mike_brough's review against another edition
4.0
Maybe a smidgeon behind the Weirdstone but still an excellent adventure.
richard_farley1976's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed it but you feel the book is just getting going and it ends. This story could have been great in a book twice the length.
lordenglishssbm's review against another edition
3.0
It plays the same trick as the first book, which is to say that Alan Garner has chosen to tell a fairly standard middle grade fantasy book in prose that's a bit too good for the concept. He manages to successfully evoke a mystical atmosphere and he can even inject energy into scenes which lesser authors might have fumbled, but it lacks the focus necessary for an excellent sword and sorcery story, and his characters lean a bit too hard into archetype to be engaging. It hits some impressive highs courtesy of Garner's talents, and I think I like it more than the first book, but it's not quite as refined of a vision as I would have liked. It's almost there, though.
jennykeery's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
caroparr's review against another edition
3.0
Much more interesting than Weirdstone, which felt a bit thin to me. Garner makes his fantasy elements organic in a way that not all authors do when calling on British folklore. We don't need crystal towers and lost lands, just the moon shining down on the track and turning it to silver before our eyes. Beautiful first American edition (1967), published by Henry Z. Walck, if anyone remembers them, and printed on real paper that ensures this copy will endure for another fifty years. Thank you, ILL.
ofavalley's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hillersg7's review against another edition
5.0
Fabulous - mysterious and ever more intriguing delve into another world that exists alongside this one.
lyndiane's review against another edition
5.0
As brilliant as "Weirdstone", this sequel expounds on the events detailed in the first novel. The events are terrifying, exhilirating and sometimes almost heart-stopping.
The author has produced a series of masterpieces in these two novels. I suspect that both will be regarded as literary classics in the very near future.
The author has produced a series of masterpieces in these two novels. I suspect that both will be regarded as literary classics in the very near future.
nobodyatall's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderful.
Lots of names, lots of local detail, particularly weird, but wonderful. Doesn't have a solid, exact, ending as most modern books, but doesn't suffer for it.
It is much better written than The Wierdstone of Brisingamen, Garners writing has matured significantly, but doesn't have that huge wash of nostalgia for me.
Lots of names, lots of local detail, particularly weird, but wonderful. Doesn't have a solid, exact, ending as most modern books, but doesn't suffer for it.
It is much better written than The Wierdstone of Brisingamen, Garners writing has matured significantly, but doesn't have that huge wash of nostalgia for me.