Belin's Hill

by Catherine Fisher

Huw is supposed to be the lucky one. He survived. But when he tries to start a new life - after tragedy has ripped his old one apart - he finds he can't shake off the past. Strange dreams and weird visions seep into his waking moments until real life becomes a living nightmare, and Huw knows he has no choice but to come face to face with the mysterious myth of Belin's Hill and bury its legacy for good.

Genres: Fantasy

144 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 5, 1997

About the author

Catherine 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.

Reviews

[Robert]

Early on I was a bit sceptical about this book. It had all the hallmarks of a type of fantasy that has arguably been overdone - that is, the book inspired by Celtic myth. Perhaps the all-time grandmaster, as well as early pioneer of this type of work was Alan Garner, whom Fisher told me was a big influence. I could see that influence here. I felt that I could be in for something not all that interesting. As it went along, however it developed a very atmospheric tone - an atmosphere of spookiness and terror and menace that ratcheted up with every incident.

THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN CURTAILED IN PROTEST AT GOODREADS' CENSORSHIP POLICY

See the complete review here:

http://arbieroo.booklikes.com/post/75...

[Kimberley Warner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just couldn't get into this book. I can tell it was one of her early ones, because the way she used the multiple points of view just was a bit messy and all over the show compared to the other stuff I've read from her; the writing itself also wasn't that great. The story was interesting enough, but the way it was put together just kind of left me feeling a bit 'meh'. I didn't really care for the characters either.

In short, this book is just kind of average and I doubt I will read it again.

[Sha]

Quasi-Review from like 2005 I'm copying in here so I won't lose it:

Story about an ancient curse on a family which makes the people go crazy- ghosts messing with their heads. VERY creepy story. Especially the part about the stolen head. I mean... Sheesh. I knew it'd be hard to get rid of... but the way she writes! It's incredible! It's not scary, really... at least it's not gore and blood scary. It's mind scary.

2020 Note

I can't remember a single goddamned thing about this book and it's annoying me.

[Lauren White · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just too weird, with a serious lack of explanation. It read very fast, and I enjoyed the read, but knew when there was not enough of the book left that the ending would be crap. I do not appreciate the just a dream ending.

[Maria Kramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Usually, I love Catherine Fisher's writing, but I just could not get into this one. May revisit at another time.