Emlyn's Moon (The Snow Spider) [Paperback]

`The Snow Spider' trilogy by Jenny Nimmo (made up of `The Snow Spider', `Emlyn's Moons' [also published as 'The Orchard of the Crescent Moon'] and 'The Chestnut Soldier') are some of the best children's fantasy novels out there - and so inevitably they are virtually unknown. Set in the mountains of Wales, the books chronicle the experiences of Gwyn Griffith, a young boy magician dealing with the gift and burden of inheriting magical powers from his legendary ancestors. Before immediate comparisons are made with that other boy-wizard, rest assured that 'The Snow Spider' was published several years before Harry Potter hit the scene.

In the previous novel `The Snow Spider', Gwyn became aware of his abilities as a magician, using his gift to summon several magical artefacts from another world, including Arianwen, a tiny silver spider who helped him uncover the mystery of his sister Bethan's disappearance several years ago and save his best friend Alun from a malevolent force he mistakenly unleashed.

Surprisingly, Nimmo chooses to take a step away from Gwyn in this sequel and tell the story from the point of view of Nia Lloyd, the little sister of Gwyn's best friend. She is the middle child in a very large family, and suffering from the belief that she's no good at anything, as well as sadness at the fact that the Lloyds are leaving the beauty of their mountainside cottage for a butchery in the town. But once there, she befriends the mysterious Llewelyn family who live in a renovated chapel; Emlyn and his artistic father. Feeling her worth for the first time when amongst them, Nia ignores the warnings from her family that are used to begin the book:

"Don't go into Llewelyn's chapel!" they told Nia. 'No good will come of it. Something happened there!' But Nia disobeyed. If she hadn't, nothing would have changed. She's still be plain Nia, dull Nia, Nia who couldn't do anything!"

From this meeting flows the rest of the novel; beautifully written to explore issues such as loneliness, self-worth, family and relationships, in a story filled with missing mothers, mysterious children and hidden orchards of icy-cold flowers. I can't help but compare it favourably Harry Potter; whilst the world of magic is central to the "Harry Potter" series, magical workings are on the periphery here and so appears more mysterious and unknown. Don't get me wrong, I love the "Harry Potter" books, but Nimmo's subtle treatment of magic and her concentration on the more human elements of the novel is wonderful (and somewhat ironic considering her latest novels "Children of the Red King" are obviously inspired by the success of Harry Potter and not nearly as good as this previous trilogy).

The best thing about the trilogy is that although each one is a separate story, similar themes, storylines and character arcs are present throughout all three. Therefore, though the disappearance of Bethan was resolved in the first book, it is not completely forgotten here and her backstory and continuing influence plays a major part in `Emlyn's Moon'. Likewise, the malevolent force that was halted in `The Snow Spider' will not finally be put to rest until the third book `The Chestnut Soldier', though it does not impinge on the action here. The overriding theme throughout all books is one becoming increasingly rare in children's fiction; that of the family unit and its power. Therefore, as Gwyn managed to heal his immediate family in the previous book, it is now up to Nia to mend the rift between Gwyn and his cousin's families.

The family is not presented as a difficult, cruel environment, nor as an overly comfortable, too-good-to-be-true unit, but realistically, with all the messy, busy, bickering, stable familial bonds you'd expect in real life. Since the books were first published in the eighties, perhaps some of the language and family roles may feel a little dated, but no one can fault them for their realism and familiarity. The families aren't perfect, but they are worth fighting for.

The books can best be compared with Susan Cooper and Lloyd Alexander, both of whom instigated the use of Welsh legends as the basis for their books ('The Dark is Rising` sequence and `The Chronicle of Prydain`). `The Snow Spider' trilogy is sadly not as popular as either of these books, but they are well worth the effect of finding. Delicately written and with touching illustrations by Joanna Carey, `Emlyn's Moon' is a book that should be on every child's bookshelf, along with the rest of the trilogy.

Emlyn's Moon is the second book in The Magician Trilogy (the first book was The Snow Spider), which draws from Welsh mythology. We rejoin Gwyn two years after the events of the first book, he has learned that his is a wizard (a legacy from his family line), but this story doesn't focus so much on Gwyn...his best friend Alun's family is moving into town. His father was never much of a farmer and has his heart set on being the town butcher. In this move Nia, the middle child of the Lloyd clan becomes somewhat displaced and winds up befriending Emlyn Llewelyn (who it turns out is Gwyn's cousin) and visiting with him in his strange lighthouse home...which she was warned not to do....something happened there she's told by her father and Gwyn's father, but no one will elaborate and when she meets Emlyn's father, he seems nice enough...she can't understand and continues to go there despite the warnings.

As the story sets out, Nia is called plain Nia, dull Nia, Nia who couldn't do anything by her siblings and for much of the story this is the opinion she holds of herself...it is through her friendship with Emlyn and his father that she begins to see that she CAN do something and that she has talent outside of being the middle child of a large family...and outside of that she realizes that she must facilitate a reconciliation between Emlyn an Gwyn AND between Emly's family and Gwyns. The first 1-3 of the book is set up for the adventure that begins in the middle and wends it way to an exciting and heart-warming conclusion. As with the Snow Spider, it is children who ultimately set things right and being some measure of peace and tranquility to families that have been fractured and at odds for a very long time and in the end, Nia finds where she truly belongs as well. Finding a sense of self and new found confidence in who she is and what she can do, a strong and powerful message for all readers! Simply Delightful!

I do want to point out that Emlyn's Moon isn't just another Harry Potter knockoff (especially given that these are reprints of books published in the early 80's), here magic is integral but secondary and more subtle...it's more unknowable and mysterious...the REAL focus in the Magician's trilogy are individual struggles, quests to find self and most especially about family. A common occurrence in many children's books is family that is absent or so un-nurturing and supportive as to be abusive, putting the child hero of the story out on his own without any support...but these are not dressed up Cinderella stories...these are family dramas every bit as much as they are individual struggles. I love that family here is neither absent or abusive, nor is it fairy tale perfect, the adults and children alike are full of faults and mudding through life as best as they can and then magic comes into the picture and the struggles are still there, people are still not perfect, but there is a little bit of magic in the world and it's amazing! This series, and this book especially is one of the best children's book I've read in the last three years! I give Emlyn's Moon five big stars AND two thumbs up, these books should be read and loved by generations of children!! So what are you waiting for, get out and get yourself a copy and enjoy it!!

My grand daughter just loves this book and all of the trilogy. She is only 7, but can't wait to read more.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 10 reviews  4.9 out of 5 stars