I just finished reading this book that I picked up at the library because of the author. I remember reading Mr. Dickinson’s scifi/fantasy trilogy, The Weathermonger, Heartsease, and The Devil’s Children, when I was a teenager. At the time, I really enjoyed those books. I also realized at some point that Peter Dickinson is married to one of my favorite YA authors, Robin McKinley, author of Beauty and Rose Daughter, separate retellings of the story of Beauty and the Beast.
The Ropemaker was OK, not fantastic, just OK. Mr. Dickinson tells a good story, but after I was done I felt . . . unsatisfied. It’s as if there were no substance to the story, no real reason for telling it. Some people go on a quest, manage to get through all the attendant dangers and pitfalls, evil is defeated, and everyone gets home in the end. The heroine comes to some kind of self-knowledge or self-realization, but I’m not sure what it is she realizes. The storyteller leaves a lot of loose ends. Who is The Ropemaker and what will he do next? What is the difference between The Ropemaker and the other magicians in the story? Why do we have any reason to believe that The Ropemaker will remain uncorrupted by the power of magic? Is the magic in the story ultimately good or evil? Are the people in the story able to wield magic for good purposes or not? Why did the world start to change at the particular time the story takes place? What is the meaning of all this sound and fury?
At any rate, I looked at this bibliography of children’s and young adult novels by Peter Dickinson, and I thought several of them looked worthy of addition to The List. The Ropemaker wasn’t on The List. Of course, that’s the problem with my list; I find books that look interesting at the library while I’m getting some of the books I planned to read, and The List just grows and grows.
Thanks for telling me about a book not to put on my list. I know what you mean though, about adding to your list. Thanks to you, I have checked out Levi’s Will and will be reading it this weekend, I hope.
Yep, so many books, so little time. Just think what it is like to WORK in a library. I can never seem to get home without an armload of books to read.
Have you read The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley? They were my favorite of her books although I’ve appreciated all her books. I haven’t read her newest one, Sunshine. My friend says it is not bad but it is about vampires and so I thought I could skip that one.
I know what you mean about The Ropemaker, although I did enjoy it quite a bit. Some of his other books are good as well, though I would stay away from A Bone From A Dry Sea–really dumb. His wife definitely is a better writer than he; we own all her books, of which Sunshine is one of my favorites. It is about vampires, but I don’t know why that should be any scarier than other fantasy monsters, and the main character is wonderful. (Plus I love that she works in a bakery–a great setting for a story!)