Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable Read
Review: It's been a long time since I've read a book normally considered 'juvenille' literature for my own pleasure. I've discovered that the only thing lacking is graphic sex and violence, and lets face it, how often does a good story really need that?I found this story well paced and its characters multi-layered and endearing. Dickinson has convinced me to delve further into the 'juvenille' genre.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating
Review: Ropemaker is the mainly the story of Tilja and her family, who for generations have carried out a ritual supposed to keep their valley in peace- the only proof they have of this coming from a story from long, long ago. There is no magic in the valley, and what magic there is belongs to Tilja and Tahl's familys. Their ability to listen to the waters and trees has been in them for generations, only Tilja discovers that the ability seems to have skipped her. But when something goes wrong in the valley, she and her grandmother are the ones that are sent to travel to an unknown place in search of help, along with Tahl and his grandfather. Though at times confusing, Ropemaker is beautifully written with exciting turns of the plot. Tilja becomes more important than she ever could have realized, and her grandmother undergoes a transformation that makes Tilja realize how precious youth is. Any fan of fantasy will thoroughly enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Ropemaker is a great story for all ages!
Review: The Valley had always been a wonderful place to live, a peaceful place, but then the Empire came. Greedy tax collectors forced the farmers to pay back taxes for all the years that they didn't pay and the horse warriors on the plains raided, raped and murdered the people. Desperate, the Valley sent out a small group of people to seek aid from a powerful sorceress. Two of them found the sorceress, but she was dying and so sent them on to the great wizard Faheel. Faheel heard their plea and accepted the gift that they bore and set up protection for the people in the Valley. To the man, he gave a flask of crystal water and instructed him to empty it into the stream high in the mountains of the Valley and sing the song it told him. To the woman, he gave a loaf of barley and instructed her to plant a small field of barley every year and to feed the cedars in the forest of the Valley and sing the song that they told her. The man and the woman returned to the Valley and every generation there was an Ortahlson who sang to the stream and an Urlasdaughter who sang to the cedars. The Valley became impenetrable to the Empire's soldiers and tax collectors as there was a strange sickness in the forest that made men dizzy, ill, and knocked them out and then killed them. High in the mountains, there was a glacier that blocked the pass that the horse warriors used. As time passed, the people of the Valley told the story for entertainment for they knew it wasn't real, but the Ortahlsons and the Urlasdaughters kept singing... Generation followed generation until twenty has passed since the original adventurers found the wizard Faheel. The unthinkable began to happen as the glacier started to melt and the trees stopped singing and producing their sickness. The people of the Valley knew it was only a matter of time until the Empire would come and enslave them again or they would be killed by the horse warriors. However, the people still refused to believe that the story was true, so it was up to the Ortahlsons and the Urlasdaughters to save their homes. Tilja Urlasdaughter was still grieving over the loss of her beloved Woodbourne when she escorted her grandmother to the gathering. Tilja could not hear the song of the cedars, but her younger sister, Anja, could and so she would inherit the farm of the Urlasdaughters. Indeed, Tilja seemed to have no magic at all and so was stunned when the cedars told Anja that Tilja needed to go with her grandmother and two Ortahlsons to find the wizard Faheel and renew the spell on the Valley. Tilja didn't know what she could do to help, but she was determined to do her best to save her world. However, as the small party journeys slowly through the treacherous Empire, Tilja finds that she may be the only one was has the power to save the Valley simply because she doesn't have any magic... The Ropemaker is an enchanting tale of a girl who is simply ordinary, but in an extraordinary way. Tilja was very likeable and I found myself identifying with her right away. The other characters are also fun to get to know, but Tilja is definitely the focus of the book. As far as the plot goes, this book is more a journey of self discovery than a story with a beginning and an end. If you enjoy journeys with exotic locales and interesting peoples then you will enjoy this tale. Not the most thrilling of books, but nonetheless entertaining and solidly written with little surprises around every corner. It is written simply enough for older children to enjoy, but there is enough detail and intrigue to entertain adults and older readers.
Rating: 
Summary: Enchanting Coming of Age Tale...
Review: The Valley had always been a wonderful place to live, a peaceful place, but then the Empire came. Greedy tax collectors forced the farmers to pay back taxes for all the years that they didn't pay and the horse warriors on the plains raided, raped and murdered the people. Desperate, the Valley sent out a small group of people to seek aid from a powerful sorceress. Two of them found the sorceress, but she was dying and so sent them on to the great wizard Faheel. Faheel heard their plea and accepted the gift that they bore and set up protection for the people in the Valley. To the man, he gave a flask of crystal water and instructed him to empty it into the stream high in the mountains of the Valley and sing the song it told him. To the woman, he gave a loaf of barley and instructed her to plant a small field of barley every year and to feed the cedars in the forest of the Valley and sing the song that they told her. The man and the woman returned to the Valley and every generation there was an Ortahlson who sang to the stream and an Urlasdaughter who sang to the cedars. The Valley became impenetrable to the Empire's soldiers and tax collectors as there was a strange sickness in the forest that made men dizzy, ill, and knocked them out and then killed them. High in the mountains, there was a glacier that blocked the pass that the horse warriors used. As time passed, the people of the Valley told the story for entertainment for they knew it wasn't real, but the Ortahlsons and the Urlasdaughters kept singing... Generation followed generation until twenty has passed since the original adventurers found the wizard Faheel. The unthinkable began to happen as the glacier started to melt and the trees stopped singing and producing their sickness. The people of the Valley knew it was only a matter of time until the Empire would come and enslave them again or they would be killed by the horse warriors. However, the people still refused to believe that the story was true, so it was up to the Ortahlsons and the Urlasdaughters to save their homes. Tilja Urlasdaughter was still grieving over the loss of her beloved Woodbourne when she escorted her grandmother to the gathering. Tilja could not hear the song of the cedars, but her younger sister, Anja, could and so she would inherit the farm of the Urlasdaughters. Indeed, Tilja seemed to have no magic at all and so was stunned when the cedars told Anja that Tilja needed to go with her grandmother and two Ortahlsons to find the wizard Faheel and renew the spell on the Valley. Tilja didn't know what she could do to help, but she was determined to do her best to save her world. However, as the small party journeys slowly through the treacherous Empire, Tilja finds that she may be the only one was has the power to save the Valley simply because she doesn't have any magic... The Ropemaker is an enchanting tale of a girl who is simply ordinary, but in an extraordinary way. Tilja was very likeable and I found myself identifying with her right away. The other characters are also fun to get to know, but Tilja is definitely the focus of the book. As far as the plot goes, this book is more a journey of self discovery than a story with a beginning and an end. If you enjoy journeys with exotic locales and interesting peoples then you will enjoy this tale. Not the most thrilling of books, but nonetheless entertaining and solidly written with little surprises around every corner. It is written simply enough for older children to enjoy, but there is enough detail and intrigue to entertain adults and older readers.
Rating:
Summary: The Ropemaker
Review: The Valley is the only passage between the horsemen of the plain and the Empire, which means that it is constantly under attack. The residents of the Valley can¡¦t withstand all these killing and raiding; therefore, they send some of their people on a long, difficult journey to find a magician powerful enough to get them some peace. Two people, Reyel Ortahlson and Dirna Urlasdaughter, found a powerful magician, Faheel, and he promised the people of the Valley peace for twenty generations. After twenty generations the magic wore off and the Valley fell again in turmoil. Tilja, Tahl, Meena, and Alnor decided that the must find the magician again to restore peace. With extraordinary luck and many breath-taking adventures, they found Faheel on an island. However, Faheel is too weak to do what they asked for, he is already on his deathbed. Before he passed away, Faheel gave them a magical ring and told them to give it to another powerful magician, the Ropemaker, who can restore peace in the Valley with the help of the ring.
I had a great time reading this book. Every book that has to do with magic has to have an explanation of how magic works. The explanation in this book is very reasonable and makes perfect sense. This makes the book a lot easier to understand and enjoy. The author tells of how magic is flowing everywhere, and only gifted people can make use of this magic. When a person is more gifted than others, he/she in turn can take control of larger amounts of magic at a time. Nevertheless, when a person is overwhelmed by the magic of another, he/she will lose their gift to use magic and can very possibly die at the same time.
My favorite part of this book is when Tilja realized the power she possesses. Before, she had thought that there were only two kinds of magicians: ones that remake the magic in the air before they use it and ones that simply use the magic in the air without remaking it. When magic is remade it becomes more powerful. On her journey to find Faheel, Tilja discovered that whatever remade magic makes contact with her is reversed into natural magic. With this power Tilja is able to protect herself from all remade magical attacks. Not only that, she can also suck away all the magic in any magician without getting hurt. Tilja decided that she must be the third kind of magician.
Rating:
Summary: The Ropemaker
Review: The Valley is the only passage between the horsemen of the plain and the Empire, which means that it is constantly under attack. The residents of the Valley can¡¦t withstand all these killing and raiding; therefore, they send some of their people on a long, difficult journey to find a magician powerful enough to get them some peace. Two people, Reyel Ortahlson and Dirna Urlasdaughter, found a powerful magician, Faheel, and he promised the people of the Valley peace for twenty generations. After twenty generations the magic wore off and the Valley fell again in turmoil. Tilja, Tahl, Meena, and Alnor decided that the must find the magician again to restore peace. With extraordinary luck and many breath-taking adventures, they found Faheel on an island. However, Faheel is too weak to do what they asked for, he is already on his deathbed. Before he passed away, Faheel gave them a magical ring and told them to give it to another powerful magician, the Ropemaker, who can restore peace in the Valley with the help of the ring.
I had a great time reading this book. Every book that has to do with magic has to have an explanation of how magic works. The explanation in this book is very reasonable and makes perfect sense. This makes the book a lot easier to understand and enjoy. The author tells of how magic is flowing everywhere, and only gifted people can make use of this magic. When a person is more gifted than others, he/she in turn can take control of larger amounts of magic at a time. Nevertheless, when a person is overwhelmed by the magic of another, he/she will lose their gift to use magic and can very possibly die at the same time.
My favorite part of this book is when Tilja realized the power she possesses. Before, she had thought that there were only two kinds of magicians: ones that remake the magic in the air before they use it and ones that simply use the magic in the air without remaking it. When magic is remade it becomes more powerful. On her journey to find Faheel, Tilja discovered that whatever remade magic makes contact with her is reversed into natural magic. With this power Tilja is able to protect herself from all remade magical attacks. Not only that, she can also suck away all the magic in any magician without getting hurt. Tilja decided that she must be the third kind of magician.
Rating:
Summary: An Imaginative and Entertaining Storytelling
Review: This is a startlingly good example of the kind of gems that can get hidden in the YA section of bookstores and libraries. The author proves himself very adept at word use, world-building and storytelling in an amazingly rich story.
The young female protagonist of this story lives in a peaceful valley that has remained sheilded for generations from the depredations of those who live on either side of the valley. But when the magical defenses begin to fail, it is up to Tilja, her grandmother and a young man and his grandfather (along with one ornery horse) to venture beyond the valley and seek the one person who might help them.
The bare bones plot is not new, but this author is a master--he handles the adventure of these four and brings the tale full circle with care and precision. The images are powerful and for anyone who recognizes the power of stories, the author's underlying message will ring true.
Being a YA book there is some limit to the adult reader who might desire an adult protagonist, or more mature themes explored that are not dealt with in this story. Beyond that, I highly reccomend this book to any fantasy reader as an example of high caliber story telling. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Another author that I've added to my list.
Review: Young adult fantasy is one of my favourite genres and The Ropemaker fits in perfectly. The heroine of the book feels lost and alone as everyone around her, everyone she loves has some sort of magic and she doesn't. Only to find out later that she does have magic, different but extremely powerful. She sets out on a journey to save her valley and in the process finds herslf. An excellent read. Lots of twists and turns. Nothing happens when you expect it but everything works out in the end. :)
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