Click for Source Image by Jennifer Drewett
World Book Day is a wonderful day. It's great that books and novels are still celebrated even in the age of technological greatness and Kindles. There are some books that touch a generation, change lives and make an impact partially because they sell enough to become part of the popular culture. Books such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Harry Potter series and pretty much any book by Roald Dahl have made a giant impact and will be celebrated for years to come... But what about the lesser known novels published by lesser known publication companies? This reviewer is going to bring one into the spotlight.
World Book Day is a wonderful day. It's great that books and novels are still celebrated even in the age of technological greatness and Kindles. There are some books that touch a generation, change lives and make an impact partially because they sell enough to become part of the popular culture. Books such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Harry Potter series and pretty much any book by Roald Dahl have made a giant impact and will be celebrated for years to come... But what about the lesser known novels published by lesser known publication companies? This reviewer is going to bring one into the spotlight.
Click for Source Image Dart is a novel written by Bristol-based poet Deborah Harvey with an illustrated map and artwork by artist Dru Marland. The story is set in Dartmoor during the Black Death as narrated by an ageing man called Tobias Hext retelling a story to his grandchildren. Teenage Tobias is in love with Beatrice but in nearby Tavystoke the townsfolk are dying of a mysterious sickness. To make things worse, the illness is getting closer to their village thanks to the unsavoury Serlo Clarke. There's also the mysterious witch Isabella with her strange stone arrowhead. Will it bring fortune or kill them all? Tobias seeks to find a cure.
This story may well have a target audience of teenagers but it appeals to all ages. This story has elements of young love, sibling rivalry, high stake adventures and magic that would appeal to every age. With every wonderfully described landscape, the threat of the Black Death is ever present. The author doesn't hold back with graphic descriptions of the deadly plague that fully spells out how dangerous things were in that time. The adventure has high stakes with real losses on the line which makes the book impossible to put down.
As mentioned earlier, this writer is a poet and it shows in the way Tobias tells his story. The story feels very much like the kind of story-poems that were common for that era. It's a clever way to place the reader in the mood of the times even in the face of the grisly prognosis down to the Black Death. To further encapsulate one into the time, the way the characters speak fits how people would've spoken. As the story is set in Dartmoor in the 14th century, many would've spoken Cornish and Middle English. Whilst other books such as The Clockwork Orange are written entirely in a language that strictly isn't English, Dart restricts it to the communication between characters. This ensures accessibility for all readers but provides a sense of historical accuracy to the story.
This is a must-read for every reader of every age. You can buy a copy on:
Amazon: (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dart-Deborah-Harvey/dp/0957474202)
or on the publisher's website: (http://www.indigodreamsbookshop.com/deborah-harvey-dart/4571172302).
This story may well have a target audience of teenagers but it appeals to all ages. This story has elements of young love, sibling rivalry, high stake adventures and magic that would appeal to every age. With every wonderfully described landscape, the threat of the Black Death is ever present. The author doesn't hold back with graphic descriptions of the deadly plague that fully spells out how dangerous things were in that time. The adventure has high stakes with real losses on the line which makes the book impossible to put down.
As mentioned earlier, this writer is a poet and it shows in the way Tobias tells his story. The story feels very much like the kind of story-poems that were common for that era. It's a clever way to place the reader in the mood of the times even in the face of the grisly prognosis down to the Black Death. To further encapsulate one into the time, the way the characters speak fits how people would've spoken. As the story is set in Dartmoor in the 14th century, many would've spoken Cornish and Middle English. Whilst other books such as The Clockwork Orange are written entirely in a language that strictly isn't English, Dart restricts it to the communication between characters. This ensures accessibility for all readers but provides a sense of historical accuracy to the story.
This is a must-read for every reader of every age. You can buy a copy on:
Amazon: (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dart-Deborah-Harvey/dp/0957474202)
or on the publisher's website: (http://www.indigodreamsbookshop.com/deborah-harvey-dart/4571172302).
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