Customer Reviews

Darkhenge

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

 

 

In Avebury, England, following a riding mishap, Chloe is hospitalized in a comatose state. Her parents are distraught visiting her frequently and forcing her older brother Rob see her at least once a week. Rob cares for his sibling and prays for her recovery, but is uneasy with the visits and unhappy with his parents' demands. He needs to escape so using his art talent he obtains work with Dr Kavanagh at ahighly secretive archeological dig of a prehistoric wooden circle, the media blitz would be catastrophic.

Not long after starting his new job, Rob meets the shape-shifting Druid, Vetch who claims to have been alive when the wooden circle he calls DARKHENGE was created. He also tells the teen that his sister in incarcerated in another realm, the Unworld, where she also has a chance to become a queen. Vetch will provide Rob the key to enter and leave Unworld with his sister if the lad assists him with gaining entrance into the highly secured dig.

DARKHENGE is a fantastic young adult fantasy that older fans will fully appreciate as much as the Potter crowd will enjoy the tale. Though Chloe is the key character, Rob holds the exciting story line together as he must make some difficult decisions starting with whether he should trust Vetch by breaking his employment vow and never slowing down unto the final confrontation that will shock the audience. Catherine Fisher provides a fabulous coming of age fantasy starring a wonderful hero.

Harriet Klausner

Rob's younger sister, Chloe, has been in a coma for three months. The prognosis is not good for her recovery. Rob is riddled with guilt over the fact that he has always come first in their parents' eyes. He also feels guilty that his thoughts turn to the wish that she would pass on to let everyone get on with their lives.

Then one evening he stumbles upon some New Ager-type people. They have entered a clearing outside his town and ask him for the secret word. He has no idea what they are talking about, and the only word that comes to mind is "Chloe." This is not the word they were seeking. Instead, another mysterious man enters the clearing and asks Rob for assistance. The group again seeks the magical word. This time, the mysterious man, Vetch, mutters "Darkhenge," the word that was requested.

With the entrance of Vetch, a journey begins for all involved. Vetch is from the Unworld and is trying to get back. Archeologists in Rob's town have uncovered the Darkhenge and are trying to destroy it. The unlikely group must band together to save the Darkhenge and return Vetch to his world. Vetch reveals to Rob that his sister, Chloe, is being held in the Unworld and he can help Rob return her to his world, if he helps Vetch return to Unworld.

But the quest is met with obstacles in our world and in Unworld. The quest will be challenging and dangerous in many ways. The most unexpected twist is that Chloe may not want to return to the world she knows.

DARKHENGE is an imaginative dark tale of magic and dual worlds. Each of the main characters has many demons they must face, both real and imagined. The story moves quickly to a satisfying ending. Ms. Fisher has a creative imagination that leaves the reader wanting to experience more of her work.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

Anyone who has a sibling can relate to this book. The plot is one of the oldest around; sibling rivalry. However it is so masterfully told and interwoven with shaman myths that it becomes a completely original work. It is wonderfully written. I found myself rereading several descriptions in the book and wondering how the author came up with it. (I read a lot of books and this is not normal for me.) Just a quick example exerpt...
"There was only a cold dread that had started to creep in, like the tendrils of fog that were rising in the chamber of trees, the damp clouds of his own breath."
Anyway, unlike some books, the characters aren't just skin deep. They are skillfully carved out and then brought to life. I highly recommend this book.

Slightly reminiscent of one of my other favourite books, Alan Garner's Owl Service, this is a fabulous book about the explosive emotions of adolescence and the traps of sibling rivalry cunningly interwoven with druidic mythology. I've only previously read the rather younger Snow Walker books by Fisher, but I am seriously impressed by Darkhenge. It has a great deal to offer to early teen readers - both male and female - and is full of rich, poetic writing. I also think there are a fair few Strange & Norrel and Philip Pullman reading adults who will find this utterly compelling. This deserves cross-over readership too.

I cannot believe this book rated positive reviews at all. Wow.
The only positive thing I can think of is the main character, who I liked in a rather abstract way.
The writing was distractingly obtuse. Nothing ever really made sense except the parts told in this world, which were so broken up by strange people and even stranger events that they could not hold the narrative together. And I say strange meaning that these are things never explained. They just "happened."

The dream/alt. reality world they descended into halfway in had no rules. Often the narrative would lead one way, then backtrack whimsically as if to say, "well, I guess we won't go in that direction after all."

The biggest mystery of them all, the one that kept me reading, frustrated though I was, had no true answer, so that all of the lead-up just fizzles away.

Finally, Chloe was a horrible, hateful character that I found myself wishing they would just leave in that weird world. Her hatred of Rob, her brother, was so unjustified (as far as the narrative goes) that I just felt as blindsided as Rob about it.

Additionally, The Poet and the Goddess who were friends/enemies/lovers and who knew what else made absolutely no sense to me. Sorry. I was wishing the author would just specify!!! It was like watching a movie through fog.

And lest you think I'm a fantasy hater, let me set your mind at ease. I adore good writing in any genre--fantasy, especially. I just hate a work that asks tons of questions, never answers them and hopes that moodiness will carry a patchy narrative over the plotholes.

This book is not good. Period.

This book is a slightly unusual story that blends a bit of Celtic mythology with a kind of alternate world romp. The Welsh legend of Gwionbach and Ceridwen is the inspiration for the conflict in the novel, but that legend is completely re-imagined to make something that is fresh and new.

There was also a powerful human story here - not so original, but then the best stories never are.

It was not the best novel I ever read, but I would still recommend it.

An archeological find in England and a young comatose girl share a mysterious link. Wonderful writing and interesting characters made the combination of real world and fantasy aspects of the story really click. The story draws its inspiration from Celtic myth and with it Fisher weaves together a tale that is touching and thought provoking. I recently read this author's newer novel Incarceron and found that just OK. I'm very glad I gave Darkhenge a chance as it is a really well done young adult novel that is sophisticated enough for adults to enjoy.

I wanted to like this book. I really wanted to enjoy the strange characters but in the end (and I assure you I struggled to finish it) I still disliked it.
First the trees. Why were they so evil? That was never explained, save to say that they wanted their king back. Ooook why then?
Then Vetch and Clare. Two potentially deep characters who soon became flat, bitter and confusing. Their love/hate relationship could have become interesting but it was turned into some sort of rivlary.
Lastly, Chloe. What a cruel and evil little girl. She never tells anyone how she feels and then runs away to another word to be queen. When her loving brother tries to rescue her she blames him for not getting any attention and then almost kills him. Yeah, can someone say psychopath?