Customer Reviews

The Chestnut Soldier

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My mom brought the whole series back from England for me when I was about 11 years old, I'm 19 now and I wish I hadn't given away my copies! It's a wonderful book, especially for kids (and adults!) who are fascinated by myths and magic. I loved it!

Jenny Nimmo's trilogy started by The Snow Spider, continued with Emlyn's Moon and finished with The Chestnut Soldier is all eminently readible children's fantasy literature for all ages. The series, however, has an interesting trait in that it appears to mature from one book to the next. The Snow Spider has the youngest feel of the series, with our hero just turned nine. The Chestnut Soldier deals with more mature themes as the hero turns thirteen. Coincidence?

The Chestnut Soldier is the best of the series, with a strong writing style, complex characters and a good storyline. This series is rare, but well worth getting your hands on. I highly recommend it.

I rated this book a 4 because sometimes it exciting but i didn't get a big thrill like "oh my gosh that was so awesome!" I just kept reading and and usually the ending in the rest of the Magician Trilogy books, it just ends with a BAM!If you haven't read the rest of the Magician Trilogy read it!The Magician Trilogy are just like Jenny Nimmo's other series of books Charlie Bone!There big just a bit, but very exciting!If you would compare these books to Harry Potter books Harry Potter books would be better (no offense to Jenny Nimmo!).

Book three in the Magician Trilogy continues the saga of magician Gwyn, who faces further challenges to his magical powers when a wicked spirit escapes from a broken toy horse and unleashes havoc on his world. Gwyn's own family is affected and the entire town is in danger: can he summon the forces to fight a final battle? This concludes a trilogy begun in THE SNOW SPIDER; prior familiarity with the other hard-hitting fantasy stories will enhance appreciation of this concluding adventure for advanced elementary to early middle school grades.

I have read all of the Charlie Bone books that are out so far and bought this series afterwards and it is no disappointment, this is another great series from Jenny Nimmo. I would recommend this to all kids and any adults that want a good story that draws you right into it.

Like other reviewers, I liked the Charlie Bone series better, but this series is still well written, and is still a good read. It actually got my 10-yr-old son to put Harry Potter down for a few days! LOL He did find the 3rd book a bit confusing-I think it's better for kids interested in dating because of all of the romance complications involved that one just can't understand until one has had a broken heart. This book also has some creepy parts. I had nightmares after the section about the cruelty to the horse Glory!

While the 1st two books can stand on their own, this book needs to be read last, or it's just too hard to follow. These 3 reasons are why I'm rating it a little lower than the 1st 2 books.

I liked the information on Wales. It brought back memories of my visit there. I think it's a great way to introduce the country to kids.

A Satisfying conclusion to a delightful series! This is the final book in the Magician Trilogy (The Snow Spider, Emlyn's Moon, & The Chestnut Soldier). When we first met Gwyn he'd just turned 9 and as this book concludes, he is turning 14...the books (themes and story lines) have evolved and matured just as the characters and as such, we find that The Chestnut Soldier has more mature subject matter than the previous two, however all three deal with subtle magic, human frailty, and no small amount of tragedy all thoroughly filtered through the lens of Welsh mythology/folklore. As with the previous books, the usual gang is all present, though Nia and Gwyn are most prominent here. As with the second book, the story is about Gwyn and his gift, but he really plays an almost peripheral role and here Nia and her mysterious soldier cousin Evan take center stage for most of the story.

In this final book, the final of the "five gifts" (the mutilated chestnut horse) his grandmother gave him at age 9 (the first book) finally comes into play. Here we find a soldier wounded badly coming "home" to the only family he has left in the area (the rest of his family having moved to Australia years before). At first things seem relatively normal with him, but as time goes on he becomes more and more angry, like anger is consuming him and his once supportive and worried cousins become frightened of him. Gwyn wants to help, but he's got issues he's dealing with too...he hasn't grown in nearly two years and is felling left behind in many ways. What once seemed a boon now feels like a curse to him. He wishes that he could be normal, that he hadn't inherited his ancestral "gift." Will Gwyn come to terms with all of this and be able to help Nia and Evan before the evil that escapes from the mangled chestnut horse takes over his troubled soul? With Gwyn struggling to find his right place and truly come to terms with who he is and Nia desperately trying to assert her identity and worth in the family when they are thrown into chaos as Evan becomes increasingly disturbed by the "injury" that befell him. Readers will feel the turmoil, angst, and edgy excitement as the story progresses and will certainly enjoy seeing how it all comes together in the end.

Overall I give The Chestnut Soldier four stars. It's got strong magical themes, Welsh mythology/folklore, an evil force trying to break into "our" world, an unwilling hero, a damsel in distress who manages to be a hero in her own way and as is the case with all three books, family is all important here. They are not shown as perfect things...each family here is full of flawed people all trying to work out who they are and striving to enjoy life for themselves and as a part of the larger family unit. What shines most of all here is that no matter how flawed they are, family is where the heart is and they are always there for one another in the end. I also like that the magic here isn't typical of the genre, it's not flashy or "in your face." In the Magician's Trilogy is it's more unknowable and mysterious, allowing the real focus to remain on the individual struggles, quests to find oneself, and most especially on familial relationships. Since it is common in this type of book for the family to be absent or so un-nurturing and unsupportive (as to be abusive in many cases), which serves to allow the child to enter in to the self-explorative adventure, I really enjoy the refreshing presence of a loving and supportive family by all the characters in the story...sure they've got issues, but at the heart of it all, the family IS an integral part of the storyline. We're sad to see the story come to a close...but it's a satisfying end!

If you're read the first two books in this series, you know you're going to like this one. If you haven't read the first two you should, at least in order to get into the flow of the story thus far.

Your reward will be that this is the most "magical" of the books, and will be the one that most closely reflects actual Welsh tales. It's also the most exciting, and the closest to stirring "high fantasy".

And after you finish this, try Susan Cooper's "Dark is Rising" series.

This review is for all three books in Jenny Nimmo's Magician Trilogy (The Snow Spider, Emlyn's Moon, and The Chestnut Soldier).

Jenny Nimmo's writing style is very powerful, and her characters come to life as you read these books. The descriptions of locations (people's houses, the Welsh countryside, the town, the school) are so vivid that you can immediately picture yourself there. These books have a few scary parts, but the endings are very positive and satisfying.

These books are recommended for anyone who enjoys fantasy or Welsh mythology. Similar books include Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence and Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles.

Story is in the same line as the previous books. A little short on length but consistent with the other titles.