Not good. It feels like the author just wanted to talk about dozens of different kinds of, mostly evil, fey creatures - in detail. So we get pages of how horrible the nuckelavee is, and details of the process by which the corn wives kill a group of men reaping a field, and what the merrow do, and how nasty the denizens of Hy Brasil are (and that's her invention) - without much of a story to hang the descriptions on. The "hero" never has a clue what's going on, and declares this at every opportunity; when he actually acts, it's usually to do the wrong thing. Not always, and he does manage to pull out the right action eventually - but then he hates it and feels soiled by his choice. I don't know. Phin is the closest to a fleshed-out character, and he was pretty thin (he's the "hero"); Alexia and Sweeney are never allowed to act out of character, they just follow their roles; and the Obby Orss (or any of a dozen other ways to refer to him) barely exists as an independent creature. The plot is pretty random, except where it runs on rails. Overall, not a good book. ( )

I quite enjoyed this adventure! I found the myths and legends alluded to in this book very fascinating, and I would love to learn more about them. The characters were also interesting, and I particularly liked the Obby Oss. A fun read! ( )

This wonderful book is a scary magical adventure tale filled with excellent scholarship. It presents the Old Magic legends of Europe, the British Isles in particular, with accuracy and combines them with the every day life of the early 20th century to make a thrilling fantasy. Set in Cornwall following the Great War it follows the efforts, trials and successes of young Phelim who has been enlisted by a strange wildman, Mad Sweeney, a witch girl, and the 'Obby 'Oss to slay the gigantic, continent-sized Stoor Worm who is waking from her anicent slumber and will destroy the world. Why Phelim? Much to his own surprise Phelim is the living heir of Jack O'Green and a Chime Child to boot! This story is masterfully told with humor, suspense, dangerous thrills, and poignant insights into the sufferings and triumphs of human beings. It is colorful and evocative as well as beautifully thought-provoking. It is creative and filled with refreshingly "new" characters even though they are based on the actual legends of old. Geraldine McCaughrean is a renowned scholar on the subject of folklore and she has populated the pages of this book with myriad concepts and creatures from out of the dark and wild past. As she says by way of introduction, "All the creatures, dangers, legends, and magics described in this book were, until very recently, accepted as real and true by ordinary people living and working in a civilized and Christian Europe." Were a reader to investigate the various "creatures, dangers, legends, and magics" found within these pages more fully, perhaps on the Internet, a truly vast treasure trove of nearly forgotten lore would be opened before them. This book succeeds as a purely good yarn, as a coming-of-age story, as myth and legend, and as a very concise compendium of the beings and practices of the Old Magic. I highly, highly recommend it.

I pulled this almost at random from a shelf, and my co-worker children's librarian knew nothing of it. It was an *excellent* story! Many "fairy tales" or fantasy, or young man goes on an adventure stories can be quite predictable. This one was not! One warning, though -- for a children's book there is quite a lot of graphic death. I would recommend it for older children. ( )

Lots of old British mythology in this one, with bits of folklore from other traditions as well (e.g. the domovoy is from Russia). The characters could do with better development; their motivations seem rather sketchy.

For all that, though, it's a decent read. Rather creepy in places, though. ( )