Clovermead: In the Shadow of the Bear

The only bad thing about this book is that it ends. Clovermead lives in a wondrously imaginative, entrancing world filled with action and adventure. She is a Satisfying Character. The people and the world of this book linger in your imagination long after you have shut its covers. One can only hope it is The First In A Series.

I found this book thoroughly entertaining and highly recommend it to anyone in the mood for a whimsical, exciting, articulate read. David Randall clearly has a gift for creative writing. The quality of Clovermead brings to mind fantasy classics like Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. Can't wait for a sequel.

Clovermead, a twelve year old girl with tomboyish fantasies, in a wild land before firearms, is soon swept up in malevolent plots and a raging war --between rival kingdoms and rival gods --of which, astonishingly, only she proves to be the key to resolution. Her once beloved father fails her as a protector and as a moral example. Her new barbarian friend Sorrel is really kind and helpful, but no omnipotent superman. Snuff, the evil priest of the evil Bear god, Ursus, is ominously sardonic, but it's no joke when he's after Clovermead. The monstrous Bear god is genuinely nightmarish when his tooth is in Clovermead's mouth, and his will begins to take over Clovermead's mind. High up in the icy north, the benevolent goddess, Lady Moon, does not directly drive events, but...? The story begins in Clovermead's childhood home in the chill of autumn, and unrolls in desperate flights through dangerous wilds and more dangerous people in the terrible cold of winter, in the shadow of the Bear. It warms us, too, when Clovermead is at last under the covers in a safe, warm bed before a toasty fire. David Randall can devise and tell a rousing tale, fantastic but realistic. His characters are no wooden emblems, but are complex and divided as we are. (Even the Bear god develops an admiration for Clovermead, who is growing up fast.) His language is varied, supple and effective; he writes neither down nor up for readers who may be twelve, eighteen or eighty. His evocations of nature, and hints about morality and religion, don't obtrude in the tale, but deepen it. A seizing story. A fine book!

Clovermead is an excellent read. The heroine is both believable and likable and really does seem to be the age she is written as. Everything she does makes sense and has its own logic - the decisions she makes stem from her character, not from the demands of the plot. This is true of most of the adults in the book as well. The book is also very well-paced. Digressions into the backgrounds of other characters are also interesting and flow naturally from the story.The surprise at the end didn't actually surprise me, but it should still be a genuine surprise for those in its targeted age group. And for the kids who do get it beforehand, they will probably feel proud of themselves for getting it, and not let down by figuring it out early.Overall, it's a good, tight, and engrossing narrative. It feels neither contrived nor cobbled together like many other fantasy books I have read.

When I first picked up this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. The market has been flooded with heroine-takes-charge kind of books which, after a while, tend to run together.Randall has a beautiful way with words; reading Clovermead is a pleasure, not just an adventure. Clovermead, our protagonist, is well-drawn and engaging. The overarching battle in this story is one between the nuns of Lady Moon and the bear-priests of Lord Ursus, but everyone, including Clovermead, get swept up in the conflict leading to unforeseen results. The heros, the enemies, and those that play both sides are all complex characters, and the plot line doesn't miss a beat. Overall, a very fun read.