by Peter Dickinson
Delacorte Press, November, 2001.
Hardcover, 375 pages.
ISBN: 0385729219

The beautiful and bucolic Valley has been hidden away
from the dangerous outside world for over nineteen generations.
But the powerful magic that protects the Valley from the
marauders and the crooked tax collectors of the nearest
big city is beginning to fail. The two types of magic which protect
the people of the Valley are inherited: one type through
the female line who sing to the trees, and one to through the
male line, who can understand what the rivers and lakes have
to say. In order to find the powerful magician who can
re-charge the magic of the Valley, a very odd foursome
set out on an epic journey: Tilja, who is saddened by
the apparent lack of the magic that runs in her family,
her cranky grandmother Meena, Tahl, a young man,
and Tahl's equally cranky grandfather, Alnor.
Their quest is full of danger, adventure and meetings with
some very odd people indeed. Over the course of the
journey, everyone of the travelers will grow and
change in interesting ways, and Meena herself
will find that, although she does not possess the
traditional magic that runs in her family, she
does possess some very potent powers which make
her a force to be reckoned with.
The Ropemaker is set in an interesting fantasy world,
where magic is (literally) in the air, and the majority
of the people you meet seem bent on either
robbing you or destroying you. The main characters
are certainly full of flaws, but they are multi-layered
and interesting. Most fascinating of all is the
magical system, which seems almost organic in nature.
The interplay between Meena, Tahl and their
somewhat obstreperous grandparents is most entertaining --
especially when the grandparents go through some
very funny changes, indeed. This is a well-imagined
and offbeat fantasy tale which should delight
thoughtful and educated readers.
The Ropemaker is available for purchase on
Amazon.com
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This review was published in the Dec. - Jan., 2002 of The Internet Writing Journal.
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