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The Door on Half-Bald Hill
"They believed they had come to the last turning of the wheel."
When the Bloodmoon rose, death came rushing into the world. Now the water is bitter, blight consumes everything, and the Crone haunts the hills.
While the Druid of Blackthorn searches desperately for hope, the Ovate returns from the underworld bringing omens of despair. But Idris, the young bard, Keeper of the Sacred Word, will walk through fire and iron to uncover a question no one has ever dared to ask--a question that carries a world of answers on its back, a question that can change everything.
But his time is short. The land is dying. And the Bloodmoon is rising again.
When the Bloodmoon rose, death came rushing into the world. Now the water is bitter, blight consumes everything, and the Crone haunts the hills.
While the Druid of Blackthorn searches desperately for hope, the Ovate returns from the underworld bringing omens of despair. But Idris, the young bard, Keeper of the Sacred Word, will walk through fire and iron to uncover a question no one has ever dared to ask--a question that carries a world of answers on its back, a question that can change everything.
But his time is short. The land is dying. And the Bloodmoon is rising again.
302 pages, Paperback
Published May 31, 2020
57 people are currently reading
1151 people want to read
About the author
Helena Sorensen
5 books231 followersHelena Sorensen grew up outside Tampa, Florida in a little backwater called Fort Lonesome. She is not making this up. As a child, she went exploring in the orange groves, searching for empty shotgun shells and fragments of broken glass. Since then, she has performed in show choirs and chamber choirs, received a degree in Music Education, written songs and poems, and traveled to Italy and Ireland. She never saw any of this coming.
She also had no idea of becoming either a mother or a writer, yet here she is, living in Nashville with two kids and four published books to her name. She ponders the humor of the divine and the strange adventure of living while she drinks kombucha on the porch and reads everything from Ursula Le Guin to Dave Barry to Betty MacDonald.
You can find her essays on her Substack, "Filaments."
She also had no idea of becoming either a mother or a writer, yet here she is, living in Nashville with two kids and four published books to her name. She ponders the humor of the divine and the strange adventure of living while she drinks kombucha on the porch and reads everything from Ursula Le Guin to Dave Barry to Betty MacDonald.
You can find her essays on her Substack, "Filaments."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
June 14, 2021
If this book were a bog i would lie down in it.
February 15, 2021
Saw Rabbit Room recommendation: “Ooh, Celtic folklore, that looks interesting!”
¼ of the way through: “Ok, this is a bit dark, and the rest of the family just fell asleep...”
½ of the way through: “Oh my, so much darkness, not sure if I’ll make it through this...”
¾ of the way through: “Good grief! Is there no end?!” **double-checking reviews** “I guess I’ll carry on... Maybe it’ll get three stars and I can re-read it when I’m older or something...”
Finished: “WHAT?! HALLELUJAH!! What a Story!!”
Ask the right Question, and the Answer rides on its back. So much depth here. I’m getting ready to preach through 1 Cor 15 which covers much of the same Truth: What if Death could die? Oh so good!!
¼ of the way through: “Ok, this is a bit dark, and the rest of the family just fell asleep...”
½ of the way through: “Oh my, so much darkness, not sure if I’ll make it through this...”
¾ of the way through: “Good grief! Is there no end?!” **double-checking reviews** “I guess I’ll carry on... Maybe it’ll get three stars and I can re-read it when I’m older or something...”
Finished: “WHAT?! HALLELUJAH!! What a Story!!”
Ask the right Question, and the Answer rides on its back. So much depth here. I’m getting ready to preach through 1 Cor 15 which covers much of the same Truth: What if Death could die? Oh so good!!
July 8, 2020
2.5 stars. I really wanted to like this book. I was excited about it when I heard about it. I think there are some great ideas and the author does a great job creating ambience. But, while being spare and grim may fit the tone of what she was aiming for, I felt there was not sufficient narrative connectivity or depth of character to make me 1) fully understand what was going on for over half the book or 2) care much about most of the characters. The enemies weren’t given enough back story to make me truly despise them or fear them or oppose them. The love interest was mute, unexplained. I often felt like I was dropped into a film after missing the first 40 minutes. Truly, I wanted to like this book and I will read more from this author in the future. But I think this one needed more development. It could be just me, but I couldn’t get avoid landing here with it.
September 10, 2024
2nd read: the beauty of this book destroyed me, especially the end. Savored it slowly in the eagle cap wilderness on a backpacking trip and got all the things I didn’t get the first time around.. cried for a while.
1st read: Not exactly sure what to say about this book.
For its insight and its beauty and wonderful strangeness... I would give it 5 stars, but I somehow felt that it did not swell to its full potential as a book and make me love the characters enough to cry for them (but maybe I did not read it carefully enough.) It's just that - it seemed to have a magic akin to Narnia, and it was very good, but it did not make me gasp with wonder, like I thought it could. So I'm giving it four stars.
In any case, Helena Sorenson has written a story full of truth and hope and sacred fire. Her skill as a writer increases with each book, and her tales fill me with fresh joy in life and the Lord. This is surely the right book for this time of sickness - a book about the defeat of death, a book about love!
I have a second thought here - I think what I missed in this book was humor! There was nothing quite funny and sparkling enough to give a great laugh. If I have not laughed with the characters, I cannot cry for them, but maybe that's just me.
1st read: Not exactly sure what to say about this book.
For its insight and its beauty and wonderful strangeness... I would give it 5 stars, but I somehow felt that it did not swell to its full potential as a book and make me love the characters enough to cry for them (but maybe I did not read it carefully enough.) It's just that - it seemed to have a magic akin to Narnia, and it was very good, but it did not make me gasp with wonder, like I thought it could. So I'm giving it four stars.
In any case, Helena Sorenson has written a story full of truth and hope and sacred fire. Her skill as a writer increases with each book, and her tales fill me with fresh joy in life and the Lord. This is surely the right book for this time of sickness - a book about the defeat of death, a book about love!
I have a second thought here - I think what I missed in this book was humor! There was nothing quite funny and sparkling enough to give a great laugh. If I have not laughed with the characters, I cannot cry for them, but maybe that's just me.
April 25, 2020
When I cease to be undone by this book, I may write an actual review. It is a masterpiece.
June 11, 2020
The first few chapters I had trouble getting my bearings, and I was a little nervous that this story would be lost on me. But the lyrical prose, truly unique setting, and the plight of the Antae quickly pulled me in. In style and content this reminds me of Anne Elisabeth Stengl, Ursula K. Le Guin, The Silmarillion, Till We Have Faces, even Beowulf. Sorensen clearly draws heavily from Celtic mythology but it also felt like a Native American tale, with its salmon and vast variety of tree species (which obviously aren't purely north American but somehow it gave off that vibe to me, which I loved).
I think this story would veer too far into the abstract or metaphorical were it not for the relentlessly vivid descriptions of the physical land of Bailelean. The plants and animals, weather and terrain are as much characters as the animate beings. I love how she weaves the daily routines of survival into the story, how the Bard, Keeper of the Word, spends so much time hunting for berries, tending the fields, caring for the sheep. For someone as in love with the intellectual and spiritual as me, it's such a powerful reminder of the importance of the physical world and how connected it is to our spiritual rituals.
I loved that, too, the depiction of the peoples' different rituals. I've become more interested in Christian rituals and just different religions in general, and the value and vices of symbolic, structured worship. Sorensen portrays it with such nuance here, showing its beauty and where it falls short.
Two other things I loved were the characters and the art. It's amazing to me how distinct the characters feel, despite there being several side characters and the relatively sparse description of each. Sorensen is a master of saying a lot with a little. And I am HERE for internal artwork that enhances the story.
But of course, what I loved most about this book are the themes it wrestles with. The inescapable loom of Death is especially pertinent now, and yet it is also universal, the great enemy in every story and age. The Tullagh Sé are the center of all our stories. The question Idris finally faces —his struggle to ask the right questions—Deidre's recurring refrain: Once. You tried once.—Idris' realizations about Corann's beliefs & the ancient ways—and oh my goodness! the theme about balance is something I've thought about a lot, especially in reference to Star Wars, and I don't want to spoil anything but ahh, thank you Helena for the way you addressed that idea.
I want more Christians to be brave enough to do this, to write Christian mythology, Christian pagan mythology. That sounds like a contradiction, but it's not. Just read this book—read C. S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces—to see what I mean. To me, having been in Christian culture all my life, it's books like these, stories where the Christian themes are less obvious and more wild, more foreign, more risky—books like these that affirm my faith the most.
(Also her vocabulary and use of language!! And the way she used recurring statements by characters to deepen themes & spark Idris' realizations ... masterful.)
I begin to understand what Deirdre was trying to say to me. I am The Keeper of the Word. Mine is the right to speak, and the necessity. It does not matter if my words defy the finality of Zinerva's message. It does not matter if they even soften the blow. I am the ollamh. I must speak.
~
“Will the wren sing to you in the morning?”
“No,” he says. “But I will sit and wait for it all the same.”
I think this story would veer too far into the abstract or metaphorical were it not for the relentlessly vivid descriptions of the physical land of Bailelean. The plants and animals, weather and terrain are as much characters as the animate beings. I love how she weaves the daily routines of survival into the story, how the Bard, Keeper of the Word, spends so much time hunting for berries, tending the fields, caring for the sheep. For someone as in love with the intellectual and spiritual as me, it's such a powerful reminder of the importance of the physical world and how connected it is to our spiritual rituals.
I loved that, too, the depiction of the peoples' different rituals. I've become more interested in Christian rituals and just different religions in general, and the value and vices of symbolic, structured worship. Sorensen portrays it with such nuance here, showing its beauty and where it falls short.
Two other things I loved were the characters and the art. It's amazing to me how distinct the characters feel, despite there being several side characters and the relatively sparse description of each. Sorensen is a master of saying a lot with a little. And I am HERE for internal artwork that enhances the story.
But of course, what I loved most about this book are the themes it wrestles with. The inescapable loom of Death is especially pertinent now, and yet it is also universal, the great enemy in every story and age. The Tullagh Sé are the center of all our stories. The question Idris finally faces —his struggle to ask the right questions—Deidre's recurring refrain: Once. You tried once.—Idris' realizations about Corann's beliefs & the ancient ways—and oh my goodness! the theme about balance is something I've thought about a lot, especially in reference to Star Wars, and I don't want to spoil anything but ahh, thank you Helena for the way you addressed that idea.
I want more Christians to be brave enough to do this, to write Christian mythology, Christian pagan mythology. That sounds like a contradiction, but it's not. Just read this book—read C. S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces—to see what I mean. To me, having been in Christian culture all my life, it's books like these, stories where the Christian themes are less obvious and more wild, more foreign, more risky—books like these that affirm my faith the most.
(Also her vocabulary and use of language!! And the way she used recurring statements by characters to deepen themes & spark Idris' realizations ... masterful.)
I begin to understand what Deirdre was trying to say to me. I am The Keeper of the Word. Mine is the right to speak, and the necessity. It does not matter if my words defy the finality of Zinerva's message. It does not matter if they even soften the blow. I am the ollamh. I must speak.
~
“Will the wren sing to you in the morning?”
“No,” he says. “But I will sit and wait for it all the same.”
May 23, 2020
Just brilliant. I'm in awe of this book.
September 30, 2020
The Door On Half-Bald Hill is a story that runs in shades of sepia and vignettes. I haven't read a book with such dark undertones before. Idris is the bard of Blackthorn, who is burdened with the responsibility towards his people. The hills are haunted, the hills are 'hers'. The water is bitter and the crops are dying. Amidst all, the blood moon is rising again.
With a mist of folklore laden with mythology, this book treads a rather unusual path around the outskirts of general literature.
The world building is fabulously imaginative, however it required some time to grasp the whole thing as the story starts off without any introduction or hint to its basic background. There is a map in the beginning, so that helped a lot in visualizing the storyverse.
The language and narrative style used is rather cryptic at times. It was working out for me initially but I soon got used to it. And the cover illustration is beautiful. I didn't realise there were illustrations in between pages so those were real surprise to me. Honestly, holding the book felt like holding an ancient grimoire. The pages are all unevenly cut and rough around the edges. And the cover has french flaps.
If you like the works of Sarah Perry, Sarah Moss and Danny Denton, then this book is definitely for you. Once you reach the ending, you won't be able to stop thinking about it.
With a mist of folklore laden with mythology, this book treads a rather unusual path around the outskirts of general literature.
The world building is fabulously imaginative, however it required some time to grasp the whole thing as the story starts off without any introduction or hint to its basic background. There is a map in the beginning, so that helped a lot in visualizing the storyverse.
The language and narrative style used is rather cryptic at times. It was working out for me initially but I soon got used to it. And the cover illustration is beautiful. I didn't realise there were illustrations in between pages so those were real surprise to me. Honestly, holding the book felt like holding an ancient grimoire. The pages are all unevenly cut and rough around the edges. And the cover has french flaps.
If you like the works of Sarah Perry, Sarah Moss and Danny Denton, then this book is definitely for you. Once you reach the ending, you won't be able to stop thinking about it.
January 1, 2021
This book was out of my comfort zone. It was bleak and hard for 90% of it, but there were glimmers of hope. The ending made reading the rest worth it.
September 9, 2020
This book was so bleak and so uneventful for so long. I couldn't muster much care-about-this for Idris or his friends. The story felt small and claustrophobic on this tiny island with so few inhabitants. There's no adventure when no one goes anywhere or meets anyone new. The villagers talk of the battles they fought against the Fir Bolg and the warriors and heroes they used to have. Now that sounds like a story. Compared with heated battle against semi-immortal invaders, a creeping bog and a goth girl with an owl don't make for very interesting antagonists.
My largest complaint with this book (as with so many newer books I've read lately) is that it is written in first person, present tense. I can't understand why so many authors are writing books this way because it never feels organic or true. Who is Idris talking to? Or is he literally writing the book as the events unfold? Is he carrying a journal around with him and writing everything he sees in present tense? (Is that why Muriel won't talk to him?) It's such a strange way to tell a story.
The words of the book are beautiful. The descriptions are vivid, the vocabulary provides perfect connotation, the prose flows elegantly. Looking past the first person, present tense problem, the writing itself is exceptional. I just wish something interesting would have happened and then gotten written about in past tense.
My largest complaint with this book (as with so many newer books I've read lately) is that it is written in first person, present tense. I can't understand why so many authors are writing books this way because it never feels organic or true. Who is Idris talking to? Or is he literally writing the book as the events unfold? Is he carrying a journal around with him and writing everything he sees in present tense? (Is that why Muriel won't talk to him?) It's such a strange way to tell a story.
The words of the book are beautiful. The descriptions are vivid, the vocabulary provides perfect connotation, the prose flows elegantly. Looking past the first person, present tense problem, the writing itself is exceptional. I just wish something interesting would have happened and then gotten written about in past tense.
January 3, 2021
I was eager to read this after hearing Helena Sorensen speak during the Hutchmoot Conference, 2020. Sorensen's writing is strong and I look forward to watching her develop as a writer. I was surprised by the length of darkness, and the lack of joy in the story. I was co-reading this with my granddaughter, who's in another state, and was concerned about the length of darkness one spends in the story. By the 5th chapter I told her I was pretty certain there would be an encounter with the true light. What I didn't expect was how long it was going to take to reach the light. If I could make a comparison, the story and pacing felt similar to "The Dun Cow," by Walter Wangerin. I would recommend for 14 and up.
November 10, 2020
Surprised by this. Popped up in our audible cue... so I threw it on for a long drive.
At first, I was dismayed by all the druid/witch crafty language.
However, the farther the story travels, the deeper you see that the conversation is a vital one – old myth versus new myth, faith versus corruption...
Doesn't hurt that Andrew Peterson is a big fan.
Lovely to get in a different stream of myths after all the Greek/Roman/etc I've been in lately.
I quite liked it. Will have to start over in a year and enjoy the beginning more.
At first, I was dismayed by all the druid/witch crafty language.
However, the farther the story travels, the deeper you see that the conversation is a vital one – old myth versus new myth, faith versus corruption...
Doesn't hurt that Andrew Peterson is a big fan.
Lovely to get in a different stream of myths after all the Greek/Roman/etc I've been in lately.
I quite liked it. Will have to start over in a year and enjoy the beginning more.
June 29, 2020
A lovely, Christ-haunted story of pain and sorrow, and the audacity of redemption and sacrificial grace, all wrapped in rich world-building details. Sorensen has completely hit the mark here! I highly recommend this to fans of Ursula Le Guin, Jeffrey Overstreet, and C.S. Lewis. Wow!
Want to read
June 26, 2020Mentioned in WORLD here.
October 6, 2024
original review January 2021:
Well-worth being my first full read of 2021. This book is at root allegorical, but it sneaks up on you so gradually that when you realize it it's not an "oh okay cool now I know exactly what's going to happen" but more of an "oh. OH. OHHHHH I know exactly what's going on and it's truth! and beauty! and light in the dark! and the true root of stories!!" and then you come to the last part and you're just weeping in joy and awe at both the story itself AND what it parallels, and you close the book thanking God for what He has done for this dark and dying world.
The characters stand alone just as much as they stand in their allegorical nature, making this book a literary joy in many ways, but I'm still in awe of the Biblical parallels so I'm just going to record those here, though they are major plot spoilers. Go read the book and seek them out for yourself, it's so worth it and I am not doing it justice by any stretch of the imagination.
This is the kind of fiction you read slowly, because it moves slowly, but that allows you to ruminate on what is being played out and what Truth it is illuminating. If I write a reading recap for 2021, this is going to top the list.
Well-worth being my first full read of 2021. This book is at root allegorical, but it sneaks up on you so gradually that when you realize it it's not an "oh okay cool now I know exactly what's going to happen" but more of an "oh. OH. OHHHHH I know exactly what's going on and it's truth! and beauty! and light in the dark! and the true root of stories!!" and then you come to the last part and you're just weeping in joy and awe at both the story itself AND what it parallels, and you close the book thanking God for what He has done for this dark and dying world.
The characters stand alone just as much as they stand in their allegorical nature, making this book a literary joy in many ways, but I'm still in awe of the Biblical parallels so I'm just going to record those here, though they are major plot spoilers. Go read the book and seek them out for yourself, it's so worth it and I am not doing it justice by any stretch of the imagination.
This is the kind of fiction you read slowly, because it moves slowly, but that allows you to ruminate on what is being played out and what Truth it is illuminating. If I write a reading recap for 2021, this is going to top the list.
July 1, 2021
I expected (and wanted) to like this book more than I did. There's a lot to appreciate—the mythic quality of the storytelling, the themes of death and resurrection, the design of the book itself. But somehow I never got swept up in the story.
The lack of conflict and interiority left me feeling detached from the characters and at times even doubting their existence (for most of the novel I suspected that the love interest was a ghost or some other gimmick, since she was given so little substance). The protagonist often felt like a passive observer to an unfolding narrative, rather than a key agent of its progression.
Given the pristine prose and the beauty of the meta-narrative, a part of me still wants to recommend this book as a corrective to the trashiness of so much modern YA fantasy. I appreciate Rabbit Room and Helena Sorensen's offering of an alternative story. However, I still feel that the novel falls short of its potential.
The lack of conflict and interiority left me feeling detached from the characters and at times even doubting their existence (for most of the novel I suspected that the love interest was a ghost or some other gimmick, since she was given so little substance). The protagonist often felt like a passive observer to an unfolding narrative, rather than a key agent of its progression.
Given the pristine prose and the beauty of the meta-narrative, a part of me still wants to recommend this book as a corrective to the trashiness of so much modern YA fantasy. I appreciate Rabbit Room and Helena Sorensen's offering of an alternative story. However, I still feel that the novel falls short of its potential.
February 26, 2021
One of the best World-building books I’ve read, and perhaps the most artistically well-written novel I’ve read since “All The Light We Cannot See.” (Although, obviously, not to that level.) Reminded me of those early Lawhead novels, especially in (without spoiling) how Sorensen’s Christian worldview came in the story without the story including Christianity.
The only con I can say is that, much like “All The Light We Cannot See” sometimes the story isn’t as clear because of the artistic decisions that are made. In fact - I would have a hard time explaining some of the plot points and characters. I think on a re-read that would be easier and possibly even be potential favorite of mine.
The only con I can say is that, much like “All The Light We Cannot See” sometimes the story isn’t as clear because of the artistic decisions that are made. In fact - I would have a hard time explaining some of the plot points and characters. I think on a re-read that would be easier and possibly even be potential favorite of mine.
January 20, 2021
A very beautifully written story. Full of folklore and druids and bards... loved how it slowly unraveled and gave insights that honestly have impacted me and how I think about so many things. It has deepened even my understanding spiritually. I will not spoil the book though :)
My reasoning for not giving it a full 5 stars...It has a creepy element to it which I’m not used to in my usual perusal of books. I had to keep reading many nights in order to end on a lighter passage! ;-) But...there is light in this book as well and I think it has truths I will be unpacking in my mind for many weeks to come.
I listened to the audio book and the reader is wonderful to listen to! I would like to go back and reread to see how certain names are spelled, capture some quotes, and see the illustrations. But I still highly recommend the audio book.
My reasoning for not giving it a full 5 stars...It has a creepy element to it which I’m not used to in my usual perusal of books. I had to keep reading many nights in order to end on a lighter passage! ;-) But...there is light in this book as well and I think it has truths I will be unpacking in my mind for many weeks to come.
I listened to the audio book and the reader is wonderful to listen to! I would like to go back and reread to see how certain names are spelled, capture some quotes, and see the illustrations. But I still highly recommend the audio book.
May 1, 2023
The story was really hard to get into. I felt like there was nothing familiar to grasp onto, the names of absolutely everything in life had been changed and it was hard to keep straight. But it did get better as the book went on. I listened to the audiobook and did not like the narrator and I feel like if I had read it myself I might have enjoyed it more. I might give that a try now that I have more of an understanding of that world.
September 12, 2020
4.5 stars
December 14, 2024
Okay. My first read through, I put the book down at about 1/3 of the way through. However, I felt the urge to keep reading. I picked it up again and pushed through a few more chapters, as I really wanted to give this book a chance. Slowly, I became more invested into the world, the characters and the plot which did pick up about 2/3s of the way through. Then I got sucked in and couldn't stop reading.
Let me tell you what I think overall:
The positives:
-The artwork throughout this book is absolutely stunning, it really snatched my attention. The cover is simple, a hand drawn kind of print with a shadowy color palette and a splash of red. The simple dark sketches in the book and the scarcely placed full page illustrations are really beautiful and atmospheric.
-The chapters are short, concise and easy to plow through. I appreciated the simplistic flow of the style.
-I like the concept and approach, a small village tribe that covers different aspects to spiritually. The concept of death and playing around with its themes interested me. Can death be conquered? And this book sets out to answer that question, most discreetly I'll add.
-A lot of the language and prose is lovely, it kept me entranced throughout. I could definitely see subtle places where the writing really shined with world-building and tiny details. The rural dark forest village felt nestled in the middle of hills of secrets and mysteries, with its own lore, history and legends. I loved the old timey language, the details. It was so atmospheric, I can feel the genre really being utilized to its fullest.
-I loved the tiny sprinkling of Christian themes toward 2/3 mark of the book, I just wish they had been more present at the beginning. I thought the ending was fantastic, those last few chapters were brillant. I love the metaphors and the way the power and transformative nature of God was employed here, very subtle but very beautiful. I love how Idris "discovers" this new ancient and old power and is so curious about what it is, as if the Holy Spirit was drawing him. Great.
Negatives:
-This book, while a good read, felt far too long, as if the author could have cut about 50 pages or so to make it a more enjoyable experience.
-The book was a tad confusing and even jarring at the beginning. I was left wondering when the plot was going to start. The pacing is very slow, it does pick up and get really good, but it took a while for us to get there. There was a lot of farming routine and rural life descriptions.
-I was lefting longing for a tad more. I wanted more action and more of a fight with the banshee/crone? I feel they were almost an after thought that became more prominent as the story went on. But I do feel confused on certain aspects. Why was the woman hooked with the iron branch to the tree, it isn't explained other than that's how it always was, that she was a prisoner. I'm glad we came back to her at the end but I couldn't help but wonder if I would have felt more invested in her as a character if she has been more present towards the beginning of the book. She only shows up towards the 3/3 courter of the book.
-Some aspects feel underused. The absorbing trees or the Sixth Hill were details I wanted to feel more immersed in. The trees felt as though they were a last half of the book detail and the Sixth Hill was always an exciting location, but one we didn't get to see very much of.
-While I loved the characters and their dynamics, there does seem to be an overcrowding problem, where I would forget who was who sometimes or the side characters felt slightly hollow. The descriptions didn't feel very clear, other than Cornann and Zinerva who I could picture very clearly. If we had sunken into fewer characters a tad more, the story and eventual healing of Blackthorn could have been a more satisfying conclusion I think. I wished Muriel and Idris would have gotten more screen time together. Underused side plot, I think, with the romance.
-The magic system didn’t feel properly explained nor the customs other than these were things passed down from the ancestors. The Celtic rituals felt a tad overbearing and hard to follow, but I eventually understood the point.
-I originally picked this book up because it came up in Christian mythology/inspiration in the recommendations and reviews. While yes, it is there a little, more particularly toward the end, I would have loved the themes and ideas to be more consistent, or enter into the story earlier.
These are my final thoughts on it.
Let me tell you what I think overall:
The positives:
-The artwork throughout this book is absolutely stunning, it really snatched my attention. The cover is simple, a hand drawn kind of print with a shadowy color palette and a splash of red. The simple dark sketches in the book and the scarcely placed full page illustrations are really beautiful and atmospheric.
-The chapters are short, concise and easy to plow through. I appreciated the simplistic flow of the style.
-I like the concept and approach, a small village tribe that covers different aspects to spiritually. The concept of death and playing around with its themes interested me. Can death be conquered? And this book sets out to answer that question, most discreetly I'll add.
-A lot of the language and prose is lovely, it kept me entranced throughout. I could definitely see subtle places where the writing really shined with world-building and tiny details. The rural dark forest village felt nestled in the middle of hills of secrets and mysteries, with its own lore, history and legends. I loved the old timey language, the details. It was so atmospheric, I can feel the genre really being utilized to its fullest.
-I loved the tiny sprinkling of Christian themes toward 2/3 mark of the book, I just wish they had been more present at the beginning. I thought the ending was fantastic, those last few chapters were brillant. I love the metaphors and the way the power and transformative nature of God was employed here, very subtle but very beautiful. I love how Idris "discovers" this new ancient and old power and is so curious about what it is, as if the Holy Spirit was drawing him. Great.
Negatives:
-This book, while a good read, felt far too long, as if the author could have cut about 50 pages or so to make it a more enjoyable experience.
-The book was a tad confusing and even jarring at the beginning. I was left wondering when the plot was going to start. The pacing is very slow, it does pick up and get really good, but it took a while for us to get there. There was a lot of farming routine and rural life descriptions.
-I was lefting longing for a tad more. I wanted more action and more of a fight with the banshee/crone? I feel they were almost an after thought that became more prominent as the story went on. But I do feel confused on certain aspects. Why was the woman hooked with the iron branch to the tree, it isn't explained other than that's how it always was, that she was a prisoner. I'm glad we came back to her at the end but I couldn't help but wonder if I would have felt more invested in her as a character if she has been more present towards the beginning of the book. She only shows up towards the 3/3 courter of the book.
-Some aspects feel underused. The absorbing trees or the Sixth Hill were details I wanted to feel more immersed in. The trees felt as though they were a last half of the book detail and the Sixth Hill was always an exciting location, but one we didn't get to see very much of.
-While I loved the characters and their dynamics, there does seem to be an overcrowding problem, where I would forget who was who sometimes or the side characters felt slightly hollow. The descriptions didn't feel very clear, other than Cornann and Zinerva who I could picture very clearly. If we had sunken into fewer characters a tad more, the story and eventual healing of Blackthorn could have been a more satisfying conclusion I think. I wished Muriel and Idris would have gotten more screen time together. Underused side plot, I think, with the romance.
-The magic system didn’t feel properly explained nor the customs other than these were things passed down from the ancestors. The Celtic rituals felt a tad overbearing and hard to follow, but I eventually understood the point.
-I originally picked this book up because it came up in Christian mythology/inspiration in the recommendations and reviews. While yes, it is there a little, more particularly toward the end, I would have loved the themes and ideas to be more consistent, or enter into the story earlier.
These are my final thoughts on it.
June 18, 2020
A gorgeous, haunting allegory that stands outside the traditional realm of “Christian fantasy”.
The poetic style of narration took me a while to catch on to, and I do find myself wishing the book was longer in some places: more detailed about the characters and happenings. However, I respect Sorenson’s choice of narrative style and found it fit the story well.
This book thrums with hope and the constant reminder that Death can be defeated and that there is, as Tolkien said, light and beauty forever beyond its reach.
The poetic style of narration took me a while to catch on to, and I do find myself wishing the book was longer in some places: more detailed about the characters and happenings. However, I respect Sorenson’s choice of narrative style and found it fit the story well.
This book thrums with hope and the constant reminder that Death can be defeated and that there is, as Tolkien said, light and beauty forever beyond its reach.
April 17, 2021
The Door on Half-Bald Hill came highly recommended to me, by a variety of people, and yet, I came away from it confused and a bit frustrated. The language and the writing is beautiful, yet the narrative was confusing.
Maybe I'm a bit slow. I'm willing to admit that I might not be smart enough to enjoy this level of literature (I've tried reading Lord of the Rings multiple times, and I have yet to complete that either), so maybe it is just me. Either way, I treated finishing this book as some sort of chore, having made it 50% into it, deciding to pick it back up and complete it over the last week or so.
If you like fantasy and Irish folk tales, you'll probably enjoy this. But since I don't have a working knowledge of either of those things, a glossary of terms would have helped, and maybe a quick character summary in the beginning.
Don't get me wrong, the writing was lovely, poetic, and beautiful. But it was definitely not for me.
Maybe I'm a bit slow. I'm willing to admit that I might not be smart enough to enjoy this level of literature (I've tried reading Lord of the Rings multiple times, and I have yet to complete that either), so maybe it is just me. Either way, I treated finishing this book as some sort of chore, having made it 50% into it, deciding to pick it back up and complete it over the last week or so.
If you like fantasy and Irish folk tales, you'll probably enjoy this. But since I don't have a working knowledge of either of those things, a glossary of terms would have helped, and maybe a quick character summary in the beginning.
Don't get me wrong, the writing was lovely, poetic, and beautiful. But it was definitely not for me.
July 27, 2022
This book is absolutely gorgeous, in art, theme, prose, and concept. I have nothing but glowing praise!
“But how can I tell of the Tír Ársa that was? Of the days before the coming of the Fir Bolg? Once, the telling was sweet. Now I taste nothing but the bitterness of the path ahead.
I close my eyes, open them. Sighing, I begin.”
Do you see what I’m saying? The prose reminds me a lot of Tolkien and the way he wrote, and in my eyes that’s a high compliment. Also like Tolkien, the book is a bit of a slow burn. It isn’t flashy or punchy, but it takes its time to go deeper, not wider. It’s very contemplative and thoughtful, but it also has great characters to get attached to and a really subtle and interesting soft magic system. You almost wouldn’t call it a magic system at first, because it’s so soft spoken, but I think it’s executed really well.
Go check out the rest of my review on my YouTube channel, Eucatastrophe Books!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nLit...
“But how can I tell of the Tír Ársa that was? Of the days before the coming of the Fir Bolg? Once, the telling was sweet. Now I taste nothing but the bitterness of the path ahead.
I close my eyes, open them. Sighing, I begin.”
Do you see what I’m saying? The prose reminds me a lot of Tolkien and the way he wrote, and in my eyes that’s a high compliment. Also like Tolkien, the book is a bit of a slow burn. It isn’t flashy or punchy, but it takes its time to go deeper, not wider. It’s very contemplative and thoughtful, but it also has great characters to get attached to and a really subtle and interesting soft magic system. You almost wouldn’t call it a magic system at first, because it’s so soft spoken, but I think it’s executed really well.
Go check out the rest of my review on my YouTube channel, Eucatastrophe Books!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nLit...
May 27, 2023
I think this is one of those books that improves on subsequent readings. Full disclosure: I spent the entire first half trying to decide whether or not I was going to abandon it. But I pushed through, and I'm glad I did.
This isn't a book for all seasons. In many ways, it reminded me of Hamlet -- an extended meditation on death. But in The Door on Half-Bald Hill, death has not yet been defeated.
If I had known what I was getting into, I wouldn't have chosen this book for this moment. But sometimes the random selections turn out well. I'll be adding this one to my "re-read in a couple years" list.
This isn't a book for all seasons. In many ways, it reminded me of Hamlet -- an extended meditation on death. But in The Door on Half-Bald Hill, death has not yet been defeated.
If I had known what I was getting into, I wouldn't have chosen this book for this moment. But sometimes the random selections turn out well. I'll be adding this one to my "re-read in a couple years" list.
June 26, 2022
The Door on Half-Bald Hill is one of the strangest and most beautiful stories I’ve ever read. The only other work I can compare it to is CS Lewis’s Till We Have Faces. The ancient Irish setting was strange to me (as much as I love modern Ireland), but it pulled me in and made itself understood. The story’s presentation of Gospel truths in a foreign tongue captivated me, and I was compelled to accompany Idris all along his journey to find the right question. I recommend this book to all readers who are curious and have a desire for truth.
October 26, 2020
I finished it even though I really needed a companion book/glossary to understand much of the text. Sadly this book went over my head, but I kept reading to see if it would somehow make more sense as I went on. I didn’t have a good reason to dislike the antagonist or a compelling connection to the protagonist.
October 13, 2021
I'm shocked this book has such high ratings. I loved the atmosphere, but the characters were flat. The prose was underdeveloped. Based on the other reviews I read I kept waiting for a satisfying conclusion, and was disappointed by what was a very mediocre ending. I would love to read more books by this slash these authors if they showed a little bit more development of characters and prose.
July 18, 2020
“‘You have never learned, Idris, how to ask a proper question. You wait for me to illuminate the mysteries of earth and sky, of time and eternity. But you could have already grown wise. A well-packed question carries its answer on its back.’” p. 58
June 25, 2020
Why are you reading this review? You should be reading the book!!!
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