Thomas the Rhymer

Rating:
Summary: Thomas the Climber
Review: Thomas the Rhymer

Drawing heavily on existing mythology, Ellen Kushner's novel THOMAS THE RHYMER relates the story previously told in ballad form. Expanding on the available verse, Kushner tells the story of a young and flashy balladeer, a dashing man who follows the courts of the powerful while maintaining a friendship with a farming couple and flirting with their comely neighbor. He disappears, mysteriously -- he's been taken by the Queen of Elfland to sing for her court and entertain her in her bed. After a tumultuous seven-year tenure by her throne, Thomas is returned to the world of humanity, unaged and unable to speak anything but the truth. He faces the challenge of reconnecting with those he left behind.

Kushner does an excellent job of creating the characters that populate the tale. The four primary characters are each given an Act in the story to narrate, with Thomas himself relating the tale of his semi-forced interplanar relocation. Kushner handles this so skillfully that she completely conveys the mud and the grime of the "real" world, but still allows it a powerful appeal that contrasts with the "unreal" beauty of the land of the elves. Each of these characters brings joy to their own existence and their jobs, especially Thomas, who rhymes as easily as he walks. It is these perspectives that give the story its air of tragedy when the characters lives are interfered with by wondrous forces.

In giving these people authentic voices, Kushner risks losing clarity at points when it would be useful for the story. These confusing points occasionally mar Thomas' trip to Wonderland, but otherwise, this is an elegant, and ultimately, very romantic read.