Out of the Dawn Light (An Aelf Fen Mystery, 1) - Softcover

Clare, Alys

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1847511384 ISBN 13: 9781847511386

Publisher: Severn House, 2010

Synopsis

A brand new medieval mystery from the author of the ‘Hawkenlye’ series - England, 1087. On her sister’s wedding day, Lassair meets an enigmatic stranger who brings a breath of the fascinating outside world to her backwater Fenland village. When he asks Lassair to use her unique talents to help locate a mysterious treasure she accepts, despite the dangers. But this is no ordinary treasure hunt; the object of the perilous search is five hundred years old and has a terrifying power . . . 

About this title

About the Author:

Alys Clare divides her time between Tonbridge, England-in the area where ""Tavern in the Morning"" is set--and her ancient stone cottage in Brittany. The author of two previous Hawkenlye mysteries, ""Fortune Like the Moon"" and ""Ashes of the Elements,"" she has also studied archaeology at the University of Kent at Canterbury.

Review:

Historical specialist Clare (The Joys of My Life, 2009, etc.) begins her new series in 1087, when William Rufus has just assumed the throne of England and quelled a rebellion. In a small Fenland village, Lassair, who has the uncanny ability to find lost objects and dowse for water, is thrilled to be learning healing skills from her aunt Edild, who's skilled in the ways of the old Gods. Lassair is celebrating the wedding of her sister Goda when Romain, an attractive stranger, arrives. While she is caring for Goda, Romain returns with Sibert, a friend from Lassair's village, and begs her to join them to search for a valuable object. Happy to get away from Goda, whose pregnancy seems designed specifically to make everyone around her miserable, she agrees. A three-day trip leads them to the sea and the former home of Sibert's ancestors, which the Norman overlords granted to Romain's family. There Lassair discovers a golden crown with hidden powers buried near an underwater tree trunk. Romain plans on using the crown to convince the king to return the land his family lost in the rebellion. But Lassair and Sibert take the crown and leave him behind. When he follows them and is killed, Sibert is accused of the crime, and it takes all Lassair's courage to help prove him innocent. A treat that's full of the mysticism, period detail and mystery Clare's readers have come to expect. --Kirkus Reviews, 1st July 2009

Readers who have enjoyed Clare's popular Hawkenlye books will be delighted with her new mystery series set in medieval England. England is under strict military rule as the tale begins, but 14-year-old Lassair is only concerned with whether a boy named Sibert will dance with her at her sister's wedding. But when a handsome stranger called Romain arrives, Lassair changes course immediately. Although years older than Lassair, he deigns to dance with her and then asks her to meet him secretly. When she does, Sibert is there, too. Puzzled, Lassair soon learns that Romain needs her "dowsing" skills to find a mysterious object at an unidentified location. Intrigued and mystified, Lassair sets off with Sibert and Romain, only to find herself involved in a deadly mission--the search for a 500-year-old crown with magical powers. This cleverly plotted blend of historical mystery and romance provides a charged atmosphere, high-spirited adventure, and a charismatic cast of char! acters. --Booklist, 1st July 2009

Clare's captivating first in a new medieval series dramatizes the clash between the old pagan ways and Christianity in 11th-century England. In 1087, with the death of William the Conqueror, the common people are in a rebellious mood. Meanwhile, Lassair, a 14-year-old girl from a Fenland village with special gifts, is learning to be a healer. When two young men ask her to use her skills to locate a hidden treasure, she can't refuse. Lassair joins the men on an arduous trek across East Anglia to the coast, where they unearth a 500-year-old solid gold relic. This relic, Lassair realizes, has the power to cause immense harm. Clare (The Joys of My Life and 11 other Hawkenlye mysteries) brings the people of the period to vivid life with close attention to such matters as food, clothes and religious belief. Engaging characters, like Lassair's obnoxious sister and her storytelling grandmother, enhance a well-crafted plot that builds to a chilling climax. --***Publishers Weekly, 6th July 2009

About this edition

• Publisher: Severn House
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1847511384
• ISBN 13: 9781847511386
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224