Out of the Dawn Light [Paperback]

OUT OF THE DAWN OF LIGHT (Hist Mys-Lassair-England-1087) - G
Clare, Alys - Standalone
Severn House, 2009, UK Hardcover - ISBN: 9780727867636

First Sentence: The news of William the Conqueror's death reached us when we were celebrating my sister's wedding.

Lassair, at 13 years' old, is happy to see her very difficult sister, Goda, getting married and leaving the house. At the wedding, Lassair meets a handsome young man, Romain, to whom she is attracted. Some time later, she is approached by her friend Sibert, to help him and Romain find a treasure. Lassair has a talent they need; she is able to find things. However, the treasure is one which should not be found and the result is death to one of the three young people.

This was very different from Clare's Hawkenlye books. The book does include some wonderful history of the time in a very readable manner.

I particularly liked the point it made about the impact on non-nobility of the struggles for power and the throne. Religiously, this was an interesting time as the country was Catholic but the stories and beliefs of the old religion still played a critical role. The paranormal, or magical, aspects were well done and handled in a believable fashion.

I enjoyed the book, but prefer the Hawkenlye series. I felt this really read more as a young adult novel and would, in fact, recommend it as such.

Alys Clare has written a number of books that are classified as medieval mysteries, and they're now on my To-Read list. This is the first in a new series for her, set in England in the 11th century, around the time of William the Conqueror. Not so much a mystery as an adventure-quest story, this one features Lassair, a girl from the Fens, with the ability to find hidden obects, and her friend Sibert. They are recruited by a mysterious lord, Romaine, to travel across the country to the sea and locate a missing treasure. The object turns out to be a magical crown of immense power, made by Sibert's ancestors approximately 500 years earlier. The mysterious lord wants the crown for himself, to buy back his lands and manor from the king (his family was stripped by the new king in retaliation for supporting a rebellion) and has no intention of sharing the treasure with Lassair and Sibert. Lassair and Sibert realize the dangerous power the crown possesses, and know that no matter what, Romaine and his family cannot be permitted to keep it.

I really enjoyed this first book in Alys Clare's new medieval series; I hesitate to call it a mystery, it seemed more historical fiction or even young adult/adventure, as the heroine is Lassair, a 14-year-old girl on a treasure quest with two young men. One is her friend Sibert from her village, the other is Romain, a handsome, obviously well-born young Norman who seeks out our heroine and Sibert because he needs their knowledge and gifts to find a mysterious treasure. Lassair is flattered at the attention and half in love with Romain; Sibert, a moody, quiet boy, has his own reasons for agreeing to go along, but of course things become more complicated as the adventure unfolds . . . No spoilers, but there is a murder eventually and it becomes apparent who the villain in the piece is; the fun is tagging along with Lassair as she attempts to prove the innocence of a friend.

Lassair is a great character; Clare has given her great spirit, strength, intelligence and healing and spiritual gifts, but also a sense of humor and she is very likable. Her personality and youthful energy and strength remind me of an early Catherine LeVendeur, the heroine of Sharan Newman's wonderful medieval mystery series set in Paris. Lassair, however, lives in a tiny village in the Fens with her large and loving family; the book opens in 1087 with two momentous events, one local and one with national consequences. Lassair's family is celebrating the wedding of her cranky, obnoxious eldest sister Goda; our young heroine quite humorously explains to the reader that it took several visits to the market where such peasant matches are made, but Goda finally got a proposal and the family was anxious to see the happy young couple off before the gullible groom looked past Goda's large breasts and noticed her personality!

Clare had me from there, as I love historical mystery series with wonderful, rich characters that can draw me into a world so different from our modern times. Then she adds this interesting event to the mix - William the Conqueror has just died, and the villagers are bracing themselves for whatever conflict may come from their harsh Norman overlords as the two heirs, William Rufus and Robert, Duke of Normandy plot, plan and battle for control of England. Who can resist that combination? I love Clare's strong female characters, especially with this historical setting: Lassair comes from a long line of healers and storytellers that can trace their ancestral line back to the old gods of Britain, and the Church thus far has a tentative hold (at best) on the greater population, so strong women still have sway in villages for their wisdom and healing powers. We history buffs know this pleasant state of affairs won't last for long, but it's a fascinating period I haven't read widely about; I look forward to reading the rest of this series and Clare's other popular Hawkenlye series. Highly recommended to medieval mystery fans, especially those like me that have read the outstanding series like Brother Cadfael, Dame Frevisse and Catherine LeVendeur set in the later medieval period when the Church wielded great power, but haven't read as much about this England where the old gods still held the hearts and imagination of the people.

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