Gr 7-10-The late 12th century in England brought anguish to a divided land as King Richard led many of the ablest men on the quixotic and dangerous journey known as the Third Crusade. Rhodri, the son of Owen, master falconer on a manor in the Welsh borderland, is left in charge when his much-admired father follows their overlord to the Holy Land. Interweaving this historical fiction with a liberal dose of Arthurian legend, Clement-Davies creates a rich mixture of themes and metaphors. Two archetypal figures vie for Rhodri's soul: Tantallon, a Merlin figure who teaches the boy to look for answers in an ancient, magical pool deep in the forest; and Homeira, an evil-hearted Morgana figure who entraps his returning father's heart. Descriptions of Owen's behavior after experiencing the Crusade will ring true with anyone familiar with posttraumatic-stress symptoms. Rhodri's journey through the countryside to free his father from Homeira's enchantment tests the boy's courage, though a subplot involving an ostracized Jew and his daughter tests readers' credulity. The descriptions of medieval falconry, life on the manor, and Rhodri's interactions with other boys are carefully delineated, but those not steeped in Arthurian legend may find themselves confused by the context of Tantallon's teachings and Homeira's treachery. On the other hand, that could spur them to read further. The power of old legends to effect children's lives is always an interesting theme, one that is more fully developed in Kevin Crossley-Holland's The Seeing Stone (2001), At the Crossing-Places (2002), and King of the Middle March (2004, all Scholastic).-Connie C. Rockman, Stratford Library Association, CT Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
In his newest ponderous, superficially mystical fantasy, Clement-Davies links the "betrayal" of Guinevere and Lancelot to the corruption of the Christian church in Albion, as well as the general rise in lawlessness brought on by Richard the Lion-Hearted's crusade and subsequent imprisonment. Raised by devoted parents, young Rhodri grows up with enough love in his heart to survive a climactic attempted seduction by Homeira, a transplanted Persian enchantress. This after many long sessions gazing into the titular magical pond, which is a sort of Wiccan History Channel where he not only learns that he's a descendant of that star-crossed Arthurian couple, but follows the adventures of his father, who has gone off to fight with Richard's army in the Holy Land, then later lose his heart (literally) to the aforesaid enchantress. Chucking in a malicious rival who skulks about overhearing every damaging conversation, a wise old hermit connected to a certain merlin (get it?), a cameo by Excalibur and stereotypical Jews and Gypsies, the author eventually winds his tale to a happy close in which Arthur's Sword of Peace cleaves Homeira's stony heart on Christmas Day, just as news of Richard's return arrives. No, it's not a send-up. Would that it were. (Fantasy. 11-13)
