The Weirdstone of Brisingamen: A Tale of Alderley (ISBN 0152017666)

Amazon.com Review:
Readers who love E. Nesbit or Susan Cooper may discover a new favorite in Alan Garner, winner of many awards for literary excellence including the Carnegie Medal. The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, first published in 1960, is the story of two children, Susan and Colin, who are sent to rural England to stay with Bess Mossock, their mother's childhood nurse. The Mossocks' farm is delightfully old-fashioned, and the Alderley area is dotted with interesting woods to explore as well as treacherous disused mines. Susan and Colin encounter a frightening local woman, and feel they are being watched by crows. The air of menace quickly becomes acute danger as the children are pursued by small goblinlike beings, who truss them in cobwebby ropes. An ancient wizard named Cadellin comes to their rescue. As they learn more of the dark forces that threaten Alderley, Susan and Colin find themselves on the run through the abandoned mine tunnels, aided by a pair of heroic dwarfs. Garner's knowledge of folklore and the Alderley area--his characters' dialect sounds realistic instead of like rote fantasy-speak--imbues his story with a thoughtful depth. His writing is as clear as poetry: "And they passed between the stones, only to stop short a couple of paces later, with despair in their hearts, cold as the east wind." There is a sequel to The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, called The Moon of Gomrath, and both books are superbly written, absorbing tales of wizardry and adventure. --Blaise Selby

Garner: The Lost Inkling?:
I can't imagine why more people (especially young people) aren't reading Alan Garner these days. His books, while still in print, aren't often found in the bookstores' active inventories anymore, which is a sad loss. Well, no matter -- you can get them through Amazon or (probably) at your local library. And you should, because they are wonderful! I first read The Weirdstone of Brisingamen while in grade school, around the time I was discovering J.R.R. Tolkien and Lloyd Alexander. It's an exciting fantasy tale, the more so because it is woven into the hidden nooks and crannies of our own modern-day world -- unlike Tolkien and Alexander. You never know when you might look behind a standing stone, only to find a stromkarl chanting a spell, while other passersby would see nothing but a little man humming to himself ... Colin and Susan are very likable young protagonists, and there are plenty of other characters -- both good and evil -- to keep the story engrossing. When I was young, I was terrified of the Mara and the Svart-alfar! And the Earldelving is enough to make anybody claustrophobic! The novel is full of surprises, excitement, and just good old fashioned adventure. After many, many readings, I've come to appreciate what Garner's done from a more adult and "serious" standpoint -- integrating folkloric and mythological elements (particularly the Old Norse) into the fabric of a "modern" children's fantasy. Garner has much in common with Tolkien, Lewis, and the other Inklings, as well as Ursula K. Le Guin, Susan Cooper, and Lloyd Alexander. But at the heart of it all, it's just great fantasy! Read it and see if you don't agree.

The magic behind the mundane:
C. S. Lewis once wrote that a children's book that adults couldn't enjoy probably wouldn't be much good for children, either. Well, here's a slim but splendid volume that he would undoubtedly have savored! While any child who loves adventure, magic & an eerie sense of the otherworldly will love this book, so will any discerning adult with the same tastes. Written in crisp, poetic prose that evokes powerful images in just a few words, the power of this story builds & builds, as we follow Colin & Susan into an older world of magic that still lives just behind the surface of the everyday world. Drawing upon Arthurian, Norse & Celtic legend, Alan Garner takes us into a world of mystery & wildness that always feels real, not the least bit made up. No by-the numbers D & D rehashings here! Just a story with the weight of myth, piercing & cold as an enchanted iron sword, ablaze with wonders & steeped in the blackest of shadows. It's amazing to me that this superb story, as well as its equally superb sequel "The Moon of Gomrath," aren't better known. Alderley should be spoken of in the same breath as Middle-Earth & Narnia & Hogwarts -- although as a writer, Garner is in a class of his own. There's a certain uneasiness at play in these pages, a recognition that magic, even good magic, is dangerous & liable to have unexpected, even tragic consequences. And that's all to the good. The reader should come away from such an encounter with both awe & a little fear. In later books, Garner delves more deeply into the nature & workings of myth -- intricate, thought-provoking work. But in this early tale & its sequel, he's probably more accessible to the general reader. In any case, he offers a fine tale -- one most highly recommended!

THE WORST BOOK EVER:
THIS IS THE WORST BOOK EVER WRITTEN I ADVISE READERS TO NEVER READ THIS BOOK I WOULD RATHER DIE THAN READ IT AGAIN

Heavy on action but light on meaning, with ramshackle mythological inspiration, this book is disappointing. Not recommended:
The Weirdstone is a magical relic with the ability to protect the Earth against Nastrond, the spirit of evil, when Ragnarok comes--but the stone is missing. When Susan and Colin, two children vacationing near Alderley Edge, discover that they have the stone, they must begin a quest to return it to its protector before their enemies capture them and destroy the stone. Heavy on action and light on characterization with an abrupt conclusion, combining Norse, Irish, Welsh, and English mythology with in a ramshackle muddle, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen is a faced-paced adventure but it leaves much to be desired--for example, something outside of the plot alone. I found it disappointing, and I don't recommend it. It opens with a local legend and reads like a myth: an action-packed story of good against evil, this novel has the potential to be a treasured, magical fairy tale. Unfortunately, Garner stumbles over his mythological inspiration and never manages to instill meaning in his plot. Beginning with a local English legend and taking place in a few mythical English locations, based on the Norse mythological end of the world, featuring a Irish/Scottish goddess, and including a few random references to English, Norse, Irish, and even Welsh mythology, Garner's mythic inspirations come from everywhere--and nowhere, because these aspects contain only a superficial resemblance to their sources. Cobbled together, these asynchronous bits and pieces create a shaky foundation for a novel. It simply makes no sense--why does Garner use so many mythological sources, why does he introduce a Celtic figure when a Norse equivalent already exists, why does he use mythological services at all if he intends only to do them a disservice? Not all readers may find these aspects so frustrating, but those interested in the book because of the mythological inspiration may want to instead avoid it. Myths aside: Garner writes action, and he writes it well. Chases, battles, and perilous journeys fill the book, and some of them spike the nerves and push the reader to the edge of the his seat (like other reviewers, the mine also had left me shaken). Unfortunately, there is little to The Weirdstone of Brisingamen except this action: characters are only lightly sketched and undergo no development in the course of the book; there are no themes or messages other than a simple war between good and evil. And then the end of the book is so abrupt--a single final chapter for the entire climax--that even the action seems pointless and unresolved. The action beings strongly, and Garner writes it with great skill, but with nothing else going on by some ill-placed mythological references and a little bit of humor, reader interest wains and the book becomes increasingly meaningless. The magic of myth may intrigue the reader, and the rollicking action may keep him reading, but over the course of the book both aspects falter and fail. A better novel would do justice to its mythological inspirations and include some meaning that is larger than plot alone; The Hounds of the Mórrígan by Pat O'Shea is one such novel, and I highly recommend it. As for The Weirdstone of Brisingamen: Despite the promise of the premise, I found it disappointing. It's not bad, but it offers little. I don't recommend it.

A childhood favorite:
This was one of my favorite books as a teenager. Haven't read it for years but if it is still in print I might have to get it out and reread it. It is the best of the 3 Alan Garner books.