| Number | Call Number | Branch | Status | Volume |
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YA F Clement-Davies David |
KL |
In at KL (Kathryn Linnemann) |
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| 2 |
YA F Clement-Davies David |
KR |
In at KR (Kisker Road) |
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| 3 |
YA F Clement-Davies David |
MK |
In at MK (Middendorf-Kredell) |
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| 4 |
YA F Clement-Davies David |
MY |
In at MY (McClay) |
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| 5 |
YA F Clement-Davies David |
SP |
In at SP (Spencer Road) |
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| 6 |
YA F Clement-Davies David |
WH |
In at WH (Library Express at Winghaven®) |
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| Gr. 6-9. A wizened crone at the village fair reads the cards for young Rhodri Falcon, revealing the suffering to come from a looming war. In his haste to escape from the crone's strange intensity, Rhodri is drawn toward a grizzled and blind blacksmith who speaks of quests, a true sword, and the mysterious Telling Pool. These ancients' interest in Rhodri, the son of a Welsh falconer who serves a Norman lord during the time of the Third Crusade, hinges on an ancestry of which he has no knowledge: Rhodri is descended from Arthur's Guinevere and has an important role to play in the dark times ahead. With the aid of the blacksmith, the powers of the Telling Pool, his beloved rock falcon, a wise young woman, and an infamous sword, Rhodri must walk a difficult path to save his family, king, and country from the forces of evil. Although it would have profited from increased tension in the final confrontation, this is nonetheless a satisfying and well-crafted story that through Arthurian lore, brings a steadfast young boy to manhood and adult understanding. ((Reviewed October 1, 2005)) Copyright 2005 Booklist Reviews. | | | |
| Rhodri Falcon discovers he has a special destiny and sets off on a quest to recover Excalibur and so save his father and all of England. The story is part fantasy, part historical fiction, set during Richard the Lionhearted's crusade. Too many characters in this serious, elaborate story voice anachronistic anti-war, pro-religious-tolerance messages for the tale to be convincing. Copyright 2006 Horn Book Guide Reviews. | | | |
| In his newest ponderous, superficially mystical fantasy, Clement-Davies links the "betrayal" of Guinevere and Lancelot to the corruption of the Christian church in Albion, as well as the general rise in lawlessness brought on by Richard the Lion-Hearted's crusade and subsequent imprisonment. Raised by devoted parents, young Rhodri grows up with enough love in his heart to survive a climactic attempted seduction by Homeira, a transplanted Persian enchantress. This after many long sessions gazing into the titular magical pond, which is a sort of Wiccan History Channel where he not only learns that he's a descendant of that star-crossed Arthurian couple, but follows the adventures of his father, who has gone off to fight with Richard's army in the Holy Land, then later lose his heart (literally) to the aforesaid enchantress. Chucking in a malicious rival who skulks about overhearing every damaging conversation, a wise old hermit connected to a certain merlin (get it?), a cameo by Excalibur and stereotypical Jews and Gypsies, the author eventually winds his tale to a happy close in which Arthur's Sword of Peace cleaves Homeira's stony heart on Christmas Day, just as news of Richard's return arrives. No, it's not a send-up. Would that it were. (Fantasy. 11-13) Copyright Kirkus 2005 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved. | | | |
| Set against the backdrop of Richard the Lionheart's Third Crusade to Jerusalem, this novel follows young Rhodri Falcon as he attempts to save his father's heart from the evil sorceress Homeira. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information. | | | |
Gr 7-10 -The late 12th century in England brought anguish to a divided land as King Richard led many of the ablest men on the quixotic and dangerous journey known as the Third Crusade. Rhodri, the son of Owen, master falconer on a manor in the Welsh borderland, is left in charge when his much-admired father follows their overlord to the Holy Land. Interweaving this historical fiction with a liberal dose of Arthurian legend, Clement-Davies creates a rich mixture of themes and metaphors. Two archetypal figures vie for Rhodri's soul: Tantallon, a Merlin figure who teaches the boy to look for answers in an ancient, magical pool deep in the forest; and Homeira, an evil-hearted Morgana figure who entraps his returning father's heart. Descriptions of Owen's behavior after experiencing the Crusade will ring true with anyone familiar with posttraumatic-stress symptoms. Rhodri's journey through the countryside to free his father from Homeira's enchantment tests the boy's courage, though a subplot involving an ostracized Jew and his daughter tests readers' credulity. The descriptions of medieval falconry, life on the manor, and Rhodri's interactions with other boys are carefully delineated, but those not steeped in Arthurian legend may find themselves confused by the context of Tantallon's teachings and Homeira's treachery. On the other hand, that could spur them to read further. The power of old legends to effect children's lives is always an interesting theme, one that is more fully developed in Kevin Crossley-Holland's The Seeing Stone (2001), At the Crossing-Places (2002), and King of the Middle March (2004, all Scholastic).-Connie C. Rockman, Stratford Library Association, CT [Page 130]. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. | | | |
| Just as the fawn with the oak leaf shape upon his forehead is destined to free his kind in Clement-Davies's popular fantasy novel Fire Bringer (Dutton/Lodestar, 2000/VOYA October 2000), the young Welsh lad, Rhodri Falconer, who wears the paternal family amulet engraved with the head of a deer and the Celtic cross, must accept the quest that is thrust upon him. He sets out on a journey to find Excalibur, called Mythirion in this Arthurian fantasy, and to retrieve his father's imprisoned heart. Visions in the Telling Pool, where young Arthur once sat and gazed into the water, are so real that Rhodri can smell the blood of battle as his father and other foot soldiers join Richard the Lionheart's Crusade. A darkness has fallen upon Rhodri's world, and it is time for him to walk the Path of the Deer, which will lead him to an exotic cave. Here he must stop the Enchantress Homeria who has his father's heart trapped in glass. From the boiling lava pit in the cave where Guinevere and Lancelot conceived a son, Rhodri, a descendent of their son, pulls forth Mythirion and ends the ancient curse resulting from the lovers' betrayal of Arthur Offer this intriguing tale, with its varied cast of characters who support or thwart Rhodri's quest, to those readers who enjoyed T. A. Barron's The Great Tree of Avalon books or Jane Yolen's Arthurian tales such as Sword of the Rightful King (Harcourt, 2003/VOYA June 2003).-Ruth E. Cox 4Q 4P M J Copyright 2005 Voya Reviews. | | |
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