Fantasy/SF Book Reviews
Page Two of TwoThe Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
Pocket Books, Oct., 1999.Paperback, 264 pages .
ISBN: 0671042858.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Nine year-old Trisha McFarland is on
a leisurely hiking
trip with her Mom and brother on the Appalachian Trail. As
usual, Trisha's mother and brother are quarreling, which has
been common since the divorce.
While they are bickering, Trisha calls ahead to
let them know she needs to go to the bathroom
and then steps into the woods behind a tree where
she can go in privacy.
Her mother and brother are too busy arguing to
hear her announcement, and when she has
finished she decides it would be easier to cut
across the forest to catch up with them -- a huge mistake.
Her choice leads her deeper into the woods and soon
she is completely lost, but she trudges onward hoping
a stream she finds will lead her to civilization.
However, as night begins to fall and she begins
to sense something evil and non-human in the woods is
following her,
she begins to wonder if she will ever get to see her
family again.
Stephen King is at his best in this short, but splendid novel. King shows how quickly a small misstep can lead a little girl into danger. As King states in his opening, "The world had teeth and it could bite you with them anytime it wanted." You will find yourself rooting for the determined Trisha to find her way out of the dark, dangerous woods. King turns mosquitoes, minges, noseeums, wasps and other pests, which are ordinary nuisances in the city, into dangerous pests in the forest. Readers will be spellbound as they hear the clever, yet frightened thoughts of young Trisha battling the Maine-New Hampshire wilderness and the unknown, with only her Walkman and a broadcast Red Sox baseball game for company. An exciting novel, with just the right mix of chills and suspense. Highly recommended.
The Great Encyclopedia of Faeries by Pierre Dubois, Illustrated by Claudine and Roland Sabatiert
Simon and Schuster, April, 2000.Hardcover, 183 pages.
ISBN: 0684869578.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Nymphs, Dryads, Selkies, Red Ladies, Valkyries: they are
all names of faeries which have existed for eons.
The faeries watch over newborns, guard the forests, animals
and children, and sometimes cause big trouble for the unwary.
The Great Encyclopedia of Faeries is a massive resource for the
faery lover. Dozens of faeries are listed, with detailed information
about their appearance, food preferences, location, apparel and
activities. Each listing is also beautifully illustrated by
Claudine and Roland Sabatier. The book is full of
fascinating lore of faeries from around the world, weaving
in the familiar stories from myth, legend and faery tales
with the more unfamiliar stories, such as those of the
Naga (mentioned in Sanskrit, they look like dragons or
serpents with a human face) and the Streghes (they drink
blood and disappear at dawn, somewhat like vampires).
This is a charming and magical reference work which
is sure to delight any fantasy lover.
Fantasy/SF Reviews
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Return to the April 2000 issue of The IWJ.
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