From: Steven Engelfried <sengelfried>
Date: Thu, 7 Mar 2002 09:10:28 -0800

I also enjoyed "Ropemaker" quite a bit. As Darcy says, very original. But in a subtle way. On the surface it had a lot of the traditional fantasy elements, but it played with them a bit, throwing in twists and surprises. I really appreciated the way good and evil characters weren't as clear cut as in many of the genre. The magician on the island, for instance, helped the girl (sorry I can't remember characters' names...), but his original intent was to gain power. The Ropemaker himself was no pure and perfect hero, and I enjoyed the way he appeared so infrequently, yet remained the center of the novel. Each familiar element that was introduced (the Roc, the flying horse, etc.) seemed to fit naturally into the world.
 Other ya fantasies of 2001, such as "Lirael," "The Secret Sacrament," and "Goose Chase," had some very appealing parts, but "Ropemaker" was a more complex and satisfying whole. My only complaint is that the girl wasn't that memorable a hero to me. Interesting enough, but not compared to unforgettable characters like Aerin of "The Hero and the Crown" or Ged of "The Thief" (now those are characters whose names I do remember). I guess her role was more that of a player in a legend than a unique individual, but I found myself almost wishing we could get the story of that other girl who takes up the pattern 20 generations later instead...

Steven Engelfried, Children's Division Librarian Beaverton City Library 12375 SW 5th Street Beaverton, OR 97005 503R6%99 sengelfried at ci.beaverton.or.us
Received on Thu 07 Mar 2002 11:10:28 AM CST