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Product Description
Review
Completing the trilogy begun with The Snow Spider (1987), Nimmo again draws on Welsh legend to parallel an ancient tragedy with the trauma of a soldier who has failed to save his men from a disastrous fire in Belfast. Major Evan Ll??r comes to the small Welsh village to recover from an apparently invisible wound - not his first; long ago, his brother died in a fall from a tree, and those who knew gentle Evan were mystified by his seeming to acquire his more popular but angry brother's personality. Gwyn, boy-magician of the other books, becomes aware that Evan is possessed by the spirit of Efnisien, tormented half-brother of the mighty Bran. Ultimately, Gwyn manages to send Efnisien peacefully on to the Otherworld, thus restoring Evan. The legend is complex; drawing on her now-extensive cast for her modern counterpart, Nimmo attempts, with mixed success, to parallel every detail. The best in this series, Orchard of the Crescent Moon (1989), drew strength from its insightful presentation of the real characters; here, the focus is more on the less convincing magic. Gwyn the boy, tinkering with spells that he only half understands, and Gwyn the mighty magician are not sufficiently melded; moreover, the action - rather than being a contemporary drama illuminated by its heroic prototype - seems forced into the legend's mold, while the promising idea of linking Efnisien with modern battle stress is overburdened with clever but less than fully digested detail. Acceptable, but disappointing. (Kirkus Reviews)
Product Description
The final volume of "The Snow Spider" trilogy finds Gwyn forming a deep friendship with Evan Llyr, a soldier who has taken refuge in his village. Gwyn feels a strange affinity for Evan, yet he knows he must eventually fight with him - a fight in which one of them will die.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"The Chestnut Soldier" is the final book in Jenny Nimmo's underpublicized Snow Spider trilogy. The Chestnut Soldier is the mysterious Evan Llyr who becomes caught up in the powerful and magical struggle between the enraged spirit of a Celtic prince and Gwyn Llewellyn, ancestor of the Great Gwydion Gwyn. This struggle was begun in the Snow Spider and reaches its climax in this book.
However,the character of Evan Llyr blurs the boundaries between good and evil and all is not as clear-cut as it may perhaps have been. On the one hand, Evan has experienced the shock of tragedy - during his childhood and as a major fighting in Ireland. He is an emotionally wounded man with whom you have to sympathise. But he is also increasigly possessed by the destructive and violent demon of a long-imprisoned spirit who attempts revenge through Evan. He is a soldier in various guises: a valiant major in the army, a dashing prince charming, and the Chestnut Soldier desperately seeking revenge and freedom. Gwyn must prevent the monster from creating chaotic disaster, but his conscience does not want to harm the man.
The final moments of this book play out these conflicts to a brilliant degree, and Gwyn's indecision and decisiion is powerful in the extreme. It is a book that challenges assumptions, that challenges our expectations, and that, ultimately, questions the boudaries between good and evil, right and wrong. Its final theme is more adult than you will expect, and the central characters (all children) cope tremendously with the situation fate has led them to. Throughout the novel Gwyn has voiced a wish to grow taller - to grow up. the end of the novel sees that maturity occur, not only in terms of physical height (he grows two inches!), but in terms of his moral and social understanding. Each book in the trilogy has increased one's vision of the way things are, but "The Chestnut Soldier" is the ultimate eye-opener.
And as for the Chestnut Soldier, well, I cannot reveal his fate: that is for you to find out. What I can say is that you cannot help but be entranced by his mysterious background, and his rapid metamorphosis into someone he is not. Evan Llyr is not a character you can easily forget or dismiss. He feels real, in many respects he is real. He is part of a fairy-tale like fantasy shot through with startling reality and it is he, more than any of the characters we come across in any of the books, that represents this combination.
I would recommend this book to any fantasy lover, and particularly to those who love Harry Potter. "The Chestnut Soldier" explores love, passionate obsession, the power of children to intervene in fate, and the ongoing battle between good and evil. It has all the trappings of a wonderful fantasy story, and it does not let its readers down. I loved and adored "The Snow Spider", and I laughed and cried with Nia in "Emlyn's Moon" - "The Chestnut Soldier" had a great deal to live up to. But it succeeds and really is a masterpiece in its own right - the perfect ending to a fine trilogy.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a really good story bringing in legends and magic from Celtic Wales. If you have already read the Snow Spider and Emlyn's Moon it continues the story but a few years down the line. You don't have to have to have read them it helps a little though for background. Gwyn's magic grows within him- unwanted though it is- he faces his biggest challenge yet!
A totally magic story whom everyone regardless of age will like. It is a different kind of magic from that you see in Harry Potter but just as exciting and real.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
13 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Best of the three book series
18 May 2000
Format:Hardcover
Jenny Nimmo's trilogy started by The Snow Spider, continued with Emlyn's Moon and finished with The Chestnut Soldier is all eminently readible children's fantasy literature for all ages. The series, however, has an interesting trait in that it appears to mature from one book to the next. The Snow Spider has the youngest feel of the series, with our hero just turned nine. The Chestnut Soldier deals with more mature themes as the hero turns thirteen. Coincidence?
The Chestnut Soldier is the best of the series, with a strong writing style, complex characters and a good storyline. This series is rare, but well worth getting your hands on. I highly recommend it.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Wonderful!
30 July 1998
Format:Hardcover
My mom brought the whole series back from England for me when I was about 11 years old, I'm 19 now and I wish I hadn't given away my copies! It's a wonderful book, especially for kids (and adults!) who are fascinated by myths and magic. I loved it!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Gwyn's own family is affected and the entire town is in danger
10 Jun 2007
Format:Hardcover
Book three in the Magician Trilogy continues the saga of magician Gwyn, who faces further challenges to his magical powers when a wicked spirit escapes from a broken toy horse and unleashes havoc on his world. Gwyn's own family is affected and the entire town is in danger: can he summon the forces to fight a final battle? This concludes a trilogy begun in THE SNOW SPIDER; prior familiarity with the other hard-hitting fantasy stories will enhance appreciation of this concluding adventure for advanced elementary to early middle school grades.
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