Weird setting, very much a Hal-and-Alan story (though the Alan character was a _bit_ more spiritual here). Not great, not terrible. ( )

Whereas most fantasy is Tolkeinesque in terms of its setting, and Tolkein drew inspiration from Germanic and European legends, Nancy Springer's setting for this series seems to draw from a wider range of influences, in particular native American ones.

The land is divided amongst six tribes, each identified by a different animal totem (otter, seal, hart, fanged horse, etc.) The young King of the Seal Kindred is required by tradition to keep a lonely vigil on every full moon. One night his vigil is interrupted by a crazed warrior of the Red Hart tribe, wielding not a weapon of flint, but an unknown, hard, shiny substance (metal). The story follows the two men as the Red Hart warrior is nursed back to health, and having lost his memory, tries to understand how he came to leave his tribe and acquire the strange weapon. At the same time, a fearsome evil seems to be stirring, as horrors from the deep are abroad, carrying off children and others. Could the two things be related somehow? (Hint: yes.)

This is not fantasy on an epic scale - no clashing armies, palace intrigues, fallen kingdoms etc. But while the author keeps the scale of the quest small (the book itself is only 210 pages long), she managed to give it great depth and detail in its cultures, myths and history. The relationship that develops between the two main characters is also well written and is a major part of the tale. This is a well-told story and one that is engaging from the get go. I'm looking forward to the next instalment. ( )