Customer Reviews

Once Upon a Spring Morn

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

 

 

Once Upon a Spring Morn (2006) is the fourth Fantasy novel in the Faery series, following Once Upon An Autumn Eve. In the previous volume, Liaze enterred the Chateau Bleu with forged documents and informed the comtessa of Luc's return. The next day, the guards selected by the comtessa admitted Luc onto the grounds and he issued a challenge to Guillaume for trial by combat. Afterwards, Luc gave the survivors a day to flee the domain.

In this novel, Princess Celeste of Springwood rests in a fork among the huge branches of her Companion of Quietness, a massive oak tree. Here she comes whenever she feels uneasy and today she is here to brood over the absence of her sister Liaze. When she hears the sound of a horn, she frowns, for she has not sanctioned a hunt that day.

When the hunters appear below her, she confronts them and finds that they are hunting for HER. As they move on the tree to pull her down, she lets fly an arrow into the leader's breast. Just then a lone knight rides up and attacks her wouldbe kidnappers and she picks off the ones attacking from his rear.

The armed men are led by a raven, who flees into the forest crying "Revenge". Celeste's own guardsmen ride up just as the few surviving outlaws are fleeing and they gallop after them. The knight defender introduces himself as Sieur Roel and declares that he is questing for his missing sister and his two brothers, who had gone looking for her.

After his wounds are tended, Sieur Roel tells the full story of how his sister Avelaine was taken by the Lord of Changelings. Then he tells how his brother Laurent left to consult with the sage Geron before continuing onward in search for Avelaine. After Laurent had failed to return in three years, the second brother Blaise had ridden off to consult with Geron and then search for Avelaine.

Blaise had also failed to return for three years. Since Roel has now earned his spurs, he too went to consult with Geron and received Couer d'Acier to take with him on his quest. The older brothers had not wanted to wait for the sword to be fabricated, but it was ready when Roel came for advice.

The Heart of Steel had a steel core flashed over with silver and constructed with runes to suppress its steel aura. After Roel left Geron, he had to exchange all his steel weapons and appurtenances for bronze equivalents before he could enter Faery, but he was allowed to take the sword with him. It was this weapon that he used against the outlaws.

Roel had a long and difficult recovery, for the worst cut was also poisoned. While he rested in Celeste's chateau, Roel came to know the princess and gradually fell in love with her. Before he leaves, Celeste announces their betrothal to her retainers. By this time, Roel is well liked by all.

Although Roel objects, Celeste accompanies him on his quest. For the journey to Mizon, the first part of their travels, Celeste's warband escorts them. As they approach the port town, the group is attacked by Goblins, Ogres and Trolls and both Roel and Celeste flee through the twilight wall to the next land. When they cannot be found on either side of the wall, the warband returns to her chateau thinking that the couple are dead.

In this story, Roel and Celeste meet King's Captain Chevell of Mizon after they fall onto his ship, the Sea Eagle. The King's ship is pursuing corsairs who have stolen a rare map. When Roel and Celeste realize that this map is the one that they were going to Mizon to use in his quest, they join forces with Chevell and sail across the sea after the remaining freebooter ship.

Roel and Celeste have many other adventures as they travel toward the land of the Changelings. Along the way Celeste encounters the three Fates. After Roel complains that he hasn't meet any of them, Lady Doom appears to them both. As in the other Faery tales, Celeste acquires gifts from each of the Fates and uses them to complete the quest.

This Faery tale is based on two ancient stories: Le Bel Inconnu and Childe Rowland. The first is Arthurian and the second is a later English tale. As usual, the author adds embellishments that were surely in the original tales.

Highly recommended for McKiernan fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of the Faery lands, loyal knights and true love.

-Arthur W. Jordin

This is another in the series by Dennis McKiernan retelling old tales as a bard of old would.

Great series, I hate to see it end

If you are a fan of fantasy, Dennis McKiernan should be one of the author's you fight through dragon-infested pits in order to meet along your quest. From his Mithgar series to his new "Once Upon A..." series (taking place in the realm of Faery), his characters are relateable, funny, endearing, and easy to get attached to. If you are always looking for a happily-ever-after ending, you might not always get it in his books, but the realism (within the fantasy) is there.

When Celeste, Princess of the Springwood, is saved by a handsome young knight with a magic sword, she determines to help him on his quest. But, it is more than gratitude that propels Celeste along. She and the knight, Roel, have fallen madly in love. Are their combined strengths enough to see them through on Roel's quest to rescue his sister from the Lord of the Changlings? Perhaps, if their love is strong enough!

Overall, I found this to be a magical book, and I don't just mean that the storyline involved magic. The author does an excellent job of taking the feel of the old heroic tales of knights and damsels and love and battle, and bringing it forward into a modern story. I loved the interesting setting of Faery, combined with the knight right out of medieval literature. This is a very good book, one that is sure steal your heart.

It really hurts me to give a Dennis L. McKiernan book so low a rating; he is one of my favorite writers and one the few authors I have read everything of.

My reason for rating it so low is that it is very VERY similar to the other books in this series, especially "Once Upon an Autumn Evening." Scenario: Unwed and lonely princess comes across a wounded handsome stranger who is being pursued by evil forces. She nurses him to health and falls madly in love with him. Together, they must go on an incredible journey to complete his quest, of course separated from their war party, and encounter haunted mansions, various monsters and the Fates in predictable disguises with riddles. In the meantime, they frequently make sweet sweet love. Sound familiar? If you've read the other Faery books it should. Perhaps, as McKiernan hints, this repetition on a pattern is endemic to the nature of the fairy tales he is retelling. I expected a writer of McKiernan's calibur to put a more imaginative spin on the story rather than just fill in the blanks from a previous book.

The book gets very good about 3/4 of the way in and is much better from that point on.

Fantasy readers will find ONCE UPON A SPRING MORN begins light-heartedly, telling of romance, a knight, and a princess - but evolves into a story of rescue, politics, a mysterious city, and a quest. All the elements of a fine read are here, and while the protagonists and their journey may sound like formula writing, the plot evolution is anything but predictable, imparting mystery and intrigue into an odyssey powered by strong characterization.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Once upon a time in the Kingdom Of Springwood, Princess Celeste sits in her favorite tree thinking thoughts when a group of bandits try to kidnap her. Unwilling to be a damsel in distress, Celeste tries to fight them off and when the chevalier knight Roel enters the battle on her side, the thugs are killed. Roel is in danger of dying due to a poisoned arrow but he has excellent care and soon recovers. While he recuperates he and Celeste fall in love but he can't stay with her because he is on a quest.

His sister was taken by the Changeling Lord and his two elder brothers went after her but never returned. Roel intends to rescue all his siblings; Celeste, who doesn't want to depart from her love, joins him. The road they travel is hard and they must pass through different kingdoms in faery using a map recovered from the pirates to guide them. The Three Fates, at different times, assist them during their perilous journey by give her cryptic instructions and gifts that they will need if they reach the Changeling Lord's kingdom. Along the way various villains of faery attack them; it takes all their cunning and guile as well as their perseverance and strength to continue on a quest that seems likely will kill them both.

Dennis L. McKiernan is a wonderful worldbuilder who reminds readers of the magic that can be found in fairy tales. Celeste is an independent woman who believes she is the equal of any man and Roel is happy to have her as a partner instead of a subordinate. They battle trolls, goblins, sirens, ogres and a host of other creatures working together as a team. This is an enchanting tale that will have readers spellbound.

Harriet Klausner