reviews
"I so enjoyed Wizard’s Woe But Merlyn’s Heir has far exceeded it with unexpected incidents and revelations on every page. This story has everything; fairytale; legend; history; love; lust; good; evil; adventure; story-within-a-story. I haven’t had so much fun in ages!" - Freda Gurr, Shrewsbury
Wizard's Woe is an exquisitely told tale of romantic love which spans two worlds as surely as the crystal bridge (pictured on the cover) which allows the fae to cross to the Wandle to witness the wedding of the wands. According to Wizard's Woe, the rules and traditions that govern life in fairy land have seeped into local human consciousness as legends and 'fairy stories' told to children. But one such storyteller discovers that the world of the little people is as real as his own human world, and that it is possible to cross between the two.
But there's a catch. At some point he has to choose. Our hero's dilemma is that he can't communicate with the woman he loves to find out if she is going to make the same choice. The story raises deeply spiritual and ecological questions.
Spiritually, the world of the fairies and gnomes can be interpreted in this book as a kind of heaven, an Arcadian Paradise. This paradise is not a vaguely drawn heaven where anything goes because the inhabitants are immortal - which they are - but rather one that is governed by strict rules, the breaking of which can result in a 'second death'. So the story prompts readers to consider death and the possibility of an afterlife, without having to steep themselves in any of the world's ancient religions.
One of the problems we have in envisaging what heaven might be like is to imagine what the inhabitants do with all the time on their hands. Revelation's suggestion that we might be kneeling before God's throne singing hymns of praise for ever doesn't appeal to many people, nor does the popular myth of being a harp-playing angel. The authors of Wizard's Woe have an intriguing answer to this quandary which, again, may not appeal to all readers, though it is gets full marks for sheer audacity!
Ecologically, the reader is prompted to consider the risk we take when we destroy our natural environment for commercial gain, since we may unwittingly be destroying the habitats of creatures we know nothing about - indeed, it is certain that we are doing exactly that when we destroy the rainforests, for example, which harbour countless undiscovered species, and disrupt the harmony of the planet. Wizard's Woe is a parable of this risk and therefore speaks to a current burning issue.
I would have wished for a few illustrations of the fairies and gnomes, preferably next to a human artefact such as a discarded cola can or some such. This would help greatly to implant the creatures' proportions in readers' minds. As it was, I found I was constantly picturing these fascinating nine-inch high characters as being the size of human beings. That may be due to my weak powers of imagination. I was helped when it happened that the fairy creatures were dwarfed in the presence of a human baby, and it's a pity there weren't more occasions when the little people's proportions were clearly revealed to the imagination - and, preferably, reinforced by sketches.
In the first quarter of the 20th century there was an explosion of interest in fairies, partly due to photographs that decades later were revealed to be fakes, and Wizard's Woe has an almost period feel to it that is part of its charm. For example, the heroine calls her aunt 'Auntie', and actually blushes when caught ogling a photograph of a handsome man; the fact that she falls in love with this man merely on the strength of the photograph jars when it happens in the normal, human world depicted in the early chapters, but gradually makes sense as the story becomes a fairy story, for in such a context love is always instantaneous and overwhelming. - Geoff Anderson, Author of The Legend of Aranrhod a fantasy, and the lyrics for three musicals: Rock on Simon Peter, The Damascus Road Show and That Saul, Folks!
Marion’s story, which is set in the legendary Forest of Weir is an account of the strange folk who inhabit the village of Three Weirs, fairies, wizards and a dangerous dragon. But this is by no means a fantasy for children – there are unexplained deaths, people who disappear leaving behind empty clothes from which the wearer has vanished, and an investigative journalist who turns into a nine-inch-high elfin wizard. Marion has produced a very readable novel... - Cedric Parcel, Editor of Sage Magazine, U3A Sutton Coldfield
