Cave of departure [Paperback]

Grade 4-6 A workmanlike tale of a youngster trying to find his way. In the Estorian tribe, each boy must listen for a Story from Beyond and then shape it to tell at his coming-of-age ceremony at age 12. Dominique has nothing to tell when the time comes and he is banished, to return in a year with an appropriate story or face execution. So begins his journey, which is fraught with perils from crazy women, incubi, and yagabonos. It ends with a convenient opening for the sequel. Dominique is not an appealing main character; for most of the book he comes across as a sniveling failure. His supporting cast has wooden or pale personalities, making it difficult to keep up with all the names that bounce in and out of the narrative. Predictably, the young protagonist has run-ins with all the creepy creatures he's been warned against and the sketchy telling in between the big scenes results in an episodic feel. Despite the fact that the rules of the society that Tate creates seem to be overly complicated, she fails to fashion a land readers can imagine visiting, let alone inhabiting. For a story of a boy looking for his future, recommend Lloyd Alexander's Taran Wanderer (Yearling, 1969). For a tale where the youngster becomes a hero, try Elizabeth Winthrop's Castle in the Attic (Holiday, 1985). -Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

... this novel is fun to read. The plot is filled with conflicts and complications.... buying the next book [is] mandatory. -- Boulevard Magazine, November/December, 2001

In the first of the Estorian Chronicles fantasy trilogy, twelve year-old Dominique fails to complete a deadly serious ritual and is banished from his place with the Estorian people, a tribe of nomadic storytellers. He must travel alone to a distant cave where, it is believed, he will find the voice he has always longed for. His quest takes him to far-off lands where he must do battle with a mighty river serpent, outwit pungent yagabonos, and survive capture by a group of powerful leranons.

Inspired by the creatures and legends of a variety of mythologies, Nikki Tate has created a world where there is no greater honour - and no greater challenge - than being a magnificent storyteller.

Nikki Tate is a writer and storyteller living on Vancouver Island in British Columbia with her daughter and several furred and feathered friends. She is the author of the Tarragon Island novels (about a young writer living on a fictitious Gulf Island), the StableMates series of horse novels, and Cave of Departure, the first book in the Estorian Chronicles, a fantasy series about a tribe of nomadic storytellers.

She is much in demand as a workshop leader, public speaker, and professional storyteller. Her high-energy storytelling performances of the Arthurian legends mesmerize audiences from ages twelve through adult.

When she's not writing or performing, Tate enjoys pottering in her garden or horseback riding through the picturesque countryside of the Saanich Peninsula.