Spellfall is Katherine Roberts' second published novel.
The first thing to say is that the quality and the magic are as good
as ever. She has succeeded once more in creating characters that leap
from the page with their vivacity. Unlike Eoin Colfer and Rowling,
Roberts never ever lets the structure or the set-up get in the way of the story
- the pace is dictated by the story nott the structure. Unlike Harry
Potter, you can't really predict what's going to happen in the end (i.e. -
there's only two weeks of the Hogwarts term left, so Harry must bump into
Voldemort or one of his allies soon). Katherine Roberts is also an expert
on replicating adolescent boys, who seem intent on creating trouble, but who
conceal previously unrecognised reserves of valour when called upon. We don't
have the uneasy, constructed 'evil' of Artemis Fowl here, with his noxious
chemicals and dubious morality. Katherine Roberts' books haven't yet
taken off in the same way, but publishers are recognising her quality (they're
certainly in the process of publishing her books in quantity). I have no
doubt that Katherine Roberts' fiction will incrementally gain more
readers. There's no need for hype to sell her books: she has that magic
substance called quality aplenty.
Like Song Quest, Katherine Roberts has created an
ensemble cast in Spellfall. Although Natalie is the main heroine, the
characters around her, like Tim, Jo, and Merlin are just as
appealing. In this way, the dynamics of Roberts' fiction resembles that
of C. S. Lewis' s Narnia tales, but without Lewis's Christian mythologising and
outdated beastliness (although there are plenty of magical beasts in Roberts'
works - more of this later). Natalie's mother died when she was very
young, leaving her father distraught. Despite his very evident
alcoholism, Mr. Marlins has managed to remarry, but has a very uneasy
relationship with his stepson, Tim. There does not seem to be an awful
lot going for the Marlins, and you wonder just how far Julie's patience may
last. With its open discussion of topics such as alcoholism and family
tensions, Katherine Roberts manages to create a setting that is far more
realistic than the artificial, petty cruelties of Privet Drive. Natalie
is never locked away in a cupboard by her family - the torments and stresses of
her family life are far more present and universal. Natalie's family
isn't perfect, but there is an underlying bond of love that keeps them all
together. It's only when Natalie has been kidnapped that like Dorothy,
she finally realises that there's no place like home (even if it's as
monochrome and dusty as Kansas). As the book itself says, it takes a
crisis like this to bring a family together. Mr. Marlins sobers himself
up and tries to do his best, and even Tim is stirred into action and
responsibility on behalf of a stepsister to whom he has only shown antipathy
before.
Natalie has been kidnapped by a Spellclave, under
the control of a vile predator called Hawk. She presumes that she is to
be ransomed (not that her family has anything of wealth to give in exchange -
Julie only ever has enough money for food). Hawk's accomplice would seem
to be his geeky son, Merlin. But Merlin thinks he's even more
trapped than Natalie, and only experiences some sort of freedom when playing
with his computer. Natalie soon learns that she has a previously untapped
Earthaven inheritance, passed down via her dead mother, who was a
Spellmage. Natalie is incredulous at first upon discovering a Spellbank
in a supermarket car park, and that anything miraculous can happen from
something resembling a crisp packet, but Merlin's anxiety is so real that she
is forced to believe. Merlin reveals that he is trapped because Hawk has
control of his familiar, a mouse called Redeye. This threat is only too
real: the familiar of Merlin's mother was a little canary. Hawk cut off
one of the canary's toes as a punishment for a minor infraction, but the canary
died of shock. Unable to live without her familiar, Merlin's mother
killed herself. Now Hawk believes that he has hold of Natalie's familiar,
in the form of a spider called Itsy.
Spurred on by Natalie, Merlin summons up the
courage to make a bid for escape from the Spellclave Lodge. Pursued
by the sinister bird of prey called Hunter, they find themselves forced to flee
into Earthaven itself. They're discovered by the fearsome Magehound
called K'tanaqui, who leads them to safety. Despite Merlin's apprehension
about the dog (because he's a Caster, and Magehounds hate Casters), Natalie
quickly forms a bond with the dog. They soon meet the formidable Lord
Pveriyan, whom Merlin also regards apprehensively, knowing full well how
disliked Casters are in Earthaven. The two youngsters are soon taken to
Oq, the magnificent Soultree within whose branches the Spellmages live.
Oq is a magnificent, living creature, which stands at the very heart of
Spellfall culture. When a Soultree dies, Spellfall occurs: seeds in the
form of magic spells fall to the earth, but only its most powerful fruit will
yield another tree. It's within Oq that Natalie finally learns the true
nature of Hawk's evil plan. Starved of spells and power, Hawk seeks to
kill Oq and thus bring about Spellfall. The danger is real, but the Spell
Lords are dismissive of Hawk. Oq is only young they reason, and Casters
are no match for them, especially as human technology will not work in
Earthaven. How can Natalie persuade them that the danger is real, and
that her mother's final resting place is very much in danger?
Like Song Quest, Spellfall is a very mature
fiction that is not afraid of tackling issues head on, such as the dangers of
new types of warfare. Environmental debates, like the mistreatment of animals,
are much to the fore. There's also the intelligent treatment of
teenage hormones. This makes Katherine Roberts' fictions doubly
satisfying, since her characters develop and grow literally no matter what else
happens. This is also appealing for more adult readers: such adventures
do seem to happen when you're this age (although mine didn't involve quite so
many unicorns, unfortunately). Those first daring, dangerous flights from
the nest... There was only one sentence I would have cut from the book, and
that's when one of the gang comments that Natalie could sell her story to the
newspapers and buys lots of sweets - that seemed too childish. The
illustrations, whilst still excellent, seemed more divorced from the text than
those that featured in Song Quest (the front cover's quite inaccurate), but
these are just small critiques that relate to the production of the book rather
than the narrative itself, which is absolutely enthralling. Katherine
Roberts seems to be charging away on her own unicorn at the moment: she's
producing so much work that it's hard to keep up with her. Katherine
Roberts' competitors must beware, since they're very much in danger of being
left behind.
authortrek rating: 10/10
Kevin Patrick Mahoney
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