Fern Capel — (2001-2003) Young Adult. The Witch Queen is also known as Witch's Honour.
Publisher: It began ages past in fabled Atlantis, when a mad, power-hungry queen forged a key to a door never meant to be opened by mortal man — its inception would hasten her own death and the extinction of her vainglorious race. For millennia the key lay forgotten beneath the waves, lost amid the ruins of what had been the most beautiful city on Earth. But however jealously the sea hoards its secrets, sooner or later it yields them up. Now, in present-day Yorkshire, that time has come. And for young Fernanda Capel, life will never be the same again...
  
 Prospero's Children: "The Roots of Stories Go Deep..."
Fern is a no-nonsense kind of girl, who acts as her befuddled father's aid and her young brother Will's mother-figure and certainly has no time for games or imaginings. But all that is about to change when her family inherit a home in Yorkshire and her father introduces two new business associates; the cold and creepy Javier Holt and the sensuous and manipulative Alison Redmond.
A painting of a lost city, a rock that looks like a cloaked man, a sinister talking idol, a ship figurehead, a large but silent wild dog...all these elements are dispersed throughout the novel, all of which are ultimately connected as Fern uncovers the mystery of the house. Forces of both good and evil are convinced that a mystical object is hidden in the house, a "key" which opens up the door to Time; and each individual after it wants it for a different reason. Though the story employs such typical fantasy-adventure components such as a pubescent heroine, the battle between good and evil, a summer holiday and mentor-wizards, Siegel rearranges them in such a way that is fresh and fascinating, and throws a curveball midway through that changes the entire tone of the novel.
Jan Siegel's most prominent feature is her language, which is beautiful and poetic prose, put to best use in her descriptions, images and evocation of feelings. Only occasionally does it slip into trite or cliched formulas, but most of the time it lifts a fairly straightforward story into something unique and memorable. After a haunting and poetic prologue concerning a soulless mermaid, a drowned sailor and a strange key, the story switches to Fern's point of view in the Eighties, and then (as mentioned) abruptly switches for a third time. As well as this, the story is littered with smaller enigmas, some which may possibly be picked up again in the sequels, some which exist only to enrich the story.
As a protagonist, Fern is not exactly a totally sympathetic character. She starts out cynical and unimaginative, but mellows out continuously as she is faced with phenomena that gets more and more bizarre as she goes along, finally immersing herself completely in her role as one who deals with the supernatural, a Gifted descendant of Atlantis. However, even when this occurs she comes across as rather distant from the reader, and I for one never felt completely invested in her character or the way in which she reacts to her circumstances.
Siegel instigates several traditional elements from legend and folklore; werewolves, unicorns, the importance of names, telekinesis, time-travel, house goblins and (most importantly) the city of Atlantis. The range of supernatural components incorporated into the novel is impressive and lends a sense of authenticity to the entire book, though she adds her own ideas such as a videotape that rivals the one featured in "The Ring".
The time-traveling conceit (in which Fern is transported to Atlantis in its final days) is handled beautifully, with past and present colliding at exactly the right time, all Siegel's plot points connected up, and a final sentence that will take your breath away as the entire book comes full circle. It's one of the best uses of the time travel device I've seen in young adult fantasy. It won't appeal to everyone, but when read with an open mind that is prepared to see the standard fantasy clichés turned upside-down, it is immensely rewarding. —Rebecca Fisher
 The Dragon Charmer: "I Left No Rivals. I Do as Dragons Do..."
There is no middle ground when it comes to Jan Siegel's novels: you either love them or hate them. Considering I love them, you might want to take this review with a pinch of salt as you may take my advice to read it and find that it is simply not to your taste. In any case, borrow before you buy and hopefully you'll enjoy these books as much as I do. They are beautifully written, with intriguing ideas and careful plotting, and (in my humble opinion) are among the best books that the fantasy genre has to offer. In a world of Tolkien rip-offs, it is a rare thing to find a fantasy novel that transcends the clichés into something fresh and new, yet resonant with older traditions and mythologies.
In the previous novel Prospero's Children, Fern Capel came into her inheritance as a witch, fell in love, bartered with a demon and traveled back in time to the final days of Atlantis in order to race evil powers for possession of the Lodestone. Now twelve years later she has done everything she can to put that traumatic summer firmly behind her. She wraps herself in a world of respectability, and is about to marry the charismatic Marcus Grieg, a man twenty years her senior. Returning to Yarrowdale with her best friend Gaynor Mobberley (the site of her adventures twelve years earlier) at her financee's insistence, Fern begins to feel ancient powers emerging about her once more. These otherworldly forces are not so eager to let such a powerful witch out of their grasp, and the day before her wedding Fern falls into a mysterious coma whilst her spirit wanders far away.
Whilst Fern's brother Will, the ex-wizard Ragginbone and Gaynor attempt to unravel the mystery to Fern's illness, Fern herself finds herself keeping the strangest of company under the World Tree, where the heads of souls bound to purgatory hang like fruit on its branches. The two groups find themselves uncovering a long forgotten story of the dragon-charmers, a family of Atlantis that possessed the power to (obviously) charm dragons — and realize that there is every chance a dragon still exists somewhere in the world, waiting to be hatched. Whoever possesses such a powerful creature will wield a weapon that hasn't been seen in the world for centuries, and there are several parties determined to get their hands on it.
Some readers have complained that Fern's decision to turn her back on her powers is frustrating after the story arc of the previous story in which she gradually had to come to terms with them. To a point this is true, but I find it much more realistic that Fern would desire to forget the supernatural aspects of her life. Siegel has a good grip on Fern's personality, and the actions of this twenty-something Fern is certainly true to the persona of her teenage-self. The events of Prospero's Children were traumatizing for a young girl, and it makes perfect sense that the sensible and practical woman she's grown into would reject her powers in day-to-day life — using them only when necessity demands it.
The book is somewhat slow-paced to start with: it is not till chapter five that Fern's adventure really begins after she's put into her magically-induced coma (and since the chapters are quite long, it takes a while). But the mystery, intrigue and suspense of the rest of the novel more than makes up for it. Intricately plotted, we are introduced to figures and conceits that are fully revealed later in the novel, at exactly the right time and place, some of which may or may not have a place in familiar mythology. Images, dreams, symbols, plot-twist, action — all are painstakingly strewn throughout the story and explored in Siegel's beautiful poetic-prose. It isn't just a gimmick, it fully enhances the story and is comparable only to Patricia McKillip.
The range of ideas at work in the story is truly breathtaking: its so tempting to start listing them, but that of course would ruin the enjoyment you would get out of discovering them yourselves. Let's just say that Dragon-Charmer is a tapestry of rich and intricate ideas and concepts; you can almost sense that even the minor characters have lives (no matter how strange) outside the context of the story that is told.
But then again, you may hate Dragon-Charmer and its predecessor Prospero's Children, as they are so unique that it's hard to categorize and compare them with other books. All I can to is recommend you take the time to read them and hope that you'll like them as much as I did.
—Rebecca Fisher
The Witch Queen: "I Play by Witch's Rules, Didn't You Know?"
The three-part story of Fernanda "Fern" Capel that began in Prospero's Children and continued in The Dragon Charmer comes to its conclusion in The Witch Queen. A young woman now, Fern has resigned herself to the presence of magic in her life and accepted (however reluctantly) that her Gift means that the life of a witch is the only one she can lead. In Prospero's Children Fern time-traveled back to the City of Atlantis, where she loved and lost a young man of that nation; and in The Dragon Charmer she became the unwilling student of the witch Morgus (known in life as Morgause, the sister of Morgan le Fay), eventually betraying and slaying her tutor in her desire to return to her ordinary life. But Morgus was not destroyed when Fern flung her into the River Styx, and now she has emerged stronger than ever to wreak revenge on Fern for abandoning her.
Fern also has to content with the demon Azmordis, a foe who has threatened her throughout the entire trilogy, his mind set on gaining Fern's soul and power for his own. Lately she has been haunted by a dream in which she meets Azmordis in his earthly seat of power (a giant corporate building, naturally) and signs away her soul. Troubled by this nightmare, and knowing that life seldom ends well for those with the Gift, Fern is certain that trouble lies ahead. Even her brother Will, her mentor Ragginbone and her best friend (the unfortunately named) Gaynor are no comfort to her.
On the eve of the millennium, a masked ball is held at Wrokeby Hall, where an unknown illness strikes down Dana Walgrim — the daughter of the owner. She lies in a deep sleep that she cannot be awoken from, and her brother Lucas is at a loss... till he hears of a similar case a few years ago, in which a young woman also lay in a mysterious coma. He is referred to Fern, the two meet, and Fern is struck by familiarity. Could Lucas be the reincarnation of Rafarl, her Atlantean love? Despite her reluctance to dabble in the dark arts, she agrees to help him rescue his sister; but of course the investigation is connected to the reemergence of Morgus, who has a plan to bring Fern to her knees, one that involves an offshoot of the Great Tree Yggdrasil and its harvest of heads. And in the background lurks Azmordis, whose plans run even more deeply...
Okay, I'll admit it — I have been a staunch supporter for Jan Siegel's trilogy, recommending them despite the rather lukewarm reviews of other readers. I love Siegel's language, her ideas, her ability to put a fresh spin on old traditions, and I especially love the way that reading a fantasy novel by Siegel is in no way familiar — she's no Tolkien ghost-writer. I get sick of unimaginative fantasists who simply echo Tolkien; and thankfully Siegel does not fall into this category. Neither does she pander to the reader: Fern goes through difficult, painful and life-changing experiences throughout her like — unlike the hijinks strewn throughout Harry Potter, being a witch is portrayed here as a heavy burden for a human being to bear. There are complaints that Fern's story is too depressing and nihilistic, which is a reasonable criticism given the mind-numbing curveball that Siegel throws us three-quarters of the way through the story. But it is a twist that fits well within the scope, theme and atmosphere of the story; it is not done simply to shock or depress us, and it serves a very clear and fitting purpose: to show us just how strong Fern really is, and how devoted to the cause of good. Fern was rather distant in Prospero's Children, but I warmed up to her more in Dragon Charmer — now, for the first time, I admired her, and empathized with her pain. Finally, she comes up with a truly remarkable and bittersweet solution to Fern's conundrum. Well played, Siegel. Well played.
However, there are problems. In the previous book The Dragon-Charmer, a dragon — yes, an actual dragon is released back into the world, a powerful force that was sure to have a part to play in the final installment of the trilogy. Nope — it's barely even mentioned, which makes its central role in the previous story as the magical McGuffin rather problematic. That's not as bad as Siegel's treatment of the wizard Ragginbone and his companion Lougarry, a cursed werewolf. They were introduced in Prospero's Children as a wizard who has lost his powers and a woman who has been cursed to bear the burden of lycanthropy. Their relationship and their lives before meeting Fern are initially shrouded in mystery — and they unfortunately stay that way. Why did Ragginbone loose his powers? Why was Lougarry cursed? Who was she before she was a werewolf? How did the two of them meet? There is a fascinating back-story to these two characters that begs to be explored, but it is an opportunity that Siegel never takes. Of course, in any story, there are some elements that are best left an enigma (such as Siegel's intriguing use of Morgus's sister) but Ragginbone and Lougarry have been with us from the first book, and the author owed us some details and explanations. Without it, one has to question why these two characters were even in the trilogy to begin with. Bad form, Siegel. Bad form.
So, The Witch Queen is the weakest of the three books, and I have to admit, a little disappointing. Jan Siegel also squanders several other opportunities, including her established friendship between Fern and Kaliburn, and I'm wondering why she thought it necessary to reintroduce Sysselore. And it takes forever for the story to get started — it is not till page 105 that the two foes actually start making their moves against one another; beforehand is an achingly slow buildup to the action. But for all of this, I still recommend the Fern trilogy. It may not be to everyone's tastes since it does get rather dark in places, but it is worth the read simply because of its originality and Siegel's beautiful use of language (which is right up there with fellow fantasist Patricia McKillip). Take a chance on it: start with Prospero's Children, and work your way through the trilogy.
P.S.: The Witch Queen is also known as Witch's Honour in some publications, but they are exactly the same texts. —Rebecca Fisher |
The Greenstone Grail
links. Or donate.
