The Stones are Hatching

Rating:
Summary: TERROR AND HEROISM ABOUND IN THIS READING
Review: Fantasy fans will find a terrific tale and a thrilling reading in this audio version of "The Stones Are Hatching" by noted British author and myth historian Geraldine Mc Caughrean. Stage and film actor Christian Rodska imbues the frightening narrative with appropriate nuances, never resorting to overkill.

Our hero is not a barrel-chested Lancelot but a boy, Phelim Green, who very reluctantly finds himself in mortal combat with merciless enemies - the hatchlings of the dreaded Stoor Worm who would destroy the world.

For company and reinforcement Phelim has a unique trio - a Fool, a Maiden, and a Horse. It is only in following his destiny that Phelim discovers who he is and what he may be capable of accomplishing

Terror and heroism abound in this reading for all but the faint of heart.

Rating:
Summary: TERROR AND HEROISM ABOUND IN THIS READING
Review: Fantasy fans will find a terrific tale and a thrilling reading in this audio version of "The Stones Are Hatching" by noted British author and myth historian Geraldine Mc Caughrean. Stage and film actor Christian Rodska imbues the frightening narrative with appropriate nuances, never resorting to overkill.

Our hero is not a barrel-chested Lancelot but a boy, Phelim Green, who very reluctantly finds himself in mortal combat with merciless enemies - the hatchlings of the dreaded Stoor Worm who would destroy the world.

For company and reinforcement Phelim has a unique trio - a Fool, a Maiden, and a Horse. It is only in following his destiny that Phelim discovers who he is and what he may be capable of accomplishing

Terror and heroism abound in this reading for all but the faint of heart.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating use of folklore
Review: Phelim "Phee" Green is a simple lad, living under the thumb of his tyrant sister. It is 1919, and the Great War with all of its horrific results is over. However, Phelim's world seems to literally unravel when all of the fairytales he has ever heard begin to come true; a small troll-like man lives behind his stove, monsters live in rivers, washerwomen wash shirts on the shores, merrows inhabit the ocean, redcaps dye their hats in human blood, and many other horrors abound.

Worst of all, three characters come to Phelim, claiming that he is Jack O'Green and only he can defeat the Stoor Worm, the giant dragon that is mother to all of these horrors. The three characters are a maiden with no shadow, a madman who has haunted a forest since Waterloo, and a genuine Hobby Horse. Finding himself propelled along on this quest, Phelim must overcome his fears, his disbelief, and quite a few monsters.

Geraldine McCaughrean has taken the old idea of fairytales proving true, and has formed it into a fascinating story. In her world, the simple stories of yesterday are transformed into a reality deadly beyond a cartoonist's wildest imagination. This book is a good read, well written, and I recommend it highly.

Rating:
Summary: The story of Jack O'Green
Review: Reminiscent of a spicier Lloyd Alexander, Geraldine McCaughrean weaves a spellbinding tale with bits of Celtic lore, excellent writing and amazing lead characters.

Phelim, a young boy living in post World War I Cornwall, lives with his emotionally abusive sister; his mother is dead, his father is simply gone. But Phelim's life takes an unexpected turn when a bunch of scraggly prehistoric dwarves and something called the Domovoy invade his house, pursued by the sinister Black Dog. They force Phelim out, saying that he is Jack O'Green and has to deal with the Stoor Worm.

Before long, Phelim encounters mad Sweeney, a veteran of the Napoleonic wars who lives in perpetual terror in the trees; the Obby Oss, a delightfully goofy specter; and Alexia, a shadowless apprentice witch who fled her courses in the Dark Arts. So Phelim, the Maiden, the Fool and the Horse all set out (Phelim only half-willingly) to destroy the Stoor Worm, who was wakened by the guns of the first world war. And the heat from the wakening Worm is causing strange things to hatch from stones, and roam throughout the British Isles. And Phelim will encounter soul-stealing merrows, the hideous Noonday Twister and the bloodthirsty cornwives, skinless nuckelavees, maddened human beings, and finally the monstrous Stoor Worm itself...

McCaughrean does an excellent job with his book; with the slightly clueless hero, magical and sharp-witted heroine, and a pair of odd but poignant sidekicks, it reminds me of Lloyd Alexander's books. She also, unlike most authors, harbors no romantic illusions about "Old Ways" and how mean they could be. She is unafraid to weave the spectacular and the everyday, with a few subtle comments on the human condition.

Her writing is extremely evocative, very descriptive as children's books go; she devotes more descriptions to the oddities like the Oss than to ordinary things like the reapers. The dialogue is also very believable. McCaughrean also adds new spins to old ideas, such as the faeries; these are not innocent little sprites, or Elf-like Sidhe. Readers won't forget these faeries in a hurry.

A darker, bittersweet feel permeates the later chapters, where Phelim loses his innocent mindset, glimpses what he is capable of, and does something that readers may initially condemn. However, I applaud Ms. McCaughrean for having him do that, simply because his remorseful response after the fact is admirable and very true. But while everyone makes mistakes, and his feelings are certainly understandable, she also makes no excuses for what he did or felt; there are consequences to no longer being "ever-good." This is extremely rare in books of any kind, and to see it in a kids' book is excellent.

By an author with less talent, Phelim might have been a real pain to read about; he spends over half the book denying that he is Jack O'Green, and often responding wrongly or needing to be helped out. But his confusion and fear (especially after seeing his shirt being washed by... well, you'll see) over the things that he has seen and what he is expected to do is well written and understandable. Alexia initially seems like a fairly ordinary character, but her traumatic past adds an extra dimension and strength to her. Same with Sweeney, who initially seems like he will be an entertaining character, but his fear and guilt make him almost a tragic figure. The Oss is simply fun in an overall serious adventure. You just can't get him down, and he remains a source of emotional support and entertainment.

A tight, fast-paced and immensely imaginative fantasy story, this is a great read for kids and adults alike.

Rating:
Summary: Magic IS Afoot!
Review: This wonderful book is a scary magical adventure tale filled with excellent scholarship. It presents the Old Magic legends of Europe, the British Isles in particular, with accuracy and combines them with the every day life of the early 20th century to make a thrilling fantasy. Set in Cornwall following the Great War it follows the efforts, trials and successes of young Phelim who has been enlisted by a strange wildman, Mad Sweeney, a witch girl, and the 'Obby 'Oss to slay the gigantic, continent-sized Stoor Worm who is waking from her anicent slumber and will destroy the world. Why Phelim? Much to his own surprise Phelim is the living heir of Jack O'Green and a Chime Child to boot! This story is masterfully told with humor, suspense, dangerous thrills, and poignant insights into the sufferings and triumphs of human beings. It is colorful and evocative as well as beautifully thought-provoking. It is creative and filled with refreshingly "new" characters even though they are based on the actual legends of old. Geraldine McCaughrean is a renowned scholar on the subject of folklore and she has populated the pages of this book with myriad concepts and creatures from out of the dark and wild past. As she says by way of introduction, "All the creatures, dangers, legends, and magics described in this book were, until very recently, accepted as real and true by ordinary people living and working in a civilized and Christian Europe." Were a reader to investigate the various "creatures, dangers, legends, and magics" found within these pages more fully, perhaps on the Internet, a truly vast treasure trove of nearly forgotten lore would be opened before them. This book succeeds as a purely good yarn, as a coming-of-age story, as myth and legend, and as a very concise compendium of the beings and practices of the Old Magic. I highly, highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Tired of Harry Potter? Try Philem Green!
Review: This young adult fantasy set in 1919 England grabs you right away. The hero of our story, Phelim, awakens one morning to find his kitchen filled with glashans, a people who are normally invisible to humans. The glashans want Phelim to help them, for the Worm is waking, and as she does, her Hatchings are wreaking havoc across the country. Phelim is quite confused at first, but with the help of a Fool, a Maiden, and a Horse, he discovers that he seems to be their only hope to stop the Storr Worm and prevent her strange, blood-thirsty hatchings from harming anyone else. Phelim has a lot to learn about these creatures and stories that died out generations ago but begin to surface again, as he journeys to kill the giant monstrous worm. How will he do it? He hasn't got a clue.

Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter Fans--here's something better
Review: While the plot of this novel is nothing like the Harry Potter books, the protagonist shares many characteristics with Harry. Like Harry, Phelim is looked after by a cruel relative, in this case his sister Prudence. Prudence is clearly embittered by having to provide from her pitiful earnings for both her small brother and a father who appears to be in his dotage. (The father is no longer with them when the story starts. She tells Phelim he died, leaving Phelim believing he is an orphan--just one of her endless acts of verbal and psychological abuse.)

There are many amusing characters in this book. Phelim has to find three others (the Maiden, the Fool and the Horse) to help him in his quest to save the world from dreadful monsters, the Hatchlings of the Stoor Worm, which are already creating terror and chaos. Sweeney, the Fool, is an extremely funny character whom you won't forget in a hurry, while I'm sure the 'Obby Oss' will prance through my dreams for the rest of my life.

Geraldine McCaughrean has an amazing wit. Her humour runs circles around Joanne Rowling's. Also, she chooses her words with care, making every one count. Because of this, the reader has more sympathy for Phelim than for Harry Potter. In the end you will even feel a twinge of sympathy for the Stoor Worm.

McCaughrean once said this book is more terrifying than she intended. It is certainly spine-chilling in parts. I had to read the chapter where Phelim destroys the Stoor Worm again and again; the writing is just so beautiful. And McCaughrean knows exactly when to 'tell' rather than 'show' for the right effect:

'Phelim intercepted the paw with his hand and held it. The claws within its velvety feet were still soft. Enfeebled by the effort of hatching, it rested for a moment, globules of albumen slithering off its starry pelt, a panther but leopard-spotted with constellations of gold. It was beautiful.'

Not 'Phelim caught his breath at its beauty' or anything similar; just that simple statement: 'It was beautiful'.

Many adults (narrow-minded ones anyway) will no doubt criticise the way Geraldine McCaughrean deals with Prudence at the end of the book. But how else, we must ask ourselves, could Phelim escape the horrors of having to live with her? What would we do in Phelim's place?