By Clare B. Dunkle. New York: Henry
Holt, 2004. Edited by Reka Simonsen.
Book Two of The
Hollow Kingdom Trilogy.
A folklore-based fantasy novel for young adults.
Sable crouched on the ground by the fallen Thorn's side.
She heard Irina shrieking frantically, and then those shrieks suddenly
cut off, but she forced herself not to look up. It was the end of everything,
the end of her life. She didn't want to see it.
A shadow fell across Thorn's quiet face and across the snow around
them.
Look at the trees, she told herself. Look at the sky. Don't
give them the pleasure of making you scream.
"Goblins are just a tale to frighten children."
Emily might have believed this once,
but she knows better now. For years she has been living happily in the
underground goblin kingdom. Now Emily is old enough to marry, but when
her childhood friend Seylin proposes, she doesn't take him seriously.
Devastated, Seylin leaves the kingdom, intent
on finding his own people: the elves. Too late, Emily realizes what Seylin
means to her and sets out in search of him. But her quest, like Seylin's
own journey, is really a plot devised by the cunning goblin King, who
has his own reason to hunt for elves. As Emily and Seylin come closer
to their goals, they bring two worlds onto a collision course, awakening
hatreds and prejudices that have slumbered for hundreds of years.
In this sequel to The Hollow Kingdom, Clare
Dunkle draws readers deeper into the magical world that Lloyd Alexander,
winner of the Newbery Medal, calls "as persuasive as it is remarkable."
"The plot of CLOSE KIN is
intricate, the characters sharply drawn and believable, given
the author's premise of three such disparate races moving
in their own spheres. The relationships between the characters
are skillfully portrayed; this is one of Dunkle's strengths
as a fiction writer. Fantasy-lovers will find CLOSE KIN engrossing
and will be waiting eagerly for Book Three." —Lorgnette: Heart of Texas Reviews (Highly recommended)
"... Both decidedly alien
and strangely romantic at the same time—qualities that
neatly encapsulate the allure of the first two books in the
Hollow Kingdom Trilogy. ... Returning readers will
appreciate the expanded view of a world where human, goblin,
and elf sensibilities interestingly, if not harmoniously,
coexist."
—Booklist
Jacket art copyright 2004 by Matt
Manley. Jacket design by Amy Manzo Toth. Book excerpt may or may not
appear on printed book jackets. Excerpt copyright 2004 by Clare B. Dunkle.
Text and image courtesy of Henry Holt & Co.
