________________
CM . . . . Volume XVII Number 16. . . .December 17, 2010.
excerpt:
The subtitle of this illustrated book is A Trilogy of Fables; however, all three stories are intertwined, telling different aspects of the same story, and not fables at all. The first tale begins with the search for a husband for the Princess of Ure. Three men vie for her hand, and undergo great trials to prove themselves worthy of her in their quest to bring back water from the sea to the landlocked kingdom. Her true love, the goat herder Galaad, wins as one knows he must for he follows the dictates of folktales, being kind and attentive to old ladies, animals and the land, itself. The second story relates the adventures of a goat who, unlike the other goats under Galaad's care, did not return to his original form as human when Galaad bested the wizard on his way to return to the Princess. Forgetter, or Erland as he was once known, makes his own way back to the sea encountering and defeating the same wizard in his successful quest to become human once more. The third story gathers the aging characters from the first two episodes, rejuvenating them on a magical adventure to seek the vanquished and transformed, and now friendly wizard. The two couples, Galaad and Princess Meera and Erland and Corille (the young girl in the excerpt above), follow the fairy godmother into the Sky Tree and the Land of Faerie, (perhaps Heaven) leaving Treese, the young prince, to become King in their stead. Someday, his parents assure him, he can follow them. ![]() Recommended. Gail de Vos teaches at the School of Library and Information Studies for the University of Alberta and is the author of eight books on storytelling and folklore.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca. Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
NEXT REVIEW | TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE- December 17, 2010. AUTHORS | TITLES | MEDIA REVIEWS | PROFILES | BACK ISSUES | SEARCH | CMARCHIVE | HOME |