The Ropemaker (Paperback)

Generation followed generation until twenty has passed since the original adventurers found the wizard Faheel. The unthinkable began to happen as the glacier started to melt and the trees stopped singing and producing their sickness. The people of the Valley knew it was only a matter of time until the Empire would come and enslave them again or they would be killed by the horse warriors. However, the people still refused to believe that the story was true, so it was up to the Ortahlsons and the Urlasdaughters to save their homes.

Tilja Urlasdaughter was still grieving over the loss of her beloved Woodbourne when she escorted her grandmother to the gathering. Tilja could not hear the song of the cedars, but her younger sister, Anja, could and so she would inherit the farm of the Urlasdaughters. Indeed, Tilja seemed to have no magic at all and so was stunned when the cedars told Anja that Tilja needed to go with her grandmother and two Ortahlsons to find the wizard Faheel and renew the spell on the Valley. Tilja didn't know what she could do to help, but she was determined to do her best to save her world. However, as the small party journeys slowly through the treacherous Empire, Tilja finds that she may be the only one was has the power to save the Valley simply because she doesn't have any magic...

The Ropemaker is an enchanting tale of a girl who is simply ordinary, but in an extraordinary way. Tilja was very likeable and I found myself identifying with her right away. The other characters are also fun to get to know, but Tilja is definitely the focus of the book. As far as the plot goes, this book is more a journey of self discovery than a story with a beginning and an end. If you enjoy journeys with exotic locales and interesting peoples then you will enjoy this tale. Not the most thrilling of books, but nonetheless entertaining and solidly written with little surprises around every corner. It is written simply enough for older children to enjoy, but there is enough detail and intrigue to entertain adults and older readers.

It opened very promisingly, conjuring up Tilja's world, and hinting at fascinating elements. Then Peter went off on one for the rest of the (overlong) story writing an uninspired and pedestrian fantasy. I wasn't very interested in Tilja (she agnosises over the trauma of 'feeling left out' in the middle of life-and-death situations), and the none of the other characters really caught my imagination. Or even my attention. Especially Tahl (or whatever).

The valley Tilja lives in is in danger, and natually she (a girl of about twelve) is sent off to save it. It goes without saying there is a mystical wizard who might solve all her problems but - lo and hehold - it turns out that Tilja has to solve her problems for herself. But she doesn't. The infuriatingly boring 'Ropemaker' steps in and everything's just dandy.

If you want a good Peter Dickenson fantasy novel, read The Weathermonger.