Just Finished Reading: The Greenstone Grail by Amanda Hemingway (FP: 2005)

Annie Ward is on the run – from things only she can see and then only barely. Seemingly on impulse she leaves the truck she has been hitching in and happens upon an isolated house at the edge of a forest. Welcomed by Bartlemy Goodman she immediately feels safe and slowly reveals part of her story to this engaging stranger. Ever since the birth of her son Nathan she has felt on edge and under threat from forces she cannot comprehend. Goodman sees in Annie a sign that he needs to engage in the world and protect her and her exceptional boy from forces that he knows only too well. Maybe at last there can be a resolution to a centuries old family legend – what happened to the Greenstone Grail and where did it come from in the first place? As Nathan grows into adulthood he begins to dream of other worlds, dying worlds, where the search for the Grail and other artefacts drives them to search all possible universes for items lost in deep history. As the dreams become more real, and Nathan takes on increasing substance in them, he realises they are far from the dreams ‘normal’ people have and that he can interact with the people there – and even bring things and people across the barrier that should only be crossed by death itself.

I picked up this book, as well as the subsequent two books in the inevitable trilogy, completely on impulse because I simply liked the look of them. I was not to be disappointed. Pretty much from the first page I was intrigued and enchanted by the story, the characters and the worlds of possibilities the author weaved with skill and style. Bartlemy is an excellent character who tries to heal the world through his cooking and baking skills – never being much use at real magic. Annie is much stronger and wiser than she seems and Nathan is much more than he even realises and all of the characters are well drawn with individual backgrounds, motivations, weaknesses and agendas. It has a very British, small town, almost Agatha Christie feel to it. I guess I’d describe it as homey. It’s certainly a comfortable read – even when quite scary or disturbing things are happening (which they do) – you still feel safe and in control. It made me think this was a book aimed at children or young adults, which might be the case, but that doesn’t mean this was in anyway childish – it wasn’t. The hero is a young boy, in his teens towards the end of the book, who is backed up by his mum Annie, his ‘uncle’ Bartlemy and his female friend Hazel (who I suspect will become more than a friend and more than a simple helper in future books). It’s a great start to a series and I’m looking forward to reading the other two books and finding out more about their and the other worlds involved. Recommended for all Fantasy fans.

[2015 Reading Challenge: A Book with Magic – COMPLETE (8/50)]