Kemp, Debra A.
THE HOUSE OF PENDRAGON BOOK I: THE FIREBRAND
Debra A. Kemp
Amber Quill Press 2003
Pb 266 pgs
ISBN# 1-59279-883-7
Debra A. Kemp
Amber Quill Press 2003
Pb 266 pgs
ISBN# 1-59279-883-7
This is for Arthurian Legend fans, and for readers who like a
strong female protagonist. THE FIREBRAND subsumes King Arthur had a daughter,
a child lost to him from birth and believed dead. But Arthur's malevolent
sister Morgause--mother of Arthur's "unpardonable" son Modred--has spirited
the child away. And thrust that child into slavery. Knowing nothing of her
lineage or heritage, slave-girl Lin makes her way in life thinking herself
orphaned with only a brother for comfort. (Dafydd is child to the slave-woman
who cares for Lin. This woman dies at the beginning of the story so Lin and
Dafydd take care of each other, thinking themselves siblings.)
THE FIREBRAND is almost a "dark" fantasy because much of the
story is devoted to showing Lin's plight. And her relationship with her
brother. Her plight is horrible and not recommended reading for the
weak-hearted. Proud Lin endures multiple beatings, rapes, and public
humiliations that she rebels against magnificently. The author describes this
so well that you might believe she has lived through these hardships herself.
Opposing this grotesquery are equally numerous exhibitions of Lin's brother's
kindnesses and his great musical quality. Being a fan of the
"brother-relationship" theme, I found this a fascinating off-set.
THE FIREBRAND is first in a series called THE HOUSE OF
PENDRAGON, a book that concludes with a "hand of god" salvation from slavery.
Yet there are enough lures in the story to have the reader hungering for the
next installment. Kemp's Arthurian tale is much more complex than the
original, full of half-brothers to Modred and a deeper, more sinister plot
from Morgause. The pace of the story is fairly good. It might seem to drag
a slightly in the middle, but the extra care Ms Kemp takes for these
additional demonstrations of Lin's plight and Dafydd's generosity are well
worth it. The reader should also be forewarned that this is a frame-story
where the beginning and end are set in another time--but these intrusions
create the need to turn the page, so are pardonable. One other point of
critique, one that most readers will probably commend, is the inclusion of
modern diction. This minority reader is a purest, though, and did not
appreciate words like "pissant" and phrases such as "How rich" inserted into a
Medieval story. Anyway, I found THE FIREBRAND a compelling read and am
eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series. Oh, in case you are
interested, the title comes from a brand of ownership Prince Modred sears onto
Lin's forearm. And she does not cry out when he does it. How rich! (sorry,
couldn't resist) Write on, Ms Kemp!
Return to Reviews