Prospero's Children
Jan Siegel

Rating:
Next Novel: The Dragon Charmer
Date Available: August 2001
Publisher: Del Rey Fantasy
Publish Date: 1999

            Take a trip through Jan Siegel's mind's eye, into the impressively imagined mythical past of Atlantis. The story is told through young Fernanda Capel, a British schoolgirl spending the summer in an inherited family estate in Yorkshire. She and her younger brother stumble upon a secret which could spell the end of the world or merely the start on a fantastic adventure. The story is quite gripping, beginning with a mariner's death at sea and a confrontation with a mermaid that did not quite fit my image of a watery nymph.  The youth of the main characters and their somewhat limited perspective on the world, makes the story all the more enjoyable. I was reminded of my trip to Narnia many years ago as I turned the pages of Prospero's Children.

            Fernanda is faced with the daunting responsibility of foiling the wicked plot of two evil sorcerers, one in our time and one in the distant past of Atlantis. This must be accomplished by traveling back to the final days before the destruction of the mighty civilization. Siegel provides a well crafted look at what this ancient society may have looked like and then proceeds to demolish the entire civilization in front of our eyes. A large amount of the novel also takes place in Yorkshire; but never fear, for there are mysterious beasts, goblins, talking statues, witches and magicians aplenty, even in Siegel's England. I would recommend this novel as an enjoyable read for anyone who is a fan of fantasy. Quite an impressive debut from Jan Siegel. I only hope the house goblin, Pegwillen, finds a way to cheat death for the sequel, The Dragon Charmer.

Reviewed by Chris Hart