The Falconmaster - Hardcover

R. L. LaFevers

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0525469931 ISBN 13: 9780525469933

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile, 2003

Synopsis

Finding comfort in the woods due to the taunting of his fellow villagers, a crippled boy witnesses a horrible event that leads him to rescuing a pair of baby falcons and, with the help of an inspiring wizard, raises them until they are able to survive on their own.

About this title

About the Author

This is R. L. LaFevers' first novel.

Reviews

Grade 4-7-A well-written fantasy set in Norman England. Ten-year-old Wat has a bad leg and is blind in one eye, and because popular superstition associates disabilities with the devil, he is often rejected. While in the forest one day, he witnesses Lord Sherborne's men capturing a pair of baby falcons. They plan to sew the young birds' eyes shut in order to train them. Horrified, he rescues the creatures and carries them back into the wilderness, where he meets an old hermit who has a gift of magic and a deep understanding of nature and its ancient powers. He is also the grandfather the youngster never knew existed. As Wat cares for the falcons, Griswold introduces him to the secrets of the forest and to a magic that allows the boy to cross the boundaries between this world and the spirit world. By story's end, Wat's newfound abilities allow him to save himself from Sherborne's men and to protect the creatures he loves. The author has done a fine job of integrating elements of fantasy into a historical setting. Wat and Griswold are both interesting and appealing characters. Readers will admire the boy's bravery, and many will envy his new life in the forest world.
Jane G. Connor, South Carolina State Library, Columbia
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gr. 6-8. Young Wat is the outcast in his medieval English village because of his crippled body and one eye. This doesn't stop him, though, from stealing two baby falcons that were brutally lifted from their nest by Hugh, the local noble's chief huntsman. Fleeing into the forest with the tiny birds tucked into a sack, Wat comes across an old man, who leads him to safety. The man understands the mystical forces of nature, and as he instructs Wat how to conjure these forces, he also reveals his own connection to Wat. Things come to a climax when Wat confronts Hugh and his henchmen and is able to call on the supernatural forces to powerful effect. The author successfully blends rich descriptions of the medieval world and flights of fantasy into an exciting adventure with an ending that suggests a sequel for Wat and his falcons. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0525469931
• ISBN 13: 9780525469933
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 176