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The White Hart (The Book of Isle #1)

by Nancy Springer (Goodreads Author)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 222 ratings · 13 reviews

Welcome to Isle, a land of fantasy that existed long before there were such things. Surrounded by vast oceans and dotted with thick forests, Isle was a land in which all beings lived together. There were gods and ghosts dwelling with the Old Ones, the wise ancient ancestors. During this period, The Book of Suns began its life, though little was known about its contents. Th...more

Published (first published 1979)

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Jul 26, 2011 Rambles On rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Nancy Springer's The White Hart and The Silver Sun are the first two volumes in a loose series that relates the history of Isle, a land of deep forest and petty barons for whom, in the days of The White Hart, raids and brush-fire wars are a way of life.

The story opens with the rescue of Ellid, daughter of Pryce Dacaerin, from captivity by a strange youth, dark of hair and eye, pale of skin, a slight young man of amazing strength and strange habits. He is Bevan, son of Byve, the last High King of...more Nancy Springer's The White Hart and The Silver Sun are the first two volumes in a loose series that relates the history of Isle, a land of deep forest and petty barons for whom, in the days of The White Hart, raids and brush-fire wars are a way of life.

The story opens with the rescue of Ellid, daughter of Pryce Dacaerin, from captivity by a strange youth, dark of hair and eye, pale of skin, a slight young man of amazing strength and strange habits. He is Bevan, son of Byve, the last High King of Isle, and the goddess Cedonwy of the Moon; he has come to claim his inheritance and wrest Isle from the dark dominion of Pel Blagden, the hooded god. He is joined in his quest by Cuin son of Clarric, Ellid's cousin and her father's heir -- although men rule, inheritance is figured through the female line. Cuin loves Ellid, but in spite of his jealousy, for Ellid and Bevan are quite obviously smitten, he becomes Bevan's truest friend.

The Silver Sun, based on Springer's earlier novel, The Book of Suns (Pocket Books, 1977), relates the story of Hal, a prince in hiding, and his blood-brother Alan. It is many years after the events of The White Hart: most of Isle is ruled by the Sacred Kings who came from the east seven generations before with their new religion, the worship of the Fatherking and Sacred Son, a religion of suffering and death that has, through force of arms, supplanted the worship of the Mothers and the old gods of the Forest. Drawn to one another, Hal and Alan begin their quest to bring down the Sacred Kings and restore the Very King, descended of Bevan, to the rule of Isle.

These are young-adult novels cast in the mold of heroic fantasy of the first generation after Tolkien, and, quite frankly, it would be hard to overstate his obvious influence. The stories are idealistically romantic and adhere strongly to the "high heroic" mode that is so central to The Lord of the Rings. Cast in the form of the traditional quest story, they are tales of high deeds and deep tragedy, noble heroes and black villains. Elves and other denizens of realms outside those of men abound, and are very important: Cuin is descended from the royal line of Lyrdion, whose last king and his sons and warriors have become the great firedrakes who guard Lyrdion's treasures; Bevan himself is the son of a goddess, while Hal and Alan both have elvish blood. Interwoven with this are elements of paganism and the broad social movements of the 1970s -- reverence for the land and the creatures who inhabit it, the strong role of women in society, easy access to the world of the Other.

A key factor in each story is the strong bond between men, the kind of intensity of relationship found in Tolkien, composed of loyalty, trust, deep affection and a strong element of altruism, juxtaposed to the high ideal of romantic love, love at first sight, a fated thing of honor, courtly gestures, and barely controlled yearning, as each young hero meets the lady of his dreams.

These are good books. The stories are strong, the writing is fluent and engaging, pacing is excellent and characters are admirable -- or heinous, depending on their role. They do, however, illustrate the role of historical context in appreciating genre fiction; although they are substantial enough for readers of any age, by today's adult fantasy standards they are outlines. Back in the early 1980s, when I first encountered Springer, these novels fit well within the norm: adventure stories, fluently and concisely told. The age of the megabook was in the future. In 2004, it is apparent that each story has the potential to be much larger than it is -- one wishes for more development, especially of character, more detailed descriptions, a more complex interweaving of plotlines.

This is not to imply that these books are disappointing -- they are, with all their bittersweet resolutions, very satisfying. And, when one considers the marked flaws of some contemporary fantasy, much of which is grossly overwritten, one is grateful for Springer's brevity. Any disappointment comes from the fact that the potential to bear that extra weight is obviously there, and more development, one feels, would have provided Springer a richer opportunity to develop some of her themes more fully. As it is, we have hints enough to tease -- and perhaps enough to lead us to think about it on our own.

-- Rambles(less)

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Nov 19, 2012 SuperHeroQwimm rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The story starts with the daughter of a high lord, Ellid, trapped in a tower of one of her fathers enemies being rescued by an odd stranger by the name of Bevan. During the short journey back to her father they fall in love. This is quite the problem for Ellids cousin, Cuin, who is heir to her fathers lands and also her, and has a deep love for her. But soon Cuin also develops a strong loving friendship with Bevan, and throughout the story we feel so much of his pain from wanting to be with Elli...more

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Jan 14, 2009 Cera rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was Springer's first novel, and a far cry from the odd magical-realism that she was writing in the mid-90s. It is really quite a competent book, very tonally reminiscent of Evangeline Walton's work with Welsh myth except in a world that's (somewhat) Springer's own creation. There's a kidnapped noblewoman and a guy who talks to mythical animals and a love triangle and all that good stuff, in a Welsh-ish setting with gods and elves.

Unfortunately, the novel suffers from the passage of time. In...more

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Mar 25, 2011 Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Ann by: I'm guessing this is the one X meant

Shelves: fantasy, high-fantasty

What this book made me realize, is that while I usually read fantasy books, they typically are either Middle Grade or YA. Therefore, I was in for a slight learning curve when I delved into "White Hart" which is more adult. So, for my review, bare in mind that I'm not so used to this specific fantasy genre - neither the style of language nor the flow - and that the closet thing I've come to it is probably the incredible Lord of the Rings trilogy, which is a lot to compare any book to!

"White Hart"...more What this book made me realize, is that while I usually read fantasy books, they typically are either Middle Grade or YA. Therefore, I was in for a slight learning curve when I delved into "White Hart" which is more adult. So, for my review, bare in mind that I'm not so used to this specific fantasy genre - neither the style of language nor the flow - and that the closet thing I've come to it is probably the incredible Lord of the Rings trilogy, which is a lot to compare any book to!

"White Hart" is broken into three "books." The first book starts with princess Ellid being rescued from captors by Bevan, a peaceful but powerful man. He is gentle and kind, and loves the night and the moon. She, for her part, is instantly interested in him and drawn in by him. But, is Bevan 100% human? Or is he more a man of gods?

*******THE FOLLOW SETS-UP BOOK II, IF YOU WANT TO BE COMPLETELY SURPRISED, READ NO FURTHER*********

Books two picks up where book one left off, but the focus switches to that of Bevan and Cuin, the man Ellid was meant to marry. Obviously when it appears that Bevan will not only take Cuin's love, but his throne as well (since prophecy claims Bevan to be High King) Cuin doesn't have the tenderest of feelings towards Bevan.
However, Cuin quickly learns that Bevan is a good man and Bevan earns not only Cuin's respect but his stead-fast friendship as well.

What follows is the consistent bond between Cuin and Bevan in their travels and battles, their attempts to understand the world and their place in it.

For me, I love a good guy-friend story, and the bond that Cuin and Bevan share is enjoyable to see, especially since I liked both their characters individually.

I think this book is probably more of a four-star book, but since I was not familiar with the style and pacing I sometimes found it hard to figure out where the plot was moving, and I didn't know that the climaxes were approaching until we were already at them.
The book is a wee bit over dramatic at points, but that didn't really bother me too much.
As far as the ending, it made sense, and Springer kept the book unpredictable and I don't think she cheated at any point - the "writing was on the wall" so to speak, and I was glad to read a book that I hadn't figured out the ending before I got there. That said, it probably wasn't the ending that I would have chosen, but that doesn't mean that it was bad or wrong.

So, all in all this book is probably better than I could appreciate, but I did still get a lot of enjoyment from reading it. I'm sure those who are more familiar with this style will enjoy the book even more, and it's an interesting book to step into this genre with.

(less)

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Dec 26, 2009 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I read this book long ago and as far as I know it's long out of print. It is an example of pure and even classic fantasy. I sup[pose you would call it a romance but I mean that in the old fashioned sense and not in the modern sense. if you can find it it's worth the read.

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Feb 23, 2009 Lynda rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: partially-read

I almost never start a book and put it down with no intention of finishing it. I started to read this when it was first published--a long time ago and still remember it as a stand-out....so trite it made my teeth hurt.

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Mar 10, 2011 John rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, adventure

Solid book. It started out a bit slow and odd and I was worried, but after about 30-40 pages the story really kicked in and the characters began to develop nicely. Nice tale with a bittersweet ending.
Looking forward to the rest of the series.

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Feb 15, 2011 Amyem added it · review of another edition

Shelves: bookcrossing

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/7...

The first 20 or so pages filled me with dread that this was one of those sterotypical bad fantasy stories but it picked up speed and got a bit better. My major complaint was that it read like a book in the middle of a series, never explaining anything. Only about two-thirds of the way through did I guess that it might be about pre-historic Ireland and not some made up country known as Isle. The map in front, despite the smattering of 'here be dragons', loo...more

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Apr 24, 2010 Edward Sargisson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The register is Tolkienesque but in a much simpler, smaller world. It is basically the story of a Demi-god, the women who loves him and the man who loves her.

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Dec 15, 2008 Jessa Slade rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In 3 words:
Poetic, argent (I love this word!), perfect.

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Nov 21, 2009 Bruce rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Unabashed fantasy tale for adults. Good airplane book.

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Mar 26, 2008 Sarah Pierce rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have read this book several times. It’s very romantic and “Lord of the Rings”-ish. Dragons are called wyverns, that sort of thing. Lyrical writing.

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Nov 15, 2010 Kendra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: z-added-in-august-2010, sci-fi-fantasy, z-read-in-nov-2010

Cute little read, gave off a child's fairy tale, LOTR feel to it. 1st in a 5 book series.

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Jun 13, 2013 Julian Whitman rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Jun 11, 2013 Penny Buck added it · review of another edition

Jun 12, 2013 Rachael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jun 05, 2013 Flare Flame marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Jun 04, 2013 Nenia Campbell marked it as kind-of-want · review of another edition

Jun 03, 2013 Coyora Dokusho marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Jun 02, 2013 Michael Pearce rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May 29, 2013 Tori rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-and-fantasy

May 26, 2013 Sam marked it as to-read

May 22, 2013 Kelley Ceccato marked it as to-read · review of another edition

May 22, 2013 Merandajade rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May 16, 2013 Caw Miller rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May 15, 2013 Kimberly Ouwerkerk rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May 09, 2013 Daniela marked it as to-read · review of another edition

May 07, 2013 Mark marked it as to-read

Shelves: mine

Apr 30, 2013 Jennifer Sisk rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Apr 30, 2013 Judy Doucet added it · review of another edition

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About Nancy Springer

BIO -- NANCY SPRINGER

Nancy Springer has passed the fifty-book milestone, having written that many novels for adults, young adults and children, in genres including mythic fantasy, contemporary fiction, magical realism, horror, and mystery -- although she did not realize she wrote mystery until she won the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America two years in succession. DARK LIE...more

More about Nancy Springer...

Books by Nancy Springer

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The Case of the Left-Handed Lady (Enola Holmes Mysteries, #2)

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets (Enola Holmes Mysteries, #3)

The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan (Enola Holmes Mysteries, #4)

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The White Hart (The Book of Isle #1)

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