This book was just extraordinary – a great start to what I am confident will be an excellent series! T.A. Barron’s prose is absolutely beautiful – somewhat lofty, but more along the lines of elegant and occasionally didactic. He is still a “modern author” and you can see differences between his style and say, the 50s-60s style of C.S. Lewis or Lloyd Alexander, but he’s pretty close. I’d say Barron and maybe Clare Dunkle come the closest to emulating that style. In other words, his writing is a long, far cry from “text speech"!- All his characters are beautifully crafted and well-rounded. The central figure, to be sure, is a young wilderness wanderer named Tamwyn, whose hidden identity is the key to a prophecy made years ago. What I like about the Avalon series – and was kind of surprised to discover – is the really large ensemble cast of characters and how big of a role they play. I was totally expecting the story to revolve almost exclusively around Tamwyn and the search for his true identity, but the perspective follows several other characters, including Scree, his adopted eagleboy brother; Elli, a fiery priestess with a sketchy past; a haughty seer-in-training named Llynia who believes herself to be the next Chosen One (note: there’s always a bloody Chosen One! Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Anakin Skywalker…); a captured elf maiden named Brionna, and the nefarious villain of the book, a mysterious wizard known only as White Hands. - What I like about Barron, though, is how clearly defined each perspective shift is – it’s mostly switched over on a chapter-by-chapter basis, so there’s no confusion. - The only frown-worthy thing about the book has to do with the designated Prophecy (note: there’s always a bloody prophecy!). I couldn’t really understand why everybody – the other characters and myself, the reader – could figure out what the prophecy was saying but our sweet, adorable little MC Tamwyn couldn’t! It’s like, “hello, Mcfly!” (Back to the Future, anyone?) But oh well. - The number one Must, though, about writing fantasy – at least in my opinion – is Make It Believable! It’s like a deal that the reader and author enter into – in exchange for the reader’s initial suspension of disbelief, the author needs to provide a clearly-defined and clearly-written world that comes alive through the story. Barron totally succeeded. And the idea of Avalon is particularly creative: the entire world – seven realms – all stems from one Great Tree…named Avalon. Each of the seven realms: Mudroot, Woodroot, Stoneroot, Airroot, Shadowroot, Waterroot, and Fireroot, are all roots of the Great Tree. That’s an awesome concept, once you wrap your mind around it! And everything is so vivid and described in such wondrous detail, you can easily visualize this world and believe in its existence. - I will say that the story develops at a pretty steady pace. Not a slow pace, mind you, but it’s about pg 150 before the true plot begins to unravel. That’s okay, I think, because Barron budgets his time wisely by going ahead and setting up the world of Avalon and its history; so many authors ignore detail and leave you feeling confused or hollow about this fantasy world…he reminds me a lot of Tolkien in the way he includes the history and the art/literature of his world. It’s even more incredible when you remind yourself that everything – every song, every story – is entirely made up. Wow! Rating: 5/5. EXCELLENT! YOU MUST READ THIS SERIES!!!
As the legend goes in the book, the wizard Merlin planted a magical seed on a long forgotten island, and that seed sprouted a tree, which would eventually have roots stretching out so far and wide that whole civilizations are built on them, and branches which would reach up to the stars and beyond. I enjoyed it quite a bit. My main qualm with it was that the whole story seemed like a prelude (and indeed T.A. Barron, the author, said that it was merely the first book in a series of three). Thus, when viewed as part of a greater whole, it would probably seem a lot better. It follows the final days of adolescence for three children of Avalon’s great root-realms; Tamwyn the flamekin, Ellie the druidess, and Scree the eagle-boy; and chronicles the start of a grand quest that eventually brings them all together. Many things are hinted at over the course of the book as things to come in subsequent stories. One of them is the true heir of Merlin, the other is the child of the dark prophecy, destined to destroy the world. (it is revealed by the end who the heir of Merlin is, through the plot-device of Merlin’s staff, but that’s all for now) For the most part, the story seems to be trying to ground the reader in this fantastical world. Tamwyn lives in a region where instead of the tree leaves, the rocks change color with the seasons (such a brilliant idea, yet so simple I’m surprised no one thought of it before). Scree doesn’t really show up until the climax (which I found odd, considering the way his character was hyped up in the prologue as being Tamwyn’s brother). Some of the events in the story don’t really seem to be related to the plot, and are thrown in “just because” (like the encounter with the young dragon for example). But if you’re someone like me, who doesn’t have to have every single piece of a story either proving a point or moving towards a goal, then you will likely enjoy this book.
Do You like book Child Of The Dark Prophecy (2005)?
This book annoyed me for a silly reason, and that was that until I was just over half way through I thought it was called the Great Tree of Avalon and I was confused because I couldn't find the book on Goodreads. Then I searched the author and found out that this book is actually called Child of the Dark Prophecy. I think they should have rethought the cover design, which - although beautiful - is unnecessarily confusing. I also couldn't tell if it was the first book in a series or not - and then after just looking at the title page (I'll admit - this confusion is on me) and seeing "Book One" the story that followed still felt like it was part of something bigger, which I believe it is. I think this author fellow is pulling a Tamora Pierce and having interwoven series, in which case it would have been nice to get that little head's up before I dived in. But.Moving on.I obtained this book back in middle school after a friend read it and recommended it to me. I'm now graduating college and just now picking it up for the first time. I did enjoy it. The characters were a little flat, but there was definite potential for them to blossom in later books. I'm not sure I was gripped enough to continue the series - So if anyone else has read this series, please let me know how the character development progressed. The characters were likable, though, and their journey was compelling. The reason I rated this book as highly as I did is because the author evoked themes that I remember loving so much in J.R.R. Tolkein - particularly Two Towers. The attention and reverence for nature and the earth that Barron shows through his world of Avalon is exceptionally moving. As moving as Tolkein - probably not - but I loved the appreciation he expressed through the moral codes of these characters in how they treat their home and the other living creatures that inhabit it. That kind of attention is found less and less in books - and in "real" life - as of late, I'd wage to say, and it's something we ought to be paying more attention to. On that note - I'm sneezing my head off from all the pollen that's happening. Joys of Spring.
—Ari
Very well written. Barron's characters were strong and felt real (anyone else in love with Scree? XD lol). His flow was a bit slow, though, and I caught my thoughts drifting away every once in a while. Some of his creatures were a bit unbelieveable, too...I forgot the name of the one creature that kept annoying Tamwyn....a boggart, maybe? I dunno. The creature with big hands, circular eyebrows, and a taste for mischief. While I was interested in him enough, I found I couldn't quite believe in him. The last book in the series made me cry, though. Haha.
—Vee
I feel so ambiguous about this book. I think I was put offside when Tamwyn deliberately climbed into a dung heap to get warm. It was a 'huh?' moment. From this safe refuge, he witnesses tree spirits dancing around a bard with a museo - all rare sights in themselves but unique in their congruent appearance. It was another 'huh?' because it didn't seem to go anywhere.Those two slight losses of credibility were enough to make me wary. Thereafter the subtle melodramatic edge of everything that occurred made all the characters seem that extra bit extreme. Just a tiny bit caricatured.Overall the plot was great, nonetheless.
—Anne Hamilton
