When I am reviewing a book, there are two main signs that show I’m enjoying what I’m reading...
1) I forget to jump off the train at the right station because I’m so engrossed in the story.
2) There’s bits of paper sticking out of the book, so that I can refer back to interesting pieces of information.
While reading Night of the Fifth Moon, I missed my train station twice in the one week; and the book had so many pieces of paper sticking out of it, that it looked like the top had been caught in a shredder! This novel is supposed to be for young readers (the 10 to 14 age group) but it’s definitely going to appeal to book lovers of any vintage. Especially if you have an interest in paganism.
The story is about a group of Irish children (about twelve years old) who have been sent to the local druid as foster children. They each aim to become the anruth, an assistant to Faelán, the druid of the forest. This adventure novel is set in Ireland, sixteen hundred years ago, a time when lifestyles were harsh and basic, and when the druids were the most important people in the villages. The whole community, even the king, listened to his words of wisdom, and feared his magic.
The title refers to the challenge that Faelán offers the fosterlings. For the following five months he will teach them the skills of druidry, but at the time of each new moon, one will be sent back to his or her original home, until only one remains. From Samhain Eve to just beyond Imbolc, we journey through the challenges set to the fosterlings.
Modern day truths and homilies are included in this story, encouraging young readers towards better manners and an awareness of the consequences of their actions. For example, after a lesson on being receptive to the spirits and energies around them, Faelán mentions, “Ordinary mortals smash through this world, disturbing and destroying for their own needs. But a druid tries to be part of the Greater Harmony.”
I was also impressed with how the author managed to give me an understanding of the Ogham script, without compromising the readability of the story.
The book has 243 pages of large print, making it easy for kids to read. My only criticism is that I felt that some of the words were beyond the scope of an average child’s vocabulary. I don’t know too many kids who would know the meaning of expostulated, foment, and lour.
“Fortune favours those who recount a tale faithfully,” says Faelán in this story, and therefore fortune must favour this author, as this is an imaginative story that is told in the best of Bardic traditions: offering excitement, moral lessons, heroes, villains, surprising twists, and a satisfying conclusion.
Author: Anna Ciddor
Publisher: Allen and Unwin Australia
ISBN: 9781741148145
RRP: AUD$15.95
About the author: Anna Ciddor lives in Melbourne, and is also the author of the Viking Magic fantasy series, which includes: Runestone, Wolfspell, and Stormriders. Since 1989 she has had over 50 books published.
1) I forget to jump off the train at the right station because I’m so engrossed in the story.
2) There’s bits of paper sticking out of the book, so that I can refer back to interesting pieces of information.
While reading Night of the Fifth Moon, I missed my train station twice in the one week; and the book had so many pieces of paper sticking out of it, that it looked like the top had been caught in a shredder! This novel is supposed to be for young readers (the 10 to 14 age group) but it’s definitely going to appeal to book lovers of any vintage. Especially if you have an interest in paganism.
The story is about a group of Irish children (about twelve years old) who have been sent to the local druid as foster children. They each aim to become the anruth, an assistant to Faelán, the druid of the forest. This adventure novel is set in Ireland, sixteen hundred years ago, a time when lifestyles were harsh and basic, and when the druids were the most important people in the villages. The whole community, even the king, listened to his words of wisdom, and feared his magic.
The title refers to the challenge that Faelán offers the fosterlings. For the following five months he will teach them the skills of druidry, but at the time of each new moon, one will be sent back to his or her original home, until only one remains. From Samhain Eve to just beyond Imbolc, we journey through the challenges set to the fosterlings.
Modern day truths and homilies are included in this story, encouraging young readers towards better manners and an awareness of the consequences of their actions. For example, after a lesson on being receptive to the spirits and energies around them, Faelán mentions, “Ordinary mortals smash through this world, disturbing and destroying for their own needs. But a druid tries to be part of the Greater Harmony.”
I was also impressed with how the author managed to give me an understanding of the Ogham script, without compromising the readability of the story.
The book has 243 pages of large print, making it easy for kids to read. My only criticism is that I felt that some of the words were beyond the scope of an average child’s vocabulary. I don’t know too many kids who would know the meaning of expostulated, foment, and lour.
“Fortune favours those who recount a tale faithfully,” says Faelán in this story, and therefore fortune must favour this author, as this is an imaginative story that is told in the best of Bardic traditions: offering excitement, moral lessons, heroes, villains, surprising twists, and a satisfying conclusion.
Author: Anna Ciddor
Publisher: Allen and Unwin Australia
ISBN: 9781741148145
RRP: AUD$15.95
About the author: Anna Ciddor lives in Melbourne, and is also the author of the Viking Magic fantasy series, which includes: Runestone, Wolfspell, and Stormriders. Since 1989 she has had over 50 books published.
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