Customer Reviews
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen - pure magic for all ages. - By: Dr Nick, 28 Jul 2008 
I first came across this bookin my english lessons as a first year at secondary school backin 1970. I was so enthralled by the book that I dragged my mum to the bookshop & got her to buy me a copy, which I then readin one marathon stint within a day, not stopping for food or sleep - it really was that good. Nearly 40 years on I still go back to it at least once a year & enjoy it as much now as I did then.
Setin a gentler, rural Cheshire (it was writtenin 1960) the setting now appears a little dated, as you would expect, but for those who were born close to this time, the nostalgia is very pleasant.
Weaving a story drawn from several celtic & norse tales as well as the legend of Alderley itself, & placing itin the real world (with locations you can visit readily) is the books great strength. Garner fleshes out the characters wonderfully & uses atmosphere & suspense to great effect. Having been undergroundin West Mine, this is one location he has captured to perfection - I kept thinking I could hear the patter of unshod feet & the scrape of hammers on the sandstone walls all the time I was there.
Children from 11 or so upwards will love this book, as will their parents. The book has an otherworldly quality with something tugging at your mind, but remaining just out of reach. If you enjoy this, then follow it with the sequel, The Moon of Gomrath.
A wonderful read - By: P. J. Tweedie, 28 Sep 2007 I bought this book, for my daughters, after reading the reviews, & read it myself, & was not disappointed !! It is excellent.My daughter is now captured, & a queue of her friends await her finishing the book so they too can join the adventure of Susan & Colin,and their car crash fall into the fight of good & evil.
The book is extremely well written, from start to finish both surprising & enchanting, leaving you will no option but to read The Moon of Gomrath the second bookin the series. I would even go so far as to say, Harry Potter you have a rival.(High praise from our household). Allin all, an excellent book & a very worthy read.
Even better than I remembered! - By: Kaye Lewis, 05 Mar 2007 In my last year at primary school, my teacher used to spend the last hour or so on friday afternoons reading aloud to the class. He introduced us to this fantastic book & the memory of friday afternoons enthralledin this story are one of my fondest from my school years. I'm now 32 & bought this book to read again & the memories came flooding back. It's even better as an adult & I can't wait until my children are old enough to read it too.
Fact, Fantasy and Legend, brilliant. - By: Andrew Rossiter, 16 Apr 2006 Combinng elements of fantasy, a factual landscape & an ancient lengend (that does exist, not a mere creation of Garners), the author writes with great fluency & creates fantastic characters. The secret about Cadellin & Grimnir at the end of the book nearly gave me a heart attack sheer drama. If it can do this to a 18 year old just imagine how exciting this book will be for young children! Well worth a read whether you are 7 or 70, fully recommended
Better than Harry could ever be - By: Shutsumon, 07 Mar 2006 And don't get me wrong. I do like Harry Potter. But I LOVE The Weirdstone of Brisingamen & its sequel The Moon of Gomrath.
The novel tells the story of how the modern fallout of a century's old theft draws teenage brother & sister Colin & Susan inexorably into the otherworld & forces them to play a key partin the battle. Much to the distress of the wizard Cadellin Silverbrow who just wishes them to be safe & cannot initially figure out why the forces of darkness are apparently targetting them.
But this is no simple tale of good & evil or perhaps more correctly it is not just a simple tale of good & evil. Good & Evil are certainly there & recognisable but they exist at the extremes & most everybody else exists inbetween. There are times when you feel you would like to hit some of the forces of Light over the head with something large & heavy & tell them to stop being such assholes. And unlikein JKR's rather flat characterisations you are meant not to like these characters.(Note - while this is true of Weirdstone it is even truer of the sequel Moon which I will review another time.)
