Synopsis
In 1510 eighteen-year-old Thierry, orphaned Count of Foretterre, undertakes a series of difficult challenges in order to free the half-human, half-fairy girl he loves from the hold of her cold-hearted father, Lord of Faerie
Reviews
Grade 6-8-As in the author's Child of Faerie, Child of Earth (Walker, 1992), this story involves a part-human, part-faerie who falls in love with a human, against parental opposition, and the mortals must go through a series of trials before winning their hearts' desire. In this book, the romance is between Glinfinial, daughter of Tiernathal, Lord of the Faeries, and purehearted Count Thierry. Tiernathal has big problems. He and his small band of exiled faerie folk have been living in a secluded part of the humans' forest for many years, and can't find their way home. The human world is rough on them-the sun burns their skin and iron weakens their magic. Glinfinial's proposed defection is too much to bear, and Tiernathal spirits her back to his forest hideout. Undaunted, Thierry seeks her out, and her father realizes that under the rules of magic he must give the young man one chance to gain his love. He offers him a quest, finally accepts their betrothal, and soon after remembers how to find his way back to the faerie world. There is enough humor and adventure to keep readers interested, even though the tale is lightweight in comparison to romantic fantasies such as Robin McKinley's Blue Sword (1982) and The Hero and the Crown (1984, both Greenwillow).
Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski,
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The author of Child of Faerie, Child of Light serves up profoundly satisfying fantasy for fans of the genre. Here, 18-year-old Count Thierry of Forretterre rescues the young lady Glinfinial from a hillside beset with violent lightning during a mysterious thunderstorm. Sherman's readers, unlike Thierry, will immediately suspect that Glinfinial is in fact a princess of Faerie. The subsequent adventures--describing how young Count Thierry must rescue his lady love from the magical snares of the Lord of Faerie--are also heavily and recognizably steeped in the lore of Faerie. However, Sherman's vigorous narrative drive, her fascination with the deep forest which figures so prominently in her conclusion and her dry wit raise this novel to fresh levels of reading pleasure and originality. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
A tale of love between mortal and fairy (actually, half- fairy); of a fierce and fickle fairy father; and of the trials and tribulations set before the mortal ere he's granted the hand of his fair lady. Along the way, a cold marriage is made warmer, an enchanted forest is given back to the wild, the long-lost way back to Faerie is found, and the hard heart of the fairy lord is softened. If plot elements and language are a little old- fashioned and familiar, honor and romance are served, and the reader is--at least temporarily--diverted. (Fiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Gr. 7-12. Sherman returns to the realm of the Faerie in her second fantasy adventure, a classic quest story. Although 18-year-old Count Thierry Alain Gilbert is well loved by his people and manages his lands well, he prefers the wild beauty of the forest to the royal courts of Paris. He knows he must marry to ensure the succession of his family, but he realizes he will not be happy with any of the noblewomen of the court. When he rescues Glinfinial, a beautiful, mysteriously powerful young woman, he falls hopelessly in love with her. He remains that way even after he learns she is only half-human and that Tiernathal, the Faerie Lord, is her father. Glinfinial is easily stolen back by her father, who promises to release her if Thierry can recover three objects of the Faerie world that Tiernathal lost while trapped in the human realm. If Thierry is successful, Tiernathal will regain powerful knowledge that will enable the Faerie to return to their own kingdom. With help from a forest creature called Forest Heart and with Glinfinial's love, Thierry succeeds. Sherman is an elegant writer, as adept at describing life in a sixteenth-century manor as she is at picturing the fading twilight realm of the Faerie Lord. The adventure is fast paced and dangerous, with just the right touch of romance; the quest is difficult; the prizes suitably magical; and the characters wonderfully believable. Readers will be caught up in the author's enchanted world and love every minute of it. Chris Sherman
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