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Darkhenge
It's been three months since Rob's younger sister, Chloe, fell into a coma after a riding accident, and his life is in disarray. Rob's parents spend most of their time at his sister's bedside, and his best friend is afraid to talk to Rob about Chloe. To distract himself, Rob takes a job working at a secret archaeological site, where workers have uncovered a mystical ring of black timbers. At its center an ancient tree is buried upside down in the earth--a tree with the power to transport Rob to the Unworld, where Chloe lives in a forest of enchanting dreams, trapped between life and death.
Catherine Fisher has combined a fascinating exploration of myth with a modern quest for understanding. Where is the land of the imagination? And if we found our way there, would we ever want to come back?
Catherine Fisher has combined a fascinating exploration of myth with a modern quest for understanding. Where is the land of the imagination? And if we found our way there, would we ever want to come back?
352 pages, Hardcover
First published March 3, 2005
20 people are currently reading
695 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Fisher
64 books1,609 followersCatherine Fisher was born in Newport, Wales. She graduated from the University of Wales with a degree in English and a fascination for myth and history. She has worked in education and archaeology and as a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Glamorgan. She is a Fellow of the Welsh Academy.
Catherine is an acclaimed poet and novelist, regularly lecturing and giving readings to groups of all ages. She leads sessions for teachers and librarians and is an experienced broadcaster and adjudicator. She lives in Newport, Gwent.
Catherine has won many awards and much critical acclaim for her work. Her poetry has appeared in leading periodicals and anthologies and her volume Immrama won the WAC Young Writers' Prize. She won the Cardiff International Poetry Competition in 1990.
Her first novel, The Conjuror's Game, was shortlisted for the Smarties Books prize and The Snow-Walker's Son for the W.H.Smith Award. Equally acclaimed is her quartet The Book of the Crow, a classic of fantasy fiction.
The Oracle, the first volume in the Oracle trilogy, blends Egyptian and Greek elements of magic and adventure and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Books prize. The trilogy was an international bestseller and has appeared in over twenty languages. The Candleman won the Welsh Books Council's Tir Na n'Og Prize and Catherine was also shortlisted for the remarkable Corbenic, a modern re-inventing of the Grail legend.
Her futuristic novel Incarceron was published to widespread praise in 2007, winning the Mythopoeic Society of America's Children's Fiction Award and selected by The Times as its Children's Book of the Year. The sequel, Sapphique, was published in September 2008.
Catherine is an acclaimed poet and novelist, regularly lecturing and giving readings to groups of all ages. She leads sessions for teachers and librarians and is an experienced broadcaster and adjudicator. She lives in Newport, Gwent.
Catherine has won many awards and much critical acclaim for her work. Her poetry has appeared in leading periodicals and anthologies and her volume Immrama won the WAC Young Writers' Prize. She won the Cardiff International Poetry Competition in 1990.
Her first novel, The Conjuror's Game, was shortlisted for the Smarties Books prize and The Snow-Walker's Son for the W.H.Smith Award. Equally acclaimed is her quartet The Book of the Crow, a classic of fantasy fiction.
The Oracle, the first volume in the Oracle trilogy, blends Egyptian and Greek elements of magic and adventure and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Books prize. The trilogy was an international bestseller and has appeared in over twenty languages. The Candleman won the Welsh Books Council's Tir Na n'Og Prize and Catherine was also shortlisted for the remarkable Corbenic, a modern re-inventing of the Grail legend.
Her futuristic novel Incarceron was published to widespread praise in 2007, winning the Mythopoeic Society of America's Children's Fiction Award and selected by The Times as its Children's Book of the Year. The sequel, Sapphique, was published in September 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
January 20, 2024
'No one,’ she said firmly, ‘treats me like a little girl. Not any more.’
Chloe, a deeply troubled teenager living in the shadow of her brother, a talented artist, is in hospital in a coma after a horse-riding accident on the Marlborough Downs. For a few months now her family are distraught, resorting to displacement activities – the father and mother being largely absent at work, and her brother Robert losing himself in his art – all observed by Mac, a concerned Catholic priest.
But then things come to a head when Rob becomes a paid volunteer on a nearby hush-hush archaeological dig and, almost simultaneously, is drawn willy-nilly into a New Age ritual at the Avebury stone circle, destined to help what seems to be a shape-shifting druid escape from a pursuer.
As we watch things play out in the mundane world of the chalk downs of southern Britain we start to become aware of a voice breaking into the narrative, the voice of somebody who ostensibly is lying in a coma, a state where archetypes and monsters freely roam; the voice in fact of a sleeping beauty surrounded by dark woods.
Although we might assume that Rob is the principal protagonist in Darkhenge it turns out that Chloe is the real mover and shaker. In her comatose state she believes she’s being kept prisoner in a series of castles or caers (caerau in Welsh), menaced by a forest of encroaching trees. When we realise that Chloe’s name derives from Greek χλόη, meaning spring foliage or greenery, and that the place in which she’s apparently incarcerated is called Annwn, the Welsh Otherworld often located below the earth’s surface, we start to wonder whether she is actually more a willing prisoner than one forced against her will.
Meanwhile, the man whom Rob has rescued and who calls himself Vetch emerges as a figure who appears in Welsh folklore under a different name, a personage who has supped from the cauldron of inspiration and become a shape-shifting magician and poet. Who then is the secretive director of the dig excavating a Bronze Age timber circle, one which like the so-called Seahenge discovered in Norfolk in 1998, uncovering the focus of the ritual site to be a four thousand year old tree planted upside down? Rob belatedly starts to realise that he, Chloe, Father Mac and a few others have been drawn into ancient myth and that only together with Vetch, the King of Annwn, and the poet’s female adversary do they have the faintest possibility of rescuing his sister from the limbo she’s in.
Catherine Fisher is both poet and novelist, with experience of archaeology, and as might be expected her broad interests find their way into this fantasy. In her Author’s Note she acknowledges ideas from the early medieval Book of Taliesin, the folk legend of Gwion and Ceridwen, The White Goddess by Robert Graves and the speculative writing of John Matthews; and I also note deliberate parallels from various fairytales – including 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and the Scottish chantefable of Childe Rowland – the classical legend of Persephone and Hades, and of the Siberian shaman’s spirit journey up or down the Axis Mundi or World Tree.
But she’s not merely retelling or recycling myths and fairytales: there’s far more to Darkhenge than that. This is a story of an adolescent’s growing resentment and of the harm it can and does do. It’s explicitly a tale of one young adult who’s a talented artist but who doesn’t see what’s under his nose, and of another who secretly weaves words into narratives but never voices how she feels, how she feels overlooked and dismissed:
Vetch closed the book. ‘Paintings are easy to see,’ he said after a moment. ‘Open, presented flat to the eye. Words are not easy. Words have to be discovered, deep in their pages, deciphered, translated, read. Words are symbols to be encoded, their letters trees in a forest, enmeshed, their tangled meanings never finally picked apart.’
Darkhenge is told with a passion that captures exactly the petulant young adult’s inchoate rage, the anger which when it erupts can give them the power to control and wreak revenge on those they both love and hate. It’s a powerful narrative to immerse oneself in.
February 24, 2009
When I first started reading this book, I had some problems with the mystical, dreamy, roundabout way it was written. As I got deeper into the story, I had some problems with the foundational premise of the plot. By the end of the book, I really liked it though!
This book tells the story of Rob, a boy whose sister is in a coma due to an accident. Rob's family, of course, has difficulty dealing with this situation. From there, the story intertwines bits of Welsh mythology and pieces of modern psychology as well as a bit of adventure and intrigue to make an interesting story with the deep theme of personal responsibility.
I especially enjoyed the book's emphasis on the importance and power of words which I agree with and the tie in's with Welsh mythology which I have found in a lot of the books that I have read recently.
This book tells the story of Rob, a boy whose sister is in a coma due to an accident. Rob's family, of course, has difficulty dealing with this situation. From there, the story intertwines bits of Welsh mythology and pieces of modern psychology as well as a bit of adventure and intrigue to make an interesting story with the deep theme of personal responsibility.
I especially enjoyed the book's emphasis on the importance and power of words which I agree with and the tie in's with Welsh mythology which I have found in a lot of the books that I have read recently.
September 3, 2010
When I first looked at the back cover of this edition, I sort of sneered at the review from the Sunday Times (London). "Catherine Fisher is a writer of rare talent..." Talk about a bland one-liner that says nothing. Yet here I am trying to write a review about a book that is was so absorbing, and yet so hazy and hard to describe. One thing I can say with certainty is how much I love the way Fisher excels at meshing the world around us with the world of imagination and myth. Truly, she is a magician of words. If you like Patricia McKillip, you would probably enjoy Catherine Fisher.
May 10, 2010
Most mentally internal adventures are disappointing, but this tale had internal coherence.
February 16, 2024
A local charity has taken the collection of books of someone I only vaguely knew who tragically died very young last year, and I have slowly but surely picking up as much of his collection that I can afford or haven’t already had a copy of. So much of my reading from November onwards has been from that collection and they’ve all been absolutely wonderful. And here’s another.
The title is distinctly unpromising, and aside from a personal taste issue about the dive into quite heady and manic fantasy about half way through, the book absolutely is better than that title suggests. The first half feels like a combination of the slow burning seventies kids shows like Raven and Children of the Stones, and even a touch of the Quatermass Conclusion. I won’t lie, this is the half of the book I personally enjoyed the most but it necessarily has to go out of the window when it all shifts into something like a teen friendly version of the Mythago Wood books.
There’s a lot of Alan Garner and Penelope Farmer going on in this, but Fisher’s greatest stroke of genius is to strike beyond that simple comparison and instead turn it into an exploration of Welsh mythology that allows her to tell a particularly compelling story about sibling rivalry. My only reservation is that sometimes the book feels a bit too manic to fully do justice to the ideas whizzing about, but that’s a minor quibble because it really does feel like a book that stands on the shoulders of other great books but then strikes out into something wildly unique and brilliant. It’s quite the achievement.
The title is distinctly unpromising, and aside from a personal taste issue about the dive into quite heady and manic fantasy about half way through, the book absolutely is better than that title suggests. The first half feels like a combination of the slow burning seventies kids shows like Raven and Children of the Stones, and even a touch of the Quatermass Conclusion. I won’t lie, this is the half of the book I personally enjoyed the most but it necessarily has to go out of the window when it all shifts into something like a teen friendly version of the Mythago Wood books.
There’s a lot of Alan Garner and Penelope Farmer going on in this, but Fisher’s greatest stroke of genius is to strike beyond that simple comparison and instead turn it into an exploration of Welsh mythology that allows her to tell a particularly compelling story about sibling rivalry. My only reservation is that sometimes the book feels a bit too manic to fully do justice to the ideas whizzing about, but that’s a minor quibble because it really does feel like a book that stands on the shoulders of other great books but then strikes out into something wildly unique and brilliant. It’s quite the achievement.
January 19, 2024
I loved this book so much! I kind of hated that they kept babying Chloe, even if she made it clear that she wanted to be treated like how they treated Rob, she was neglected i would say. I find her really relatable. Only Mac probably understood her, but he didn't have right to call her jealous, i mean she was but who wouldn't be jealous when you're always under your older siblings shadow? they get everything while you have to silently watch them be happy. Anyway those aside i definitely recommend this book !
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2018
This book... I am somewhat at a loss to describe how much I love this book.
First off, one of my long-time favorite genres is British Children's/YA Fantasy. Between The original Grimms & the Chronicles of Narnia, I got hooked on them really young. The Green Knowe books? Check. Chronicles of Prydain? Check. The Dark is Rising Sequence? Check, check, check. I loved them even more when they had a contemporary setting mixed with mythology & folklore, be it Celtic Pagans or Catholic saints. It's the root of my love for contemporary Urban Fantasy, which are just grown up versions of those kinds of tales. (Oddly, I got bored with epic high fantasy pretty quickly.)
Darkhenge is a masterful addition to this genre. First, major points on the incorporation of Welsh mythology - specifically, the Cerridwyn & Gwion/Taliesen myth *and* the more general Underworld Journey theme. Second, major points for realistic sibling relationships. I've got 2 brothers & 1 sister. We all love each other but we also drove each other nuts when we were kids. (Still do, truth be told). Third, the chapters are all titled with Ogham & begin with quotes from either the Song of Taliesen or The Battle of the Trees.
Other reviews have said the story seems to start off a bit slow but that's how these tales generally start. Everything is normal until something odd happens. Back to normal (or what passes for such) and then something else odd happens. Gradually, more & more odd intrudes until suddenly the main character is climbing an upside down tree into an angry forest. To be honest, I thought Darkhenge developed more quickly than average. Rob's up 2 major inexplicable events & a mysterious referral for a strange job within the first 50 pages or so.
Chloe's reaction to her "imprisonment" is a fantastic way to completely undermine the Captive Princess trope, even if I did want to choke her sometimes. I don't want to say any more than that so as not to spoil the plot but it really is wonderfully done.
Yes, the ending is a bit predictable but that's the thing with Hero's Journeys. They're not nearly so much fun when the hero fails. One could even argue that if they failed, they weren't actually heroes in the first place.
First off, one of my long-time favorite genres is British Children's/YA Fantasy. Between The original Grimms & the Chronicles of Narnia, I got hooked on them really young. The Green Knowe books? Check. Chronicles of Prydain? Check. The Dark is Rising Sequence? Check, check, check. I loved them even more when they had a contemporary setting mixed with mythology & folklore, be it Celtic Pagans or Catholic saints. It's the root of my love for contemporary Urban Fantasy, which are just grown up versions of those kinds of tales. (Oddly, I got bored with epic high fantasy pretty quickly.)
Darkhenge is a masterful addition to this genre. First, major points on the incorporation of Welsh mythology - specifically, the Cerridwyn & Gwion/Taliesen myth *and* the more general Underworld Journey theme. Second, major points for realistic sibling relationships. I've got 2 brothers & 1 sister. We all love each other but we also drove each other nuts when we were kids. (Still do, truth be told). Third, the chapters are all titled with Ogham & begin with quotes from either the Song of Taliesen or The Battle of the Trees.
Other reviews have said the story seems to start off a bit slow but that's how these tales generally start. Everything is normal until something odd happens. Back to normal (or what passes for such) and then something else odd happens. Gradually, more & more odd intrudes until suddenly the main character is climbing an upside down tree into an angry forest. To be honest, I thought Darkhenge developed more quickly than average. Rob's up 2 major inexplicable events & a mysterious referral for a strange job within the first 50 pages or so.
Chloe's reaction to her "imprisonment" is a fantastic way to completely undermine the Captive Princess trope, even if I did want to choke her sometimes. I don't want to say any more than that so as not to spoil the plot but it really is wonderfully done.
Yes, the ending is a bit predictable but that's the thing with Hero's Journeys. They're not nearly so much fun when the hero fails. One could even argue that if they failed, they weren't actually heroes in the first place.
November 18, 2014
Not, after all, my favorite book by Catherine Fisher, but there is much to admire here - as there is in all her books. 17-year-old Rob lives in Avebury, a place often swarming with archaeologists and new age hippie types. He encounters both one fateful August. The archaeologist, Clare, has uncovered a wooden henge which consists of a single tree buried upside down. The druid, Vetch, seems to think the henge is connected to Rob's little sister, Chole, who is lying in the hospital in a coma. He also seems to think that he can cure her. Could he possibly be right? Rob is desperate enough to try to find out.
There were several things I loved in this book. It's psychologically honest and spiritually open. As Rob and Chloe explore the henge, they are also exploring those emotions, and their relationship. I loved both Vetch and Mac, the Catholic priest who is a family friend and Rob's godfather. But - this is an awfully creepy book! And I'm not entirely sure I "got" Clare/Ceridwen. It was still worth reading and rereading, and, if you like fantasies about real people with real emotions, you may well enjoy it.
There were several things I loved in this book. It's psychologically honest and spiritually open. As Rob and Chloe explore the henge, they are also exploring those emotions, and their relationship. I loved both Vetch and Mac, the Catholic priest who is a family friend and Rob's godfather. But - this is an awfully creepy book! And I'm not entirely sure I "got" Clare/Ceridwen. It was still worth reading and rereading, and, if you like fantasies about real people with real emotions, you may well enjoy it.
March 2, 2011
Moved a little slow and was a bit predictable. However, the imaginary world of the Unworld was interesting and reminded me a little of the movie Inception how you moved through different caers. Definitely thought provoking about what people in comas might be experiencing.
June 30, 2010
This book is one that explores "landscapes of the mind" which is always hit or miss for me. It was imaginative and well-written but for some reason I wasn't too engaged.
May 4, 2015
Sibling rivalry and Celtic mythology mix in this YA novel Dueling Librarians reviewed for May 2015!
May 12, 2015
To read our reviews, please visit: DuelingLibrarians.net
August 27, 2017
Beyond brilliant.
March 22, 2018
Welsh to the Core, which may be a problem for some
I sympathize with those who were confused or lost by this book. I appreciate those who were willing to just go with the flow and enjoy the words and the mood. A suggestion is in order.
If you really want to enjoy this book you have to start with the tale of Taliesin and Ceridwen. Taliesin is the great poet of ancient Wales and most great Welsh story myths begin and end with him and the Mabinogion, written or compiled around the 1350's and the oldest popularly available compendium of medieval and iron age Welsh myth and poetry, some of which dates to the 900's. Not to be a wise guy but if you just look up Taliesin in Wikipedia you will find an excellent summary of the Ceridwen story. That will illuminate many of the story lines in this book. Taliesin, (actually his alter ego Gwion Bach), stole the three drops from the magic cauldron before Ceridwen could receive them and so he received wisdom enchantment, magic and divination. Then, "all too soon he heard her fury and the sound of her pursuit. He turned himself into a hare on the land and she became a greyhound. He turned himself into a fish and jumped into a river: she then turned into an otter. He turned into a bird in the air, and in response she became a hawk." See, "Darkhenge" is starting to make sense, and we can start following Taliesin/Vetch and Ceridwen/Clare and so on.
The other thing going on is this. Almost all of the stories in the Mabinogion, the Red Book, the White Book and so on are fragments. You can read them over and over; you can read them in the original Welsh, but they don't have traditional beginnings and middles and ends. They aren't internally consistent. They have a non-linear, confusing, pasted together feeling. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and enjoy the "feel" of the story. That's why you have reviewers complaining of the same sort of thing with this book. That episodic, ambiguous, vaguely confused feeling arises naturally from the underlying material.
This isn't like turning "Romeo and Juliet" into "West Side Story". Your source material is just mismatched pieces. That's why people can make books and movies about Arthur that are all over the place - the Arthur stories are all over the place. And having a character named "Merlin" isn't enough. This is always a problem with modernizing and redoing the Welsh tales. There have been some notable successes: Susan Cooper's "Dark Is Rising" sequence, Jenny Nimmo's "Magician Trilogy", some parts of Lloyd Alexander's books, Alan Garner's "The Owl Service", and a host of lesser efforts.
In that light this book does a remarkably good job of staying close to the Ceridwen story and emulating the mood and story telling thrust of the originals, while bringing the story up to date for modern sensibilities. (By the way, all of the tree bits come from "The Battle of the Trees" an epic Welsh poem about a mighty battle that sets out the bravery, courage, strength and weaknesses of all the different types of trees that participated. It is a genuine masterpiece and a delight to see how it was used here.)
So, if you give up linear thinking for a while, embrace the idea of an ambiguous and episodic plot, and abandon closure in favor of inspiration, you may very well really really enjoy this book. Da darllen! (Good read!)
I sympathize with those who were confused or lost by this book. I appreciate those who were willing to just go with the flow and enjoy the words and the mood. A suggestion is in order.
If you really want to enjoy this book you have to start with the tale of Taliesin and Ceridwen. Taliesin is the great poet of ancient Wales and most great Welsh story myths begin and end with him and the Mabinogion, written or compiled around the 1350's and the oldest popularly available compendium of medieval and iron age Welsh myth and poetry, some of which dates to the 900's. Not to be a wise guy but if you just look up Taliesin in Wikipedia you will find an excellent summary of the Ceridwen story. That will illuminate many of the story lines in this book. Taliesin, (actually his alter ego Gwion Bach), stole the three drops from the magic cauldron before Ceridwen could receive them and so he received wisdom enchantment, magic and divination. Then, "all too soon he heard her fury and the sound of her pursuit. He turned himself into a hare on the land and she became a greyhound. He turned himself into a fish and jumped into a river: she then turned into an otter. He turned into a bird in the air, and in response she became a hawk." See, "Darkhenge" is starting to make sense, and we can start following Taliesin/Vetch and Ceridwen/Clare and so on.
The other thing going on is this. Almost all of the stories in the Mabinogion, the Red Book, the White Book and so on are fragments. You can read them over and over; you can read them in the original Welsh, but they don't have traditional beginnings and middles and ends. They aren't internally consistent. They have a non-linear, confusing, pasted together feeling. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and enjoy the "feel" of the story. That's why you have reviewers complaining of the same sort of thing with this book. That episodic, ambiguous, vaguely confused feeling arises naturally from the underlying material.
This isn't like turning "Romeo and Juliet" into "West Side Story". Your source material is just mismatched pieces. That's why people can make books and movies about Arthur that are all over the place - the Arthur stories are all over the place. And having a character named "Merlin" isn't enough. This is always a problem with modernizing and redoing the Welsh tales. There have been some notable successes: Susan Cooper's "Dark Is Rising" sequence, Jenny Nimmo's "Magician Trilogy", some parts of Lloyd Alexander's books, Alan Garner's "The Owl Service", and a host of lesser efforts.
In that light this book does a remarkably good job of staying close to the Ceridwen story and emulating the mood and story telling thrust of the originals, while bringing the story up to date for modern sensibilities. (By the way, all of the tree bits come from "The Battle of the Trees" an epic Welsh poem about a mighty battle that sets out the bravery, courage, strength and weaknesses of all the different types of trees that participated. It is a genuine masterpiece and a delight to see how it was used here.)
So, if you give up linear thinking for a while, embrace the idea of an ambiguous and episodic plot, and abandon closure in favor of inspiration, you may very well really really enjoy this book. Da darllen! (Good read!)
January 5, 2024
First things first - this is a disclaimer and sort of a reasoning for why I did not give this book the five stars I think it should deserve... THE MORAL WAS TOO CRYPTIC. Okay, maybe it wasn't, and I'm the dummyhead who doesn't understand metaphors and symbols and hidden meanings. But it was very hard to comprehense what the book, and the author, was trying to tell me in the end. That is the main problem for me here. And, for your information, I am in my early teens, so all the other early teens or below out there(if you're reading this review), know that this book can be slightly difficult. Unless you're smarter than me, which is probably true...
But everything else in the pages? I absolutely LOVED. Firstly Darkhenge has a complex plot with original material, even though the content is certainly some parts based on old myth. That is why, plot-wise and complexity-wise, I much prefer books like this to ones like Percy Jackson. To be fair, Darkhenge IS for a slightly older audience.
Secondly, Catherine Fisher has a unique writing style that compliments the whole book - mystical, somehow feeling like a distant tale, while also a very much ALIVE one. I especially liked the author's description(of five senses). Words and sentences are not objects, for sure, but the way this amazing wordsmith uses them makes me think that they are TEXTURED and SATURATED. Fisher manages to keep the pace steady while painting each image vividly, and beautifully. I love books that have quality description.
Thirdly. The author seems to have a sharp observation of what teenagers like Rob or Chloe are actually like, portraying them in a way that makes both of them likeable, but still realistic. I could understand and empathize with both Chloe's and Robs' intentions, even though the two had quite different characteristics. Nothing is black and white in this novel. Rather, everything is saturated uniquely.
So in conclusion.... Darkhenge is definitely worth the read, and yes, like the cover states Catherine Fisher is a brilliant writer. But I'll have to try reading again when I'm a little older.
But everything else in the pages? I absolutely LOVED. Firstly Darkhenge has a complex plot with original material, even though the content is certainly some parts based on old myth. That is why, plot-wise and complexity-wise, I much prefer books like this to ones like Percy Jackson. To be fair, Darkhenge IS for a slightly older audience.
Secondly, Catherine Fisher has a unique writing style that compliments the whole book - mystical, somehow feeling like a distant tale, while also a very much ALIVE one. I especially liked the author's description(of five senses). Words and sentences are not objects, for sure, but the way this amazing wordsmith uses them makes me think that they are TEXTURED and SATURATED. Fisher manages to keep the pace steady while painting each image vividly, and beautifully. I love books that have quality description.
Thirdly. The author seems to have a sharp observation of what teenagers like Rob or Chloe are actually like, portraying them in a way that makes both of them likeable, but still realistic. I could understand and empathize with both Chloe's and Robs' intentions, even though the two had quite different characteristics. Nothing is black and white in this novel. Rather, everything is saturated uniquely.
So in conclusion.... Darkhenge is definitely worth the read, and yes, like the cover states Catherine Fisher is a brilliant writer. But I'll have to try reading again when I'm a little older.
November 6, 2017
Do you like a book with a handful of twists, it's your lucky day this book will keep you on your toes and you will want to keep reading, trust me! The story takes place in the present and there is several places this story takes place in, such as Rob's house, the park, work/digging station. etc. The main characters are Rob and his sister Chloe. Rob is an outgoing teenager who went to work to get his mind off of his sister, she is in a coma. Chloe, is Rob's sister and she is in a coma, it is foreshadowed that she is happy where she is because she is finally out of Rob's shadow.
There is some very good use of Aha-moment. Rob had one of these Aha-moments himself. He found out in the story that his sister's coma has something to do with what he is doing at the work sight. Another from Rob is when he found out that Vetch could help him and his family get Chloe back. An example is: "'And since then,' Vetch murmured, his voice husky, 'she has lain between waking and sleeping, between life and death. She has fallen into Annwn. The Unworld.'
Rob pulled away. The trees were crackling. An electric tingle seemed to be crawling all over his nerves and scalp. Vetch stepped after him, close up. 'And I know how that makes you feel, all your weary hours, your dreams, the long silences in the house, the unspoken grief like a weight no one can take from you.'
They looked at each other. 'No,' Rob said tightly. 'No you don't.'"
A reason I like this book is it is suspenseful and keeps my attention. A reason I did not like this book is it is very confusing in the first quarter of the book, ther eus many things being explained at the same time, but it was all wrapped up eventually. This book was pretty predictable in the case of the ending, you king of tell what was going to happen. I would recommend this to a friend because most do not like to read so this book will keep their attention and make them want to read 'til t he end.
There is some very good use of Aha-moment. Rob had one of these Aha-moments himself. He found out in the story that his sister's coma has something to do with what he is doing at the work sight. Another from Rob is when he found out that Vetch could help him and his family get Chloe back. An example is: "'And since then,' Vetch murmured, his voice husky, 'she has lain between waking and sleeping, between life and death. She has fallen into Annwn. The Unworld.'
Rob pulled away. The trees were crackling. An electric tingle seemed to be crawling all over his nerves and scalp. Vetch stepped after him, close up. 'And I know how that makes you feel, all your weary hours, your dreams, the long silences in the house, the unspoken grief like a weight no one can take from you.'
They looked at each other. 'No,' Rob said tightly. 'No you don't.'"
A reason I like this book is it is suspenseful and keeps my attention. A reason I did not like this book is it is very confusing in the first quarter of the book, ther eus many things being explained at the same time, but it was all wrapped up eventually. This book was pretty predictable in the case of the ending, you king of tell what was going to happen. I would recommend this to a friend because most do not like to read so this book will keep their attention and make them want to read 'til t he end.
March 27, 2020
This book is a slightly unusual story that blends a bit of Celtic mythology with a kind of alternate world romp. The Welsh legend of Gwionbach and Ceridwen is the inspiration for the conflict in the novel, but that legend is completely re-imagined to make something that is fresh and new.
There was also a powerful human story here - not so original, but then the best stories never are.
It was not the best novel I ever read, but I would still recommend it.
There was also a powerful human story here - not so original, but then the best stories never are.
It was not the best novel I ever read, but I would still recommend it.
June 28, 2019
it is packed with fantasy, though it should be my favoutite kind of story ,I didn't love it.
it was long.waaaaaaaaaaay long, and I didnt truly like any of the protagonists, and esp
wait! I think I actually liked the king..and his mystery self..
it was long.waaaaaaaaaaay long, and I didnt truly like any of the protagonists, and esp
wait! I think I actually liked the king..and his mystery self..
June 8, 2021
I really liked this book, except for two small things.
The author completely overused the words 'sourly' and 'growled'.
Everyone in this book either smiled 'sourly' or 'growled' an answer. Got a bit distracting.
The author completely overused the words 'sourly' and 'growled'.
Everyone in this book either smiled 'sourly' or 'growled' an answer. Got a bit distracting.
May 30, 2023
Wow. When I first picked up this book, it seemed a little boring, so I made myself give it one chapter to decide if I wanted to continue. That was all it took to drag me in and keep me reading. It is a fast read, despite the length.
August 20, 2023
Rob's younger sister lies in a coma after a riding accident. After a chance encounter with a centuries old bard, Rob must journey into the underworld to save Chloe's life. This was a decent read, a tale of sibling love and rivalry.
December 14, 2022
4.5/5
Слова очень важны в нашем мире Не пренебрегайте ими...
Слова очень важны в нашем мире Не пренебрегайте ими...
December 23, 2022
Interesting concept and imagery but the execution fell flat for me. No likeable characters and their motivations made little sense.
November 10, 2012
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
Rob's younger sister, Chloe, has been in a coma for three months. The prognosis is not good for her recovery. Rob is riddled with guilt over the fact that he has always come first in their parents' eyes. He also feels guilty that his thoughts turn to the wish that she would pass on to let everyone get on with their lives.
Then one evening he stumbles upon some New Ager-type people. They have entered a clearing outside his town and ask him for the secret word. He has no idea what they are talking about, and the only word that comes to mind is "Chloe." This is not the word they were seeking. Instead, another mysterious man enters the clearing and asks Rob for assistance. The group again seeks the magical word. This time, the mysterious man, Vetch, mutters "Darkhenge," the word that was requested.
With the entrance of Vetch, a journey begins for all involved. Vetch is from the Unworld and is trying to get back. Archeologists in Rob's town have uncovered the Darkhenge and are trying to destroy it. The unlikely group must band together to save the Darkhenge and return Vetch to his world. Vetch reveals to Rob that his sister, Chloe, is being held in the Unworld and he can help Rob return her to his world, if he helps Vetch return to Unworld.
But the quest is met with obstacles in our world and in Unworld. The quest will be challenging and dangerous in many ways. The most unexpected twist is that Chloe may not want to return to the world she knows.
DARKHENGE is an imaginative dark tale of magic and dual worlds. Each of the main characters has many demons they must face, both real and imagined. The story moves quickly to a satisfying ending. Ms. Fisher has a creative imagination that leaves the reader wanting to experience more of her work.
Rob's younger sister, Chloe, has been in a coma for three months. The prognosis is not good for her recovery. Rob is riddled with guilt over the fact that he has always come first in their parents' eyes. He also feels guilty that his thoughts turn to the wish that she would pass on to let everyone get on with their lives.
Then one evening he stumbles upon some New Ager-type people. They have entered a clearing outside his town and ask him for the secret word. He has no idea what they are talking about, and the only word that comes to mind is "Chloe." This is not the word they were seeking. Instead, another mysterious man enters the clearing and asks Rob for assistance. The group again seeks the magical word. This time, the mysterious man, Vetch, mutters "Darkhenge," the word that was requested.
With the entrance of Vetch, a journey begins for all involved. Vetch is from the Unworld and is trying to get back. Archeologists in Rob's town have uncovered the Darkhenge and are trying to destroy it. The unlikely group must band together to save the Darkhenge and return Vetch to his world. Vetch reveals to Rob that his sister, Chloe, is being held in the Unworld and he can help Rob return her to his world, if he helps Vetch return to Unworld.
But the quest is met with obstacles in our world and in Unworld. The quest will be challenging and dangerous in many ways. The most unexpected twist is that Chloe may not want to return to the world she knows.
DARKHENGE is an imaginative dark tale of magic and dual worlds. Each of the main characters has many demons they must face, both real and imagined. The story moves quickly to a satisfying ending. Ms. Fisher has a creative imagination that leaves the reader wanting to experience more of her work.
August 22, 2016
(3.5 stars) Set in England, Rob is dealing with his sister Chloe’s riding accident that has left her in a coma which is placing a terrible burden on his family. They do have support from their priest and family friend, Mac, who is Rob’s godfather. He lives in an area filled with mystical and ancient sites, such as standing stone rings. Rob’s drawing skills lead him to getting a referral to work with a secretive archeology project which he hopes will help keep his mind occupied. He is surprised to meet a curious man by the name of Vetch who is there to protect the site and has drawn a group of followers. What the lead archeologist, Clare, discovers is a timber ring that has at its center a tree that has been buried upside down. Things are not what they appear to be, however, and it is clear that the antagonism between Vetch and Clare goes far deeper than we initially think. Rob has been having odd dreams/visions about Chloe and he is drawn into a mystical quest to save her, but she may not want to be saved. This was an interesting mix of mythology, action and the challenges of childhood/becoming an adult.
January 13, 2016
***SPOILER ALERT*** I am giving you fair warning. Lol
What do I think??? When I read the inside cover I thought this book sounded pretty good. "Where is the land of imagination? And if we found our way there, would we eve want to come back?" Land of imagination my ass. It is a land where Chloe can act like a spoiled brat and try to get revenge on her brother, Rob, and it's okay.
"You say Vetch stole everything from you." Chloe turned abruptly. "Well, that make him just like Rob. He's stolen from me, thou he's too wrapped up in himself even to notice. He stole time, and people's attention from me, and respect, and maybe even love. Just by being bloody Rob. So, now I'm stealing all the same things from him. You could o that with Vetch. Couldn't you?"
Every sibling thinks the other steals attention from them. Older ones think the younger ones get all the attention and love cause they are the baby. Younger ones think older ones get to do all the cool things cause they are older. But you don't try to hurt your siblings or get revenge on them. Life isn't fair. Suck it up and get over it. Or get therapy.
What do I think??? When I read the inside cover I thought this book sounded pretty good. "Where is the land of imagination? And if we found our way there, would we eve want to come back?" Land of imagination my ass. It is a land where Chloe can act like a spoiled brat and try to get revenge on her brother, Rob, and it's okay.
"You say Vetch stole everything from you." Chloe turned abruptly. "Well, that make him just like Rob. He's stolen from me, thou he's too wrapped up in himself even to notice. He stole time, and people's attention from me, and respect, and maybe even love. Just by being bloody Rob. So, now I'm stealing all the same things from him. You could o that with Vetch. Couldn't you?"
Every sibling thinks the other steals attention from them. Older ones think the younger ones get all the attention and love cause they are the baby. Younger ones think older ones get to do all the cool things cause they are older. But you don't try to hurt your siblings or get revenge on them. Life isn't fair. Suck it up and get over it. Or get therapy.
September 8, 2008
This was a unique reading experience as it is set in the village where I live and its surrounding areas. On the first page Rob, the book's protagonist, is on Windmill Hill with his friend Dan. I couldn't help but turn my head to look at Windmill Hill out the window, a surreal experience!
I picked this book up from the teenage section at the library as I liked the title. I don't think (from looking at reviews on the internet) that it is especially aimed at teenagers, it just happens that the story evolves around a teenager. Catherine Fisher has obviously spent a great deal of time here in Avebury and its surrounds, she is familiar with its people, the bustle of tourists, the illegal camping sites where the Pagans stay, she is totally able to recreate the village in her book.
The story has all the elements I love, mystery, myth and magic, and archeology to boot. In it you'll find Taliesin, the Goddess Ceridiwen of course, the Darkhenge, which leads to the Unworld, where Rob must fight the forest to bring his sister Chloe to the family waiting for her.
I picked this book up from the teenage section at the library as I liked the title. I don't think (from looking at reviews on the internet) that it is especially aimed at teenagers, it just happens that the story evolves around a teenager. Catherine Fisher has obviously spent a great deal of time here in Avebury and its surrounds, she is familiar with its people, the bustle of tourists, the illegal camping sites where the Pagans stay, she is totally able to recreate the village in her book.
The story has all the elements I love, mystery, myth and magic, and archeology to boot. In it you'll find Taliesin, the Goddess Ceridiwen of course, the Darkhenge, which leads to the Unworld, where Rob must fight the forest to bring his sister Chloe to the family waiting for her.
March 13, 2017
Yikes. I don't know how to rate this book. I didn't really enjoy it, yet I want to read it again because I'm sure I'll enjoy it more the second time around. I think it must be like King Lear in that you don't like it the first time so you have to read it again to grasp enough of the layers to catch on. It felt a bit over my head, like it was a metaphor for something and I needed a literature scholar to guide me and tell me what to pay attention to. Toward the end, I settled on it being a metaphor for mental illness and the journey back through a therapy that involves self expression. Art and poetry. Or Christianity and Paganism. Both, really, and more. When I finished and read the author's acknowledgements, it confirmed my thoughts--That it was deeper and more metaphorical than I could grasp with a quick read. I need to read this book again and pay attention to how everything fits together. I'm giving it four stars because I don't know how to make this infernal app skip the star rating all together.
October 15, 2015
I have to admit at the beginning I really didn't like this book, simply because it was description after description and I couldn't even think about the story line and because I don't like 2nd person perspective. But by 50 pages in actually really began to like it, the concept was really unique even though it took me a while to understand the Welsh Mythology. I haven't read a fantasy in a long time so I'm surprised I read it so quick but honestly I loved it and all the characters especially the ending with the King's mask. My favourite thing however had to be how Annwn represented more than just the 'unworld' but what's deeper inside all of us and I actually thought it was so heartfelt and meaningful. Overall, it was really good but just a bit to different to what I usually read to give it 4 stars!
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