Quest for the Faradawn

Rating:
Summary: Empty Pretend-Fairy-Tale
Review: A newborn is abandoned in the woods to be raised by a community of cuddly forest animals. Animalkind has a prophecy telling of such a child, who will one day grow to be a savior. Though the writing was not bad, the story was pathetic, as was the character development. The young hero Nab lives in the woods and talks to animals, which is neat for kids, but trite for everyone else. Except for a tiny percentage, humans are portrayed as black-hearted murderers. After their forest home is destroyed by Men, Nab and his furry pals embarks on a quest to fulful an empty objective. This book pretends to be a happy fairy tale about friendship and goodness, etc. But really it's about how horrible people are, and how we deserve to die for our mistreatment of animals. Look elsewhere for touching fairy-tales. Anyone looking for profound fiction about the treatment of animals might want to read DOCTOR RAT, by William Kotzwinckle instead.

Rating:
Summary: a moving fantasy tale
Review: I read this book at age eighteen, and then read it to my younger brothers. It is an animal story, and a quest, complete with elves, but it is more, too. It shows how animals may view us, the supposed Protectors and Keepers of the earth, but the message is not hard to swallow. Filled with humor and sorrow, this book made a lasting impression on me, and will be a permanent part of my library. One drawback, I felt the ending was an odd change of pace. If you like this one, check out The Book of the Dun Cow.

Rating:
Summary: a book passed on from mother to daughter
Review: My mother was given this book as a gift shortly after she gave birth to her first child (me). And she gave it to me to read as my first adult-chapter book when I was around 9. And it was the book that made me love fantasy. Its a fabulous story about a boy raised by forest creatures who is entrusted to save their lives. Contrary to several reviews I have seen that portray this as a book that only show how horrible humans are, in fact I think it just serves as a wake-up call. The humans have only one sort of representative, and that is the hunter, which is naturally evil to a forest of deer and pheasant; because the story is mainly about the animals themselves.

My favorite part, still, is the "Author's Note" at the end. When I was a child with a child's active imagination, it only fueled my fantasies. And even now, tho' I view it differently, I cannot help but be captured by the awe of such a possibility.

I've lent out our (now battered) copy of the book to many friends, and they have loved it as well. Each character is delightfully written, with personalities that everyone can understand and relate to. It is one of my favorite books of all time, even at 20, when, as an avid reader, I have read thousands of books in between.