The Stoneholding First book of the Talamadh.

The Stoneholding First book of the Talamadh By Mark James Published by Stonsharp Press, 2004, ISBN: 1-897130-00-7, Softcover, pp. 322, $23.00 CAN

Mark James has created an original story that hearkens back to the legends of ancient Europe using a prose style that draws the reader through the pages with impatient curiosity. It is one of the finest books I have read in a long time. The plot revolves around a faithful group of families, the clanholding, who live in the fertile valley of Lammermorn, an area isolated by mountains. The neighbouring country outside of this enclave is ruled by a murderous thief; the Boar, who stole the throne from the rightful king.

These families of Lammermorn have been entrusted with safeguarding the symbols of an ancient state of harmony, symbolized by a golden harp, which was established centuries before. This harmony wanes with the ascendancy of the Boar and his empire. The uneasy peace between Lammermorn and the Boar is ended by the tyrant's ambition to bring the entire region into his dominion. The Boar's armies launch a surprise attack on the clan families in an effort to subdue them.

The story that ensues describes the adventure, escape and flight to safety of the remnant of this clan. Their situation is made more perilous by traitors from their ranks, who betray their kin for promises of privilege and power. Further, the fleeing fugitives themselves struggle with their human frailties and faint heartedness; tempted to exchange their present danger by the allure of safety, peace, and subjugation.

Beside the exciting plot, more subtle and thrilling is that this tale is really an exploration of the cost of faithfulness. The story explores the temptation of giving in to false standards of right and wrong, yet with the possibility of regeneration always held out to the characters when they fail. The characters are not perfect, far from it. But they are sincere in their longing to be faithful in spite of their misgivings.

The story is encouraging. This is one of the happy surprises of this book given that it is a largely a tale of siege and warfare--its cheerfulness. It is invigorating, and does not dwell on the sinister. It focuses on the courage of the intrepid heroes--heroes who by their own reckoning seem to be misfitted for the roles they must play in the unfolding drama.

For Catholics, this book helps redress one of the great deficiency of the Catholic reader of English literature. John Senior, in The Restoration of Christian Culture, argued that the best stories written in English are products of the reformation, and lack a Catholic atmosphere. It is not that such books are anti-religious on contrary, stories by authors such as Stevenson and Dickens are often poignant in their ability to create the religious sense in their characters. The problem lies in the fact that their stories are lopsided to a Catholic reader; they lack the Catholic sense of the sacramental There are notable exceptions of course, Evelyn Waugh, Tolkein, Chesterton, among others; and now Mark James.

Mark James' use of symbols is delightful, suitable to the quality Of legend that characterizes this tale. His story is suffused with a Catholic sensibility. There is no magic here, but there is the sacramental sense of physical things being imbued with spiritual reality. For example, the heroes carry sprigs from the rowan or mountain ash tree in order to be protected from evil. This use of a rowan branch is fitting for the plot, since the rowan tree is commonly found growing out of the face of cliffs, barren rocks, and crags, hanging on and thriving where nothing else seems to grow. At a deeper level, there are legends that claim the cross was made from rowan wood. Whether strictly true or not, these legends express the reality that Catholic cultures everywhere incorporate those things most familiar to them for religious expression; a shared experience of place. In this sense the Catholic reader feels at home while reading this story.

I recommend this book for anyone to give to older children, they will be engrossed in the tale. There is nothing objectionable--good is good, evil is evil, and individuals, however they might waver; choose; choose badly; and are forgiven. The sense of charity is real, the chivalry displayed is natural, the courage heartening, and the characters likeable. Soon children will be playing games based on the characters of this tale, role-playing as Kal and Galli tracking through the woods at Catholic family picnics everywhere.

(For any fellow book-lovers, I suggest that you insist on a signed copy of this first printing from the authors while these can still be had.)