Dickinson, Peter. The ropemaker.DICKINSON, Peter. The ropemaker. Random House, Delacorte. 375p. c2001. 0-38573063-2. $7.95. JS* O happy reader who is just now discovering Peter Dickinson! Every book he writes--whether a mystery for adults or a story for young people--possesses an unforgettable voice, a distinctive setting, utterly human characters, and a dash of the unexpected to set things moving. Dickinson writes with equal persuasiveness about children in prehistoric Africa (The Kin Trilogy), in ancient Egypt  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. (The Blue Hawk), and in versions of the modern world (Emma Tupper's Diary, AK, Eva, The Changes Trilogy). Young Tilga's peaceful Valley has been protected for generations from the Empire's tyranny through the nearly forgotten spells laid on its forest and snows. Now, however, the magic is wearing thin. Tilga, her crotchety crotch·et·y adj. Capriciously stubborn or eccentric; perverse. crotch  et·i·ness n. grandmother, the boat-boy Tahl, and his blind grandfather risk traveling through the Empire to ask the magician Faheel to keep the Valley safe once again. The Ropemaker aids them through his special powers to loosen anything from hair-ties to the ropes of time, but it is Tilga's shameful shame·ful adj. 1. a. Causing shame; disgraceful. b. Giving offense; indecent. 2. Archaic Full of shame; ashamed. disability--her immunity to magic--and her steadfastness stead·fast also sted·fast adj. 1. Fixed or unchanging; steady. 2. Firmly loyal or constant; unswerving. See Synonyms at faithful. that ultimately carry the little band through all harm. The Ropemaker observes the rules of a classic fairy-tale quest--a young hero undertakes a dangerous journey and is befriended by companions with unusual powers in unlikely guises; after many temptations and ordeals, their kindness, humor humor, according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was , and cleverness disarm the villain, and the beloved is saved. Dickinson works out the magic technology with great ingenuity, but the strength of his imagination shows itself best in creating a peril that seems all too possible in our own world: it is treason treason, legal term for various acts of disloyalty. The English law, first clearly stated in the Statute of Treasons (1350), originally distinguished high treason from petit (or petty) treason. Petit treason was the murder of one's lawful superior, e.g. to die without the Emperor's permission--and if your grandparents grandparents npl → abuelos mpl grandparents grand npl → grands-parents mpl grandparents grand npl die without paying the permission fee, you get sold into slavery. As in all the best fantasies, the real magic here is in the characters, their moral dilemmas, and the author's writing. A wonderful book, for every library. Karen Reeds, Princeton Research Forum, Princeton, NJ |
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