Customer Reviews

Elidor

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

 

 

Ok, I admit taht when I first read ELIDOR as probably an 11 year old I liked it the least of Garner's books to date. It was "ok" but the idea of a magical fantasy being set in the urban wasteland of post-war Manchester just didn't click. Maybe it is a comment on the last quarter century, maybe it is just a matter of growing up, but going back the book all these years later I found myself absolutely enthralled. Garner makes the transition from everyday life to the realm of Welsh mythology & back seamlessly and flawlessly. His characters are remarkably "real" -even those with "bit parts" like the parents of the protagonists. The language is lyrical, and there are scenes that will haunt you for years. My one complaint is that it is more a "novella" than a novel -at this re-reading I would gladly have kept going for another 200 pages, but what we get is great.

Manchester in the 1960s. It seems like a pretty grim place to live; a world of rain, soot, demolition sites, British Rail. This was before the British woke up and decided it was OK to want to eat good food and generally enjoy life. The kids in the book are from a hyper-conventional family, where any sort of dishonest behaviour is out, and family nights in front of the TV are definitely in. But they get thrown into another world, which used to be a fairytale country, but has fallen from its state of grace. (A sort of post-war disillusionment world.) What makes this book one of the best of its kind ever written is the reality and grittiness of the problems the kids face in guarding the treasures which have been foisted upon them, and its absolute faith in the idea that magic is part of the stuff of everyday life; that the most precious things are to be found in the least likely places.

"Elidor" is best described as a solid little fantasy story -- it's just not spectacular. While suspenseful and intriguing, it doesn't really have a good sense of the epic or the atmospheric. But author Alan Garner definitely gets points for his subtle use of Celtic mythology and managing to create a believable unicorn.

Four kids exploring a wrecked church accidently venture into another world, the mysterious realm of Elidor. There, young Roland encounters a mysterious wounded man who sends him into a castle, claiming that he can save all of Elidor. After Roland frees his siblings from a spell, the man gives them a stone, a spear, a sword, and a cauldron, and they are sent back to their own world to guard these items from evil forces.

But problems arise when the kids go home and hide the items: The power that they emanate is so intense that it disrupts electricity and radio signals, causing problems all over their town. They bury the objects -- but that's only a temporary measure. The strange situation grows stranger when armed warriors appear near the buried objects, and an Ouija board displays the name "Findhorn" and a picture of a unicorn...

One of the wonderful things about Garner's Alderly duology is that when strange people and things were encountered by our heroes, it made our world seem like almost a parallel universe. It made everything seem magic. That quality is somewhat lacking in "Elidor"; the opening chapters have a promising glimpse of Elidor, but unfortunately this is never exploited. The evil force is another problem; unlike in the Alderly books, the evil is never given a face or an identity, and so it seems a little difficult to really get upset about.

Despite this, the opening and final chapters show Garner's lyrical style, and all of it displays his keen sense of plot development. The descriptions of the electrical disruptions are almost surreal, and his descriptions of Elidor are outstanding. So is his usage of Celtic mythology, though to a lesser extent than his other children's books; the dialogue ranges from chirpy British-schoolchild conversation to the formal language of the Elidor inhabitants. And don't be afraid of the portrayal of the unicorn -- Garner shies away from all the cliches.

It's not really a lightweight read, but "Elidor" is a beautifully written little tale that will thrill fantasy readers. Quite nice.

I read this book 18 years ago, when I was 10 years old. It was one of the best books I ever read - as good as Mark Twain's 'Tom Sawyer' or Jules Verne's 'Mistery Island'. But in a way, it was better. The atmosphere of Elidor was magical, dim lit, eerie - something I found only in Marion Zimmer Bradley's 'The Mists of Avalon' or in Stephen King's work. This is definitely a great fantasy book.

This is a very interesting book and my son and I enjoyed reading it together. It was a bit scary at times so I'd recommend an older reading age, perhaps 9 or 10 at the youngest.

The story itself was well put together and, like a lot of things in life, leaves us wondering what was going on in the part of the story we (and the main characters) are not privy to.

There is some sort of closure at the end when the children get a glimpse of Elidor and return the treasures but I would have liked some closure at the end regarding the children and what happens later. However if you are reading this with your children it makes for a great creative exercise in imagining what would happen next.

Alan Garner is an extremely underrated fantasy author. Elidor is a perfect example of the magic he can weave. The plot is simple enough - the four Watson children must save the world of Elidor, one step removed from our own. To do this, they are given four magical Treasures that guard Elidor from harm. But doing this may be more trouble than they think...

Garner is a lyrical writer. Such sentences as "The blade was like ice, and the hilt all jewels and fire" would be impressive in even an adult's book. The books have lots of adventure in them for the younger set, and fine prose for adults. I recommend this to all readers, even those that don't like fantasy.

Okay, Garner lacks the modern sensibility of Rowlings, but this is great stuff. A bit darker than Narnia, easier to grasp than Middle Earth, this is thrilling stuff-- I can still remember tha chills I got during the climactic scenes of this book long ago. A great read from a terribly under-appreciated author...

The four Watson children stumble through a doorway into another world known as Elidor. In Elidor they become the keepers of the four treasures and are sent back to earth to protect these treasures. The treasures are one of two things needed to save Elidor, the other being to the song of Lindhom. The story rushes along and many an aspiring character developments go unexplained. Ending was a big disappointment to me. This is a very good fantasy book that should interest students in grades 5th through the 8th who enjoy a trip into fantasy land.

<mild spoiler warning>

Reading the other reviews for this book, the main criticism seems to be its story arc. The book has a complete arc, but it's not the one most fantasy readers expect.

A lot of readers I think, are being miscued by the standard fantasy tropes (a lost King, a faceless evil being) to expect a quest tale, but this isn't Lord of the Rings. It's "The Door in the Wall". Garner gives the reader a few tantalizing glimpses into Elidor. He introduces those elements into our world and grounds them with details that are so specific and realistic, you almost believe it. Then once you've seen it, enough to believe in it and want more of it, he shuts the door and throws away the key.

The reader is not meant to feel closure. You are meant to close the book and feel uneasy and want more. That's the magic of it.

This Fantastic book is about 4 children who are brought into elidor. they meet malebron who gives them the four treasures of Elidor But by taking them back into their world, they stir up more trouble than they think!
Thrilling adventure!