Customer Reviews

Prospero's Children

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The first half of the misleadingly titled, "Prospero's Children" is wonderful and scary, choc-a-block with evil villians (a witch, an idol, and an art gallery owner) and eccentric good guys (the Watcher, a female werewolf, a house goblin). The second half of the book is standard Swords and Sorcery. It's almost as if the publisher said, "Okay, Jan, this is great but we need another 100 pages and a better title." I'd give the first half five stars and the second half two stars, then round high just because I loved the Watcher, the idol, and the witch.

Overall, I liked this book very much! It was a refreshingfantasy story with a very compelling female lead. I felt as though Icould almost feel the story unfolding, for Jan Siegel painted such a vivid, lush environment. I enjoyed the European setting with the mystery of Atlantis as a backdrop. The characters remain clear and memorable long after the story has been read. It is very rare to read fantasy stories that use Atlantis as part of the storyline - which makes this novel standout. Her words are almost lyrical and poetic - yet every sentence is intensely riveting, and almost draining. For me, this style of writing became somewhat ackward to read at times, for the lavish descriptions almost detracted from the story itself. I felt that there were many similes used throughout the novel, which seemed to momentarily divert my attention. Nevertheless, a wonderful new fantasy novel!

I enjoy books that portray magic in a modern setting, so I was intrigued by the promise of this book. The author does a good job of stage-setting, weaving strange happenings and an increasing sense of magic and mystery into the otherwise mundane setting of the English countryside. Unfortunately, just as the magic begins to manifest, the main character is sent off to ancient Atlantis, on yet another variant of the "teenager is the chosen one who must save the world." The book never really recovers from the change of setting, and any sense of reality or character development is lost. The are other authors who do a much better job of sustaining both the sense of magic and the development of interesting, believable characters.

In Yorkshire, teenager Fernanda Capel and her younger brother soon find strange visitors arriving at their new home. Not everyone can claim they play host to unicorns and shapeshifters, but Fern does that and more. Apparently, these species and other so-called mythological creatures endured the cataclysm that sunk Atlantis.

The island's survivors are drawn to the Capel house due to a magical key that opens the gateway between life and death. That ring, forged by a maniacal queen, led to the destruction of Atlantis. When the key is ultimately misused, a portal is opened that could spell the end of life as we know it. Fern is the prime hope of saving a universe by regaining the key, which is now on Atlantis, just prior to the devastation.

Shockingly, a story centering on Atlantis should not seem fresh, yet PROSPERO'S CHILDREN provides a vigorous look at the legendary island. The story line is fun, especially when Fern goes on her quest. Though the tale starts as if it is going to be a teen adventure aimed at that audience, the exciting plot will please fantasy fans of all ages, especially those that enjoy the Atlantis myths.

Harriet Klausner

This book is an absolute must read for fanatasy lovers. It is about six-teen year old Fern who spends the summer in a mysterious, isolated house with her family. There she finds herself courted by the watcher Ragginbone and the dangerous art-dealer Javier. Both believe that Fern has the gift (which includes telepathy, telekinesis, and telegnosis). They want her to find a key which was a part of the long lost Lodgestone of Atlantis and to unlook a door. But nobody knows what will await Fern on the other side.

I truely loved this book. The absolut stunning language of Jan Siegel makes it to a page turner and you don't want it to end. The character development of Fern is excellent. The entire story is wonderful - you wouldn't believe what's on the other side of the door! For Fern it is a turning point in her life. She finds not only an adventure but also love and wisdom.

_Prospero's Children_ is the first novel in the(recently titled)Fern Capel Trilogy. Filled with smooth poetic and dreamy prose, accompanied by complex and realistic characters with real flaws, personal quirks and mannerism that define and either endure them to the reader or as in the case of some other readers annoy them.

The story follows the adventures of the Capel family, most specifically Fernanda Capel, sixteen year old daughter of her sweet if absent minded Father Robin and elder sister of twelve year old adorably mischevious Will Capel. After inheriting a run down victorian house on the moors of Yorkshire from a long distant relative, Robin and family travel out to the house with the intention of spending the summer fixing it up and selling it. From there a vast and complex plot and conspiracy spanning litterally thousands of years from an ancient Civilzation's collapse, the heart breaking and selfish determination of a witch, the influence of a broken down and regretful wizard and the greedy ambitions of an ancient being far beyond the power and comprehension of many. All revolving around the budding potential power of Fern herself. The plot ecompasses finding a single object that may or may not be within the grasp of the Capel's long dead relative.

As said before the prose in this novel is dreamy and leaning on the side of purple without quite reaching ultimate urple status. Seigel certainly knows how to make even the most simplistic scenes a vast and beautiful tapestry, akin to the decsriptive writing of Patrcia McKillip. Despite this beautiful language the plot moves at an even and slightly slow pace in the beginning that may, or may not turn off some readers. While not quite as chugging as some other novels, this novel takes a certain amount of patience and active interest to read it, divided into three distinct parts, the latter two halves of the novel where things miraculously come together and move at a fast breathless pace that neither leaves the reader behind confused as to what happened, but takes them along for the ride and leaves them feeling with a flushed excitement that makes this novel stick with a reader long after it's read.

Seigel writers her herione Fern with a square almost prudish manner stemming from having to take control of her family at an early age with the tragic death of her mother and keep it from falling apart in the hands of her bumbling father. Fern is a prickly herione that will occasionally grate on the readers nerves as her shaky pride and "sense" in approaching things are shaken up. Her father Robin is mostly absent from the novel, occasionally making an appearance here and there that have little enough bearing on the plot itself. Most of the action centers around Fern and Will, the former wizard Ragginbone-who will assuridly bring flashbacks of all elderly mentor wizards like Gandalf and Dumbledore, but what seperates Ragginbone from the others is the true status of his character in the wide scheme of things and his own approach to things. These are enough seperate him from the other wizards mentioned above that will spring to the readers mind while reading. Alison, the story's villain is ellusive and fascinating, like her frequent descriptions throughout the novel she is deceptive in her true form. The eventual revelation of her true character, is definitely moving. Alison is a villain with an honest motivation aside from simple evil. Will, as Ferns sidekick for most the novel is blessedly free of "younger precious sibling status" in being gifted with some bit of sense that keeps him from rushing headlong into danger and increasing the conflict of the plot for the sake of increasing it.

However as the novels pace increases and the plot thickens, Fern herself goes through a fantastic change and evolution. Like a butterfly emerging from a hardened cocoon, Fern starts out the novel as the prudeish, prickly know-it-all that is revealed to be a shaking, and intersting and beautiful herione that endears herself upon the reader. The novels ending, is at once heart breaking and heart lifting as the reader walks away with a sense of...almost finality but with their imaginations filled with the dreamy settings, phrases and plot mechanisms of this novel. A definite reccomendation, to fanasty fans.

A pretty good book, but hardly flawless. I'm not certain why so many people classify it as a kids' fantasy book -- look at the bottom of the page, where it says "Fantasy - General." Perhaps it's the plot similarity to such books as "Dark is Rising."

The sixteen-year-old heroine, Fern, is an intelligent and grounded young woman who is staying with her brother, while her father is off in the US. Also staying there with Fern and Will is Alison, a woman who might be a witch...

Strange occurrances crop up around the old house, and a hermit called the "Watcher" warns Fern of Alison's intentions. Alison is searching for the Key to the sunken city of Atlantis, that would allow a living mortal to enter death -- without dying him/herself. Fern has a strange power from Atlantean heritage, that allows her to search for the Key - and to combat Alison/Alimond, and a man named Javier Holt. What follows is a very intriguing quest for Atlantis.

I found that Siegal's prose sometimes got a bit overwrought and overdetailed, though it had some truly beautiful imagery. And she managed to keep the much-drawn-on idea of Atlantis from becoming yet another seen-that-done-that tale. Unfortunately, the last third dragged a bit and the climax was rather... sputtery. It could have used more work.

What I didn't like was the idea of a 16-year-old making love to an older man on a beach. The language was not explicit or tawdry, it was very poetic in fact. However, the idea of it is rather icky in itself, and I found the romance factor irrelevent and distracting.

It's a pretty good book, hardly the best I've seen. But it is definitely worth a read.

It has been quite a while since I have enjoyed a piece of fantasy like Prospero's Children, long enough that I had almost (not quite) completely stopped reading the genre. This book reminded me why I always read Fantasy novels to begin with, showed me the worlds I cannot visit and made me feel a part of a story again! I can't wait until the sequel comes out.

I agree with the other reviewers that it seemed as if the bookwas broken into two stories, but I believe that it serves a thematicpurpose. I appreciate the way that the author brought us full circle (or perhaps only 180 degrees?)with the introduction of a storm-tossed ship from the viewpoint of a mermaid reveling in the chaos (what happened to her by the way?) to the viewpoint of the sailor the mermaid destroys in that same storm at the end of the novel. We are given several clues throughout the novel about the identity of the sailor she kills, but confirming his identity and knowing what he was thinking made the situation more tragic. This theme of seeing the same situation from a different viewpoint is continued throughout the novel (ex. the two sorceresses on either side of the portal both bent on using the key) and I think the way that the story appears broken into two parts is necessary. Fern is looking for the key in both the English countryside and in Atlantis, and essentially, both stories culminate at the same time -- only her position and viewpoint have changed. By the end of the novel, you are able to see the connections that all the events had to each other. All in all, a good read. I enjoyed it and can't wait for the sequal

Prospero's Children was such a good book. I couldn't put it down! I'm 15 and I loved it soooo much that the night I finished it (which was the sama as the day I started it) I went and asked about the second book in the trilogy...the answer? [....] I can't wait!!!!! THisd book was awesome to the very last page, I loved how it left you wanting more...it started and ended at the same spot- at least the Atlantis part did. I thought Fern was so brave in what she did! Going to Atlantis, being taken prisoner. It was so exciting! Not only that, but the only part I really didn't like was when the boy Fern really loved died...it was so sad and it seemed so wrong...but I guess it was right, how would there be a continuation if he had lived? well I can think of how but...it wouldn't make sense. I think I loved it so much because, as all my friends say, I'm a dreamer. FOr those of us who believe in the tooth fairy, witchcraft- good and bad, Atlantis, and unicorns...this book is perfect. I believe in all those things, I always have...well except the tooth fairy, after I got three teeth pulled and recieved no money for them...and found all my teeth(that was a gross expierence.) I kinda stopped beliveing. All the others I do belive in though. Lewis Carroll once said that when he saw a unicorn the unicorn said: I'll belive in you, if you belive in me. well I figure that I do want to believed in so why not believe that all those magical creatures exist? Somewhere they probably do...I know where that is too...in the mind. Even if they don't exist in the world. They can still take you places...have an imagination? Read this book.