Fire Arrow: The Second Song of Eirren (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "What think you of revenge?..." (more)
Key Phrases: white stone beach, binding ceremony, fire arrow, Storm Petrel, Sea Dyak, Bog Maglu (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8-Brie, the archer who accompanied Collun on his adventures in Hero's Song (Harcourt, 1991), returns to continue her story in this action-packed sequel. Seeking revenge for her father's death, the young woman sets out to find the men who killed him. Before she has traveled far, she discovers an important clue to her own pastAa fire arrow given to her mother as a wedding gift. On her quest, Brie has numerous adventures and eventually kills two of her father's murderers. After spending some time in a fishing village, an interlude that marks a shift from Brie's personal conflict to a much more global one, she resumes her travels. She finally meets Balor, the third murderer, intent on becoming the most powerful force in the land, and after the compulsory high-fantasy battle, she alone defeats him. This long, somewhat episodic tale is occasionally awkward in style, and the major conflict is not always clearly articulated. Many of the minor characters are richly drawn, but a full exploration of Brie's character has been sacrificed to the fast-paced action. This fantasy, with its Celtic overtones, has echoes of the genre's mastersALloyd Alexander, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien. At the same time, Pattou's energetic imagination has allowed her to create many memorable characters and scenes that are vivid and lively and will appeal to many fantasy readers.
Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 7^-10. The sequel to Hero's Song (1991) becomes the story of Breo-Saight (Brie), the master archer who joined Collun's quest in the first book of the Songs of Eirren series. At the deathbed of her beloved nursemaid, Brie learns of her birthright, a golden arrow given her mother by Brie's mysterious great-grandmother. A stalwart hero, Brie seeks revenge on her father's murderers, who may also be responsible for the nursemaid's death. And with the magic fire arrow, which seems to have its own agenda, Brie travels through the wilderness heading to Dungal, where she thinks she'll come across the murderers. But when she meets and kills the killer, who had tortured her father, she feels, not the expected triumph, but, rather, remorse. She bides her time in a friendly land, where she heals and finds happiness, until she finds herself summoned in her dreams to a mysterious bell tower. There she meets the evil one-eyed sorcerer, who's been involved in her father's murder and in assorted attempts on her life. With sympathetic characterizations (both human and animal), gruesome foes, and a sinister mastermind, as well as fast pacing, a well-realized landscape, violent clashes, and all the expected elements of good fantasy, Pattou offers a rousing story that is not only a strong sequel that begs yet another sequel but also a fine fantasy adventure that holds up on its own. Add this to the Top 10 on p.1618, even if it does make 11 titles. Sally Estes

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (May 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 015201635X
• ISBN-13: 978-0152016357
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,399,341 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book !!!, August 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fire Arrow: The Second Song of Eirren (Paperback)

To put it simply this book is AWESOME. I am a big fan of fantasy and for those of you who are this book is for you. It is a bit romantic but I like a little bit of romance. Not too much to make it mushy but enough to make it sweet. I haven't read the first book but I understood this one pretty good. I simply fell in love with Collun. He's so calm yet exciting at times. I can't wait to read the first book. And if there is a third one I would love to read it too.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the thrill to read that burns like fire..., October 19, 2002

By	Jolette Simboli age 22 (NY born and rased .. now settled in NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fire Arrow: The Second Song of Eirren (Paperback)

when I first took out the book from my library I did not know what to expect. but from the first page on I was excited that I picked this book. I am not your average reader. my thrill for reading depends on the book. if it don't capture me by the first page .. I will put it down. but the Fire Arrow was every hard to put down. Brie's quest for revenge and quest for perpose I think was just like my own .. five stars is not enough for this book .. and now that I read it 3 time before my time was up to bring it back to the library .. I am reading the companion book Hero's Song witch is also a great one ..now that I am half way through this book I am afraid I won't find any like them . and it is true now I been at the library two days and I am not having any luck in finding anything to compare it to Fire Arrow and Hero's Song ...my only hope is to wish Ms. Pattou could wirte another one for her fans...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Page turner, November 8, 1999

By	C. J. Colli (Manchester, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Fire Arrow: The Second Song of Eirren (Paperback)

This is an excellent book and I recommended it to my 15 year old son, who normally only reads stuff about video games, and he loved it. He read both the first and second book in 2 days!