helping the elves, Susan is left vulnerable to other older dark powers roaming the Cheshire countryside. A struggle between old and new magic is taking place and the children get caught very much in the middle of it.
You can’t help but smile when you begin this book and find the “obligatory” map laying out the key places of the story. I read this book in a mere couple of days, and would find myself caught up reading chapter after chapter. It is a natural page turner with fantastic chapter cliff endings keeping you reading on. Whilst there is complexity to the story it is not overwhelming and at roughly 300 pages long they are considerably shorter than many fantasy novels making them perfectly accessible to children new to the genre. I also found that having children as the central characters kept a good level of mystery and fantasy to the back story of characters, motivation and plot development without becoming too complex or weighty. But don’t be worried that in doing that it loses any depth or darkness, I’m sure if I had read this as a child I would have been hiding under the covers insisting that I was ok whilst secretly dreading turning the light off.
Whilst written for children I thoroughly enjoyed both of these books. So whether you’re looking for a light fantasy read for yourself or something to get your children interested I would highly recommend these books.
Upon reading these books my first thought was how had I not read them when I was younger. They are a fantastic introduction to the fantasy world for children and I can’t believe it has taken me so long to stumble across them. Set in and around Macclesfield and Alderley Edge in Cheshire the books rely heavily on the folklore and landscape of the area and having grown up not too far from the area myself I definitely connected with the setting of the story.
So what is the story?
The Tales of Alderley tells the story of two children, Colin and Susan who are sent to stay with old family friends whilst their parents are overseas. Living on a farm in a quiet rural area of Cheshire the children naturally begin to explore the fields and woods and in doing so come to realise that the world they know is shared with wizards, shape shifting witches, dwarves and other magical creatures. The first book focuses on the lost Weirdstone of Brisingmen, key to protecting the world of humans and good magic from the evil spirit Nastrond. When it falls into the wrong hands the power of dark side begins to grow and Colin and Susan find themselves caught up in a great quest to take back the stone and quell the forces of darkness once more. In the second book some time has passed since the great battle and Colin and Susan have had no contact with the world of magic. But times are changing and the elves need Susan and Colin’s help with an unknown evil power in their own lands. In helping the elves, Susan is left vulnerable to other older dark powers roaming the Cheshire countryside. A struggle between old and new magic is taking place and the children get caught very much in the middle of it.
You can’t help but smile when you begin this book and find the “obligatory” map laying out the key places of the story. I read this book in a mere couple of days, and would find myself caught up reading chapter after chapter. It is a natural page turner with fantastic chapter cliff endings keeping you reading on. Whilst there is complexity to the story it is not overwhelming and at roughly 300 pages long they are considerably shorter than many fantasy novels making them perfectly accessible to children new to the genre. I also found that having children as the central characters kept a good level of mystery and fantasy to the back story of characters, motivation and plot development without becoming too complex or weighty. But don’t be worried that in doing that it loses any depth or darkness, I’m sure if I had read this as a child I would have been hiding under the covers insisting that I was ok whilst secretly dreading turning the light off.
Whilst written for children I thoroughly enjoyed both of these books. So whether you’re looking for a light fantasy read for yourself or something to get your children interested I would highly recommend these books.
zamyatins_fears's review against another edition
3.5
A little dated, but a solid children's tale. The author later disowned this book, but I think he was being too rough on himself. It's a good first novel and his writing elevates a pretty simple tale to a mystical delight. Darker than a lot of children's tales from that era, but I will definitely be trying to find the next books.
mwclarke17's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
mike_brough's review against another edition
4.0
Although 'officially' a story for children, I found much to like and ponder on this Tolkienesque tale.
Not sure I'll read the others in the series but the third part of the trilogy, Boneland, which takes the story into adulthood, does seem tempting.
Not sure I'll read the others in the series but the third part of the trilogy, Boneland, which takes the story into adulthood, does seem tempting.
lordenglishssbm's review against another edition
3.0
A passable children's book redeemed-to an extent-by Alan Garner's lush prose. He would later disown the book, and while I think his assessment of it being a "bad" book is understandable, I think it's overall an okay effort that maintains its tone while making no egregious missteps. I can certainly see why Neil Gaiman, who made a literary career out of everymen descending into surreal fantasy worlds, extols its virtues.
alexsiddall's review against another edition
1.0
Disappointing. Came highly recommended but felt very one-dimensional: swords and sorcery, wizards and dwarfs, witches, unseen forces summoning weather and moving the scenery, etc. There's a long-drawn-out escape through tunnels with no tension, as the outcome was no surprise - the protagonists get out.
One pleasing thing for a 1960 book - the little girl has agency, and sometimes leads. But no points for the cheap deployment of inexplicable magic as a get-out every time the protagonists are in a bind.
Poor fare.
One pleasing thing for a 1960 book - the little girl has agency, and sometimes leads. But no points for the cheap deployment of inexplicable magic as a get-out every time the protagonists are in a bind.
Poor fare.
mat_tobin's review against another edition
4.0
Although a little difficult to follow at times, this is nonetheless an great example of an adventure story whose pace and excitement beats many that are to be found in bookstores today. Alan is famed for stating that he thinks this, his first novel, of poor quality but I still think it stands head and shoulders above much literature for children out there. I can see his criticism when compared to [b:Red Shift|307220|Red Shift|Alan Garner|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1411940931s/307220.jpg|298190] or [b:The Owl Service|83829|The Owl Service |Alan Garner|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328875903s/83829.jpg|80927] yet I still have a great love for this book mainly because of Garner's incredible grasp of language and his love of folk-lore (Cheshire folklore to be precise).
The Alderley Edge stories were brought to Alan Garner's attention by his own grandfather and I too remember stumbling across the story of the sleeping king when I read [b:Folklore, myths and legends of Britain|1761508|Folklore, myths and legends of Britain|Russell Ash|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1307240899s/1761508.jpg|1759480] as a child. My father owned a copy from Readers' Digest and I was both haunted and gripped by the stories inside. One of which was the very story which sits rooted at the centre of Garner's story.
Weirdstone is a chase, search, find and escape story similar, I suppose in its broadest sense, to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings but of a far quicker pace. Drawn into a world hidden beyond mortal man, Susan and Colin must return a magical stone, stolen from an ancestor, back to its original place or risk unleashing a great darkness upon the land.
What I think deserves celebrating in this book is not just the quality of the narrative in which, in pockets, we start to see Garner find his sharp, painfully precise choice of language which makes every sentence a joy to read but also how beautifully he evokes the Cheshire landscape. Considering I have never been, I could each knoll and cross, beaten hedgerow and moss-ridden path and these images reminded me so much of my own home in Conwy.
It would be considered a challenging text to share with children these days and yet, undoubtedly, the children would finish the book with a far better understanding of what great language can sound like (I think it's a great read-aloud text); how to evoke a real sense of place; how to pace a story and, perhaps most significantly, how to show readers that often what is not said is far more powerful than that which is.
The Alderley Edge stories were brought to Alan Garner's attention by his own grandfather and I too remember stumbling across the story of the sleeping king when I read [b:Folklore, myths and legends of Britain|1761508|Folklore, myths and legends of Britain|Russell Ash|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1307240899s/1761508.jpg|1759480] as a child. My father owned a copy from Readers' Digest and I was both haunted and gripped by the stories inside. One of which was the very story which sits rooted at the centre of Garner's story.
Weirdstone is a chase, search, find and escape story similar, I suppose in its broadest sense, to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings but of a far quicker pace. Drawn into a world hidden beyond mortal man, Susan and Colin must return a magical stone, stolen from an ancestor, back to its original place or risk unleashing a great darkness upon the land.
What I think deserves celebrating in this book is not just the quality of the narrative in which, in pockets, we start to see Garner find his sharp, painfully precise choice of language which makes every sentence a joy to read but also how beautifully he evokes the Cheshire landscape. Considering I have never been, I could each knoll and cross, beaten hedgerow and moss-ridden path and these images reminded me so much of my own home in Conwy.
It would be considered a challenging text to share with children these days and yet, undoubtedly, the children would finish the book with a far better understanding of what great language can sound like (I think it's a great read-aloud text); how to evoke a real sense of place; how to pace a story and, perhaps most significantly, how to show readers that often what is not said is far more powerful than that which is.
jennykeery's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
caroparr's review against another edition
3.0
Garner's first novel is not as original as I had remembered, at least in the creatures the two children encounter. I was a bit disappointed in the dwarves, for instance. But the setting and atmosphere are very strong. Our train stopped in Aldersley so I felt a faint connection with the countryside. Picked up this copy in Cardiff and left it in our holiday house in Anglesey.