Of Elves and Monks and Lion-Hearted Kings
Written: Feb 20 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: reading it was like coming home and seeing new places all at once
Cons: cliff-hanger ending...but that's okay since I have all three books!
The Bottom Line: Pure bliss.
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| Greatpilgrim's Full Review: Isle of Glass :Hound & Falcon 1 |
There are occasions where a book reduces you to the babbling delight of childhood. At moments like that, all you want to do is lay down your dignified pen and let loose an unholy “Squee!!” for joy at finding a book that’s a perfect fit for your tastes.
Thankfully for the sanity of my reading audience, I usually manage to not shriek like a teenybopper fangirl, and endeavor to reduce such intense reactions to dignified words. How successful this attempt will be, I do not know. But oh, this book is worth it! Though it's not new - I wasn't even born when it was published - it's better than about 90% of today's fantasy.
With The Isle of Glass, Judith Tarr begins The Hound and the Falcon Trilogy, a series that I hate to give the label to, but for convenience’s sake I will, of historical fantasy. The arrival of a wounded knight, one of the elf kindred, at the monastery of St. Ruan’s shakes the 60-year vigil of Alfred, whose priesthood is shadowed by whispers of sorcery, black magic, and his own inner demons. Strangely graceful and beautiful, Alf, unlike his friend Abbot Morwin, is unchanged by the years, but the knight’s coming awakens the long slumbering clues of Alf’s past, while embarking him on a quest which will determine the safety of England. Secretly fearing the unknown before him, Alf is accompanied by a young novice, Jehan, on a journey that leads him to unite three kingdoms against a treacherous adversary. The unlikely alliance of King Richard of Anglia, Gwydion of Rhiyana, and Kilhwch of Gwynedd lays opportunities at Alf’s feet that he had never dreamt of, as well as perilous dangers and momentous choices.
I love this time period of history, and I also love creatively imagined medieval-style fantasy; the combination here is magical, as Judith Tarr's Elvish kingdom of Rhiyana and the human kingdom of England crash headlong into each other. That’s just icing on the cake, however, alongside the amazing breadth of story and characterization that takes place in this book. With each turn of the page, there was something that delighted, or inspired, or intrigued, or pierced my heart. This was one of those books that matched point for point all the things I look for in a book but so rarely find – a story with depth yet simplicity and single-mindedness, a loveable main character with both strength and weakness, and atmosphere rich in both magic and realism.
But first things first. Kudos to Judith Tarr for forging a blazing path of glory in all-but-virgin territory for fantasy. Sure, there are other historical fantasy novels, but the good ones are few and far between; far more common are anachronistic and implausible pseudohistories, certainly nothing approaching the careful artistry of The Isle of Glass. Even more kudos for the effortless blend here of reality and fantasy into a believable whole, and most of all for making elves more than pretty Tolkien clones, for crying out loud! Tarr rips apart this tragic (and all-too-common) caricaturization of the race with her elves, who are luminous, terrifying, and vulnerable by turns, but undeniably real, with genuine emotions and hurts and failings and, well, humanity – as close as immortals can get to it, at least. Even Tolkien didn’t make elvenkind come alive as Tarr does; his elves were beautiful to look, but hers you can actually touch.
Somehow the inclusion of elves doesn’t seem at all absurd or unlikely in Tarr’s Britannia, which incorporates legend and history with the various kingdoms that struggle and unite in the story. She builds the settings and atmosphere of the book with dexterous strokes, creating an ambiance of latent power and mysticism combined with contemporary authenticity. Even though the historical detail is very accurate, and the fantasy very subtle and beautiful, the attention isn’t on either of those facets but rather on the unification of each element into a single story and focus on one character. After reading dozens of fantasy books that can only be described as trash, I finally found fresh air to breathe in The Isle of Glass, which avoids the cliches and the predictability of the genre, and uses touches of fantasy to enhance the plot and characterization and tone, rather than be an end in itself. And even more miraculously, it has an original story! The concept of an Elvish monk, insecure of his own identity and power, sacrificing his own salvation for that of the kingdoms of England is one that I have never come across in my readings.
Thank goodness, Tarr’s storytelling is equal to the challenge of such a plot, and she develops the story with an exquisite touch. In the hands of a lesser author, the plot could have easily turned hokey; but because it’s a true writer who wrote it, The Isle of Glass is as delicate and shimmering as its name, with a cumulative power and effect on the reader. Surprisingly, the writing style of the book didn’t seem all that remarkable when I first started reading; though the story grabbed me immediately, it was after I continued reading a little while that I truly fell under the spell of the writing. You see, for Tarr it’s not about an elaborate, ornate style, just as it wasn’t about the history or the fantasy; the narrative serves the purposes of the story, and thus is unobtrusive enough to become invisible. There are certain passages that necessarily capture one’s attention with their piercing beauty and unearthliness, and then sink back into the usual simple, expressive style of the rest of the book. After so many Tolkien imitators and their stiff, knee-jerk prose, it’s lovely to read a story told with both ease and skill.
And just as the writing style is there to serve the story, so too the story is there to serve the characters. I have never met a character like Alf before; the mix of elf and priest is so incongruous that the resulting conflicts of identity arising from it have an unusual and effective appeal. Alf wrestles over whether he has a soul, whether he can truly serve God, whether who he is and what he has the power to do is acceptable in the world of men and their God – all of the issues that you might imagine an Elvish monk would face. He also wrestles with his humanity and growing masculinity, trying to resist the impish Thea, also an elf, and the adoration of Jehan. Because he has these struggles to conquer his weaknesses, the powers that come with his elfhood are believable as well as endearing – who couldn’t love this boyish hero you long to take in your arms and comfort, even as he’s performing miracles and winning over kings simply by his very nature?
The other characters, even those who only play a minor role, are nearly as fleshed out; Tarr has a gift for bringing characters to life with a minimum of words, and making them dear to you as well. It’s to her credit that the cast of The Isle of Glass is so numerous and diverse, and yet is easily remembered and distinguished by the reader. From Jehan, who hides a scholar’s mind and brother’s heart in his substantial size, to Richard, as fierce and compelling as you’d expect the Couer de Lion to be, to Gwydion, kingly and mysterious: you can’t forget these characters, and they don’t let you forget them.
And when you reach the end, a satisfying and at the same time cliff-hanging conclusion, you experience a sense of arrival; that the characters have brought you somewhere with them, as they grow and press on to new places. Even before the end, I felt that the story always had a strong purpose and driving force behind it, a reason for the telling of the story; perhaps it was this that held me captive till the last page, and made me exceedingly glad I got all three books at once so I could start the next book!
Bottom line
If you enjoy historical fiction or fantasy, or even maybe mystery, put aside any reservations you may have about the story or the characters, and simply read and enjoy. When I was reading reviews of The Isle of Glass, I doubted whether I could accept an elvish protagonist named Alfred; in fact, the name means “elf wisdom,” one of the roots being the Anglo-Saxon word Ælf, “elf.” To me, this perfectly embodies the qualities of human and elf that the character demonstrates. Judith Tarr banished all such preconceptions I had going into this book with her masterful storytelling and amazing fusion of words and character and story. I look forward to continuing on to the end of this fabulous series!
The Isle of Glass
Author: Judith Tarr
Publisher: Tom Doherty (July 1986)
ISBN-10: 0812556003
ISBN-13: 978-0812556001
The Hound and the Falcon Trilogy
The Isle of Glass
The Golden Horn
The Hounds of God
(There’s a great three-in-one volume that includes all three books, entitled simply The Hound and the Falcon – I highly recommend it.)
Recommended:
Yes
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Greatpilgrim
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Member: Victoria
Location: FL
Reviews written: 272
Trusted by: 704 members
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April 25: My computer has now officially been broken for 10 days. WAHHHH!
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