Fire Arrow: The Second Song of Eirren - Hardcover

Pattou, Edith

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 015201635X ISBN 13: 9780152016357

Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books, 1998

Synopsis

In the second book of The Songs of Eirren series, archer Breo-Saight and her magical fire arrow battle the evil sorcerer Balor in order to save the new family she has grown to love.

About this title

About the Author

EDITH PATTOU is the author of East, and the two novels in the Songs of Eirren sequence: Hero's Song and Fire Arrow, a Booklist Top Ten Fantasy Novel of the Year, as well as Mrs. Spitzer's Garden, a picture book illustrated by Tricia Tusa. She lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Reviews

Grade 6-8-Brie, the archer who accompanied Collun on his adventures in Hero's Song (Harcourt, 1991), returns to continue her story in this action-packed sequel. Seeking revenge for her father's death, the young woman sets out to find the men who killed him. Before she has traveled far, she discovers an important clue to her own pastAa fire arrow given to her mother as a wedding gift. On her quest, Brie has numerous adventures and eventually kills two of her father's murderers. After spending some time in a fishing village, an interlude that marks a shift from Brie's personal conflict to a much more global one, she resumes her travels. She finally meets Balor, the third murderer, intent on becoming the most powerful force in the land, and after the compulsory high-fantasy battle, she alone defeats him. This long, somewhat episodic tale is occasionally awkward in style, and the major conflict is not always clearly articulated. Many of the minor characters are richly drawn, but a full exploration of Brie's character has been sacrificed to the fast-paced action. This fantasy, with its Celtic overtones, has echoes of the genre's mastersALloyd Alexander, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien. At the same time, Pattou's energetic imagination has allowed her to create many memorable characters and scenes that are vivid and lively and will appeal to many fantasy readers.
Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 7^-10. The sequel to Hero's Song (1991) becomes the story of Breo-Saight (Brie), the master archer who joined Collun's quest in the first book of the Songs of Eirren series. At the deathbed of her beloved nursemaid, Brie learns of her birthright, a golden arrow given her mother by Brie's mysterious great-grandmother. A stalwart hero, Brie seeks revenge on her father's murderers, who may also be responsible for the nursemaid's death. And with the magic fire arrow, which seems to have its own agenda, Brie travels through the wilderness heading to Dungal, where she thinks she'll come across the murderers. But when she meets and kills the killer, who had tortured her father, she feels, not the expected triumph, but, rather, remorse. She bides her time in a friendly land, where she heals and finds happiness, until she finds herself summoned in her dreams to a mysterious bell tower. There she meets the evil one-eyed sorcerer, who's been involved in her father's murder and in assorted attempts on her life. With sympathetic characterizations (both human and animal), gruesome foes, and a sinister mastermind, as well as fast pacing, a well-realized landscape, violent clashes, and all the expected elements of good fantasy, Pattou offers a rousing story that is not only a strong sequel that begs yet another sequel but also a fine fantasy adventure that holds up on its own. Add this to the Top 10 on p.1618, even if it does make 11 titles. Sally Estes

Edition details

• Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 015201635X
• ISBN 13: 9780152016357
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 332