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Beyond the Gloesmur Book Review
FANTASY FUN
Book Review By
Frode Jensen*
Kathleen Deisher surely has an imagination. Just
think, a story with flying horses that talk, some misshapen creatures who serve
the evil Shed, a fox that seems to understand people and communicates by its
actions, a spoiled princess, a couple of kings, a lord, a prince, and a stable
boy and a variety of other characters. The setting is an alternative world with
people who are normal humans along with a mix of some other folk and creatures.
The Gloesmur itself is a mirror-like dividing wall between Glenora, the home of
the spoiled princess, and the land beyond the Gloesmur.
It is the classic story of good versus evil, a mad
king who is the tool of Shed, the seeming source of evil and the enemy of
Iyashu, who is love itself. The mad king, Sildark, has it in mind to first
conquer all the lands north of the Gloesmur and then go through the barrier and
take over the rest of the world. He has read the old prophecies and found an
item which he thinks will give him victory if it is handled in the right way. At
the beginning of the book, things are going his way, and the good folks are
gearing up for the conflict.
The spoiled princess, Jondalyn, is recruited to
help foil this evil plan although she is rather clueless to begin with. As time
goes on, she matures through a series of adventures and loses her selfish ways,
which is nice and uplifting and comes about rather naturally through the course
of the book. She and Talimar, the stable boy, are key players for the good guys
along with a couple of flying horses, Aeroan and Chayiym. Thankfully the author
provides a pronouncing glossary and gazetteer at the back of the book for these
different names. Right in the front of the book, the author has a map of the
lands beyond the Gloesmur. This allows you to keep track of where the action is
taking place. Both are handy, and you will refer to them when you read the book.
Mrs. Deisher illustrates her own work, and her pen and ink drawings are a nice
addition, especially the maps.
The story flows along rather nicely. There are no
real dead spots. In the beginning the author tells about the two main characters
and explains their actions a bit overmuch in my opinion, but that soon gives way
to a smoother style once the basic characteristics are established. Jondalyn and
Talimar have their difficulties relating to one another many times although it
is obvious they do have some affection for each other. One character I
particularly liked was Nimreu; he doesn’t stand for foolishness and is a great
addition with his knowledge and skills to the group as they go about their
adventure.
The plot has its twists and turns with some
unexpected events. That always makes for good reading. The surprises are woven
in nicely and ultimately explained by future events or in couple of cases by
some characters telling others about what went on and why. Those explanations
occur naturally and don’t really interrupt the story. The story reminds me of
the journey from innocence through experience to maturity. Jondalyn grows up
along the way much as Tom Jones did in Fielding’s old novel about a boy becoming
a man. It is a well used formula, and it fits this book well.
Who should read this book? Anyone who likes a
fantasy setting mixed with adventure and action, some growth in the main
characters, a bit of a love story hinted at, and good subduing evil for the time
being. The combination works in this one. Yes, there is a sequel, The Princess
of Kafar, but I’ve yet to read it. Enjoy!
*Frode Jensen, the
author of Format Writing, Jensen's Punctuation, Journey to Grammarland, and
more, was one of the first to write English curriculum for homeschoolers.
Mr. Jensen has an informative website that you can visit for more information
about his curriculum and teaching English in homeschools, Christian schools, and
private schools.
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Copyright © 2000-2008 Lamp Post Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.
Cover Illustration copyright © 2002-2008 Kathleen E. Deisher. All rights reserved.
Revised
03/21/08
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