Author: William Morris
Themes: Escape
Quotes: Feminine power
Reading/Listening Time: 5 hours, 20 minutes
Review:
This is another early fantasy that feels very strongly like a fairytale, but like not a particularly great one. It's about a guy named Walter who wants to get away from his cheating wife, so Walter's dad sends him out with his caravan to see the world. There's really not a lot of detail about his life at sea, everything is vaguely lovely except he keeps seeing these spectral-like images of three people wherever he goes: a lady, a dwarf, and a servant maid traveling together.
While he's gone on the journey, the wife and her family start a fight with Walter's dad, and Walter's dad is injured and eventually dies.
When he hears about his father's death, Walter starts to go back home to take it up with his In-Laws, but then he gets caught in a storm and pretty much says: "Screw it! IDC! I'm SO done!"
Eventually he ends up in this enchanted forest where everything and everyone seems suspiciously set up: like the whole of reality is playground, and he's the newest
And he finally meets...the lady, dwarf, and servant maid. And he ends up getting involved in this conflict/rivalry between two female sorcerers.
My biggest issue with this story is that Walter is the main character and he's really not that interesting as a person. I suppose you could make the argument that in the beginning he's trying to get away from "woman-problems" only to get caught up in "MOaR woman-problems", but really he's just a passive character. Walter is an observer, the real story is taking place between the lady and the maid...two people who NEVER ACTUALLY GET NAMES!!!
Which is really a shame because whole intrigue and scheming between the two women was actually pretty interesting.
Rating: 3/5 Stars (probably deserves 2/5)
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