CM Magazine: Blood Red Road.

________________ CM . . . . Volume XVII Number 35. . . .May 13, 2011.

cover
Blood Red Road.

Moira Young.
Toronto, ON: Doubleday Canada, 2011.
531 pp., hardcover, $19.95.
ISBN 978-0-385-67183-5.

Grades 5-10 / Ages 10-15.

Review by Ann Ketcheson.

***/4

Reviewed from an Advance Reading Copy.

excerpt:

He ain’t gonna help us. He’s too terrified.

We’re on our own.

An I feel calm.

It seems crazy, seein how we’re both chained hand an foot an there ain’t a soul to help us, but I’m calm. Because now I see what I gotta do. An what I ain’t gotta do, which is waste time thinkin that anybody’s gonna help us. That somebody’s gonna come along an rescue us. I cain’t count on nobody but me.

So what I gotta do now is watch. An learn. An think. An plan. I’m gonna make sure we stay alive, Emmi an me. I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll do what the hellhag tells me.

But I’ll be watchin and waitin An when the time comes when it’s the right moment to make a move, I’ll be ready. I’ll know what to do an I’ll git us outta here.

Then we’ll go find Lugh. I promised him I would. An I ain’t no quitter. No matter what.

Saba, 18, lives with her father, twin brother Lugh and little sister Emmi, miles from any neighbour. Theirs is a difficult struggle for existence in a post-apocalyptic future where even the necessities such as food and water are scarce. Things go from bad to worse one day when a group of black-robed men arrive. They kill Saba’s father and kidnap Lugh. Immediately, Saba decides she will not rest until she has found her twin and restored what remains of her family regardless of any obstacles fate may place in her way.

     Moira Young presents readers with a classic fantasy novel based on the theme of the quest. Saba toughens and hardens as she pursues the trail of her brother, and the book’s plot revolves around her. Other characters are one-dimensional – black or white with little individuality. Typical of the fantasy genre, characters are either good or evil, helping or obstructing the protagonist.

     The strength of Blood Red Road is in its plot which moves quickly from one exciting event to the next and will keep fantasy fans on the edge of their seats, rather like ‘reading’ an action film. Geography, weather, villains and even gigantic hellwurms all play a role as Saba seeks to find and free her twin. In the middle of the novel, Saba meets Jack who not only helps her toward her objective but becomes a love interest as well.

     Young has chosen a writing style where spelling and grammar are not the norm, perhaps to suggest a future world totally different from our own, one where established norms have ceased to exist. The style will perhaps irritate some readers while others will see it as adding to the characters and the overall setting.

     Blood Red Road is the first volume in a trilogy, and Young leaves questions unanswered and villains on the loose in order to tempt her readers to pursue the Saba story. The quest theme is a common one, as is the idea that the protagonist learns and grows while striving towards the goal. The majority of characters are not filled in but rather are stereotypical good guys and bad guys. However, the plot is fast-paced and full of action and thus will interest and excite young adult readers of both genders who enjoy fantasy.

Recommended.

Ann Ketcheson is a retired teacher-librarian and high school teacher of English and French who lives in Ottawa, ON.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364 Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

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