The Moon Of Gomrath: Alan Garner

[poliphilo]

More artistry, less control. The fairytale wizard Cadellin- proponent of an etiolated, nicely-mannered "High Magic"- is pushed aside by an eruption of creatures from a deeper layer of myth. Garner has read more, understands less and has the confidence to drop the reins on his imagination and let it gallop away. The Wild Hunt rides. He will spend the rest of his career dealing with the forces he has raised.  "The Old Magic was free for ever, and the Moon was new."

Comments

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

A very good summary!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[sovay]

The Wild Hunt rides. He will spend the rest of his career dealing with the forces he has raised.

Nice.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks

[chochiyo-sama.livejournal.com]

The only Alan Garner book I have ever read is The Owl Service. I read it so long ago that I can barely remember it, but I remember I enjoyed it and that it was quite odd.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The Owl Service is the one where he sort of breaks the mould. I need to re-read it.

[petercampbell.livejournal.com]

The Wild Hunt sequence impressed me hugely as a child: there was something almost primal about it. I haven't read this for ages - time to dig my copy out before Boneland makes its appearance, methinks.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm looking forward to Boneland. He's spent nearly fifty years saying he'd never write the third part of the trilogy and now he's gone and done it. It'll be fascinating to see what he makes of it.

[methodius.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear it.

I read "Weirdstone" and "The moon of Gomrath" when I was 26, not a child, though they were recommended to me by a 12-year-old. Read "Elidor" around the time of my first visit to Manchester (only been there twice), and saw Alderley Edge from the train when leaving to go to Oxford. "Elidor" shaped my perception of Manchester. So I too will look forward to "Boneland".

Most books of that genre have an underground tunnel sequence - MacDonald's "The Princess and Curdie", Lewis's "The silver chair", Tolkien's "The hobbit", and even Enid Blyton. But "Weirdstone" beats them all for scariness.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I too discovered Garner as an adult. He doesn't like being pigeon-holed as a children's author, though he says adolescents form his ideal readership because they're more intelligent than grown-ups.