Illyrian Adventure (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "Miss Vesper Holly has the digestive talents of a goat and the mind of a chess master..." (more)
Key Phrases: magical army, chess king, Miss Holly, Ergon Pasha, Colonel Zalik (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With this new novel, Alexander adds another delightful adventure to his many popular and award-winning books. (His Prydain Cycle was adapted for the recent Disney movie, The Black Cauldron.) This time, the intrepid protagonist is 16-year-old Vesper Holly. She's a precocious orphan from Philadelphia who sets out to prove her scholarly father's theories about the national legend of Illyria, a small Adriatic nation. It is 1872 and Illyria's ethnic conflict is brewing into a revolution. Vesper is caught up in the intrigue, and proves a shrewd and valiant ally. She reconciles the king and the rebel leader, thereby preventing a war, and in the bargain finds the historical evidence she seeks. The appealing characters and the nice blend of challengesintellectual and moral as well as physical are matched by lively storytelling.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9 Vesper Holly at 16 is an intrepid heroine too candid for 19th-Century comfort and more than a match for the villains she meets in this charming fantasy adventure. Whisking her staid guardian Brinnie off to Illyriaa tiny kingdom on the Adriaticto investigate one of her late father's theories, she involves them both in a search for treasure, an attempted revolution and a conspiracy to murder Illyria's King Osman. With the help of the rebel leader Vartan and in spite of Brinnie's habit of trusting the villains, Vesper solves an ancient puzzle and shows rebels and proud King how to make peace. A touch of romance adds the finishing touch. Narrated by loyal, rather naive Brinnie, the story moves briskly from one crisis to another until the final, quite satisfying resolution. The language holds hints of 19th-Century expression without being overdone, and the contrast between Brinnie's formal habits of speech and Vesper's directness adds humor. Each character is sketched briefly but clearly, and the relationship between guardian and ward is developed nicely throughout their adventures, each showing a growing regard for the other. Young readers may find it hard to relate to middle-aged Brinnie's voice, but none will complain of lack of action. Sara Miller, White Plains Public Library, N.Y.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf (February 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440940184
• ISBN-13: 978-0440940180
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,954,945 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't judge a book by it's cover., March 3, 2000

By	Livi Clare (La Paz, Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Illyrian Adventure (Paperback)

The Illyrian Adventure is one of Lloyd Alexander's very best books. As an eighteen year old student applying to universities, I have written entrance essays on this book. I wish that I had read it when I was younger. It is an excellent book about a fearless heroine, and it has that truly inspiring flavour of all of Alexander's work. Not only is it fun to read (I've lost track of how many times I've read it this year), but it leaves you with a yearning to get up and go, to follow dreams. Vesper Holly is a wonderfull role model, if I ever have children, this will certainly be one of the first books I'd want them to hear. Go Vesper!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A fun book, but lacking the depth of Alexander's other works, December 24, 1999

By	Joy Kim (New Haven, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Illyrian Adventure (Paperback)

Please don't misinterpret the three star rating -- I certainly enjoyed _The Illyrian Adventure_ considerably. It truly is an adventure, moving at breakneck speed from beginning to end. I was pleased by Alexander's creation of another strong female character (a la Mickle of the Westmark Trilogy and Eilonwy of the Prydain books) in Vesper Holly. I don't think, however, that this book (or any of the Vesper Holly books) compares to those previous series. The Westmark trilogy and Prydain books have a greater depth of meaning, they raise questions about right and wrong, good and evil, and heroism and cowardice which linger long after the first (or fifth or sixth!) reading. This book is a fun read, possessing a large quantity of Alexander's dry humor, but in the end you remember it as amusing rather than meaningful.

I'd recommend it to younger middle readers who might not be ready to read something as dense as the Westmark books or to true Alexander fans who love everything he writes.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book should be read everyone, youg or old!!!, April 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Illyrian Adventure (Paperback)

This is the first book (and the best) of the Vesper Holly series. Everyone will love Vesper and her sense of adventure. If you havn't read this book drop every thing, and head for the nearest bookstore or library.