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A review by ellenw
The Whim of the Dragon by Pamela Dean
4.0
How is it that none of my Goodreads friends have read (or, anyway, rated) this little series, and I've never properly reviewed it? Well, let me remedy the latter, at least.
Ted and Laura, and their cousins Ruth, Patrick, and Ellen, have played together for years at a game they call "the Secret": an imaginary country where they're all princes and princesses and there are banquets, betrayals, and battles aplenty. One day they're magically transported to that country, which they continue for a while to think of as part of their game, but where things are slightly different than they should be.
Without giving too much away, it turns out that their Secret Country is real, and there are real Princes Ted and Patrick and Princesses Ruth, Ellen, and Laura -- who seem to have gone missing. Things play out, some according to their game and some differently, and they discover that playing their Secret, as much as they enjoyed it, was nothing compared to the real thing.
Dean's Tam Lin (perhaps deservedly) gets more attention than this trilogy, which is an odd little creature. The connection between the "real" world and the Secret Country stretches credulity at times, especially if you're a fan of complex worldbuilding in your fantasy. The battles and evil plots get short shrift for the most part, in favor of our five wandering around and experiencing the strangeness of one's imagination come to life.
For all its oddities, though, this series is delightful. It's a little bit of a Narnia for those who don't want Jesus figures in their fantasy. It's also very concerned with the question of whether it's cruel to do to fictional characters all that we do. (Randolph is a particularly interesting study on that subject.)
If you're looking for a YA fantasy that's fun without being frothy, and can put up with some plot meandering if it comes with keen characterization, do you pick up this trilogy as soon as you can.
Ted and Laura, and their cousins Ruth, Patrick, and Ellen, have played together for years at a game they call "the Secret": an imaginary country where they're all princes and princesses and there are banquets, betrayals, and battles aplenty. One day they're magically transported to that country, which they continue for a while to think of as part of their game, but where things are slightly different than they should be.
Without giving too much away, it turns out that their Secret Country is real, and there are real Princes Ted and Patrick and Princesses Ruth, Ellen, and Laura -- who seem to have gone missing. Things play out, some according to their game and some differently, and they discover that playing their Secret, as much as they enjoyed it, was nothing compared to the real thing.
Dean's Tam Lin (perhaps deservedly) gets more attention than this trilogy, which is an odd little creature. The connection between the "real" world and the Secret Country stretches credulity at times, especially if you're a fan of complex worldbuilding in your fantasy. The battles and evil plots get short shrift for the most part, in favor of our five wandering around and experiencing the strangeness of one's imagination come to life.
For all its oddities, though, this series is delightful. It's a little bit of a Narnia for those who don't want Jesus figures in their fantasy. It's also very concerned with the question of whether it's cruel to do to fictional characters all that we do. (Randolph is a particularly interesting study on that subject.)
If you're looking for a YA fantasy that's fun without being frothy, and can put up with some plot meandering if it comes with keen characterization, do you pick up this trilogy as soon as you can.