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Reviewed by:
  • Darkside
  • April Spisak
Becker, Tom Darkside. Orchard/Scholastic, 2008 [288p] ISBN 978-0-545-03739-6$16.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 5-7

Maddy, fourteen and shunned by most of her European village because of her magical ability, has only ever known one true friend and ally, a traveling sage called One-Eye, who has been teaching Maddy to use her powers wisely. Maddy's life changes irrevocably when she is sent on a quest to find a magical item, the Whisperer, which confers on its holder a huge advantage in a battle brewing between good and evil. In this impressively intricate novel, Harris blends fantasy, mythology, and mystery as it is slowly revealed that the Whisperer is an evil oracle, destroyed Gods can be recreated, and Maddy, foretold as a new mage of old Runic magic, is integral in defeating the overwhelmingly powerful evil force of the Order, who use religion as a weapon against the world. Dauntless and fiercely loyal, Maddy is carefully developed as a strong and memorable enough protagonist to not get lost in the complex mix of bizarre settings, creepy monk-like villains, and vengeful gods (the fact that one of her traveling companions is the trickster Loki, who has accumulated endless enemies, makes life particularly challenging). Readers will likely feel deep sympathy with her in her isolated early years, and they will happily follow her through this substantial, tightly plotted adventure. A cast of characters, diagrams of important runes, and maps are all key aids in tracing Maddy's quest into the unknown.

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