Fire Bringer

Fire Bringer, by David Clement-Davies

"It is a dark time for the deer. A tyrannical new Lord of the Herd has ended the old way, the yearly play of antlers that ensure a change of leadership. At his command is a corps of young stags, antlers sharpened for the kill, whose mission is completely dominion over the animal world.

"But a prophecy among the deer promises a hero -- a fawn with the mark of an oak leaf on his forehead. His unique bond with all creatures, including humans, will bring a new age of freedom.

"Rannoch is born the night his father is murdered. His mother, Eloin, keeps him hidden from the deadly attention of the Lord of the Herd, but soon Rannoch is forced to flee, beginning a perilous, wonderous journey. Among the moutnins and haunted glens of the Great Land, the young stag encounters strange herds, makes unusual allies, and, at last, finds the knowledge and courage to face his extraordinary destiny.

"In this grand epic of old Scotland, with its echoes of myth, history, and Scripture, David Clement-Davies has created a classic hero tale, full of thrilling action and told with the resonance of legend."

As a writer and an avid reader, I naturally tend to be very critical of books that I read. Yet I also take into account other factors that attribute to a book's greatness. Many "great" books have scored 0 on my list. However, _Fire Bringer_ is an excellent tale that is woven together with history into a rapturing story that was difficult to put down. I stayed up many, many nights reading this book.

That brings me to my first real complaint about this book: it's really too long. There are almost 500 pages of single-spaced lines and nearly nonexistent margins. I am a very fast reader, and this book took me, combined, over a week of reading several hours a day. Yet, despite the length, this book was able to hold my attention and make me keep coming back for more: most of the time.

My second complaint about the book is that history is thrown into the storyline at inopportune times and without hardly any smoothing over. I could have thought up of hundreds of transitions that would have made the book easier reading. At least twice, I was tempted to put the book down and never pick it up again. I was busy with other things in my life, and the book loosened its grip on my attention. I plugged away at those sections and continued reading -- I'm happy I did. Save for the abrupt ending, of course.

All in all, this is a worthy book. Not nearly as great as Richard Adams' _Watership Down_, but still a good read. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.