Customer Reviews

The Wayfinder

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

 

 

A thoughtful and unique fantasy, well-crafted and enjoyable to curl up with. I only hope that Ms. Pattison writes more in future...

Hero Winchal Eldras, in the fantasy land of G'il Rim, is scarred by the untimely death of his little sister, when she wanders too close to the Rift and falls in. As his fear of heights caused him to hesitate at the last moment, he blames himself and locks himself away. But Winchal is not just a boy, he is a Wayfinder, part of a special group that has the ability to find ANYTHING and ANYONE.

But he is drawn out of his unhappy solitude when Prince Reynard arrives at his home, searching for a Wayfinder who could end a plague by going to the Well of Life. With the prince comes a telepathic Tazi hound named Lady Kala, who has never before endured the dangers that will confront both of the questers on their journey.

As uninspired as the cover is, the story itself is rich and unique. The concept of Wayfinder is intriguing, one of those It's-so-obvious-why-hasn't-someone-thought-of-it-before?, and seems to fit quite nicely with the almost alien surroundings. The writing style is a little better than usual, not as descriptive as I like but not too stark.

Both Winchal and Lady Kala are nicely drawn, good in their dialogue and good foils for each other. Winchal in particular was deeply written, with his guilt about his younger sister and how he dealt with that deep-rooted fear.

I hope that this isn't the only book to be written about this unique duo!

As a teacher, I try to read books that I can recommend to students. This book strikes me as appropriate for a great many audiences. For parents, it is a moral, ethical book without undo, inappropriate content. For teachers, Darcy includes questions and items for discussion at the end. For young people, it provides answers for the grieving process. For everyone, it is an adventurous tale that keeps interest at a high level, urging the reader on. I, too, would love to read "what's next" for these fresh characters.

There are those in G'il Rim who are born with the ability to find things- anything or anyone you might be looking for. Called Wayfinders, they are an important guild that assists the people of the city, especially during the wet season when a dense fog envelops the city and makes it impossible to navigate. Win is a gifted young apprentice Wayfinder, hoping to soon finish his apprenticeship.

Everything appears to be working in his favor until tragedy strikes and Win blames himself. Win determines to never use his finding ability again, but fate has something else in mind. The plague arrives in G'il Rim, and only one cure exists. A man instructs that a Wayfinder must venture into the Rift, a chasm bordering their land, and selects Win for the task. Win goes on an adventure that will not only heal the land, but hopefully bring some peace to him as well.

The Wayfinder was a good read! The coming of age story is reminiscent of popular young adult works such as Lowry's The Giver or Spinelli's Wringer. The book has strong fantasy influences, existing in a pseudo-medieval land governed by a monarchy and full of magic in the form of talking animals and healing waters. Pattinson doesn't flood the story with descriptive details, building enough of a setting for the reader to visualize the lay of the land but leaving a large amount up to the reader's imagination. This may work well for younger readers who would grow easily bored with too much detail, but I occasionally found it difficult to visualize the appearance of a location or a character.

The primary characters or Win and his canine companion, Lady Kala, were well developed, although there were some gaps in the story. A bit of background is given on Win's mother, but Pattison provides little more than a sentence when alluding to Win's father. Considering the significance of his parentage, I can only hope there will be a sequel which will build on that detail. Otherwise, it seems like a pointless, undeveloped plot device. As with many quests, the tale is built around the hero and his trusted companion, and together they face dangers and trials through which they grow.

I'd recommend this book for anyone looking for a light, quick read (I finished it within a 4 hour flight, so it's a quick one)! It's a fun, quick-paced, adventure, written for youngsters but suitable for readers of any age! I'd be interested to see if there will be a sequel. The way this book left off, there's certainly potential for it. If so, I'll definitely give it a read!

I thought it was very well written and I was hooked on this book.
I think young and old will love this one.It is a fast pace which keeps you reading until the very end. I highly recommend this book.

This book hooked me right away and I read it straight through. It's true I'm not a kid, but I think that most kids would enjoy it. I especially think it would be good for reluctant readers because the pace and excitement are high and fast.

I too hope for more about these two or other Wayfinders.