Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The Bark of the Bog Owl Review

Author: Jonathan Rodgers

Twelve-year-old Aidan Errolson comes from a long line of adventurers. His grandparents were among the first settlers of Corenwald's eastern frontier. His father had been one of the kingdom's greatest warriors. Aidan, on the other hand, lives the quiet, comfortable life of a nobleman's son. He has never had any real adventures, and that, he believes, is the one great injustice of his otherwise happy life.

All that will change the day he first hears the bark of the bog owl and meets Dobro Turtlebane. Dobro is one of the feechiefolk- a tribe of half-civilized swamp dwellers who fight too much, laugh too loud, cry too easily, and smell just terrible.

But another meeting on that remarkable day may change Aidan's life even more profoundly. Bayard the Truthspeaker arrives with a startling pronouncement: Aidan Errolson will grow to be the Wilderking- the long-prophesied wild man who will come out of Corenwald's forests and swamps to lead the kingdom back to its former glory.

There's only one question: Is Bayard the Truthspeaker a prophet or a madman?
-Summary from the back of The Bark of the Bog Owl 

Characters: Very good. There’s a nice amount of variety, and Aidan seems nicely familiar. Also, the feechiefolk are hilarious!
4/5

Location: Pretty good. There were a few places where I got a little confused, but these could’ve been prevented if I took the time to look at the map in the front. Over all it was well done and very clear.
4/5

Plot: Very good. The plot, which is based on the story of David, is interesting and exciting, with plenty of humor. Although there isn’t very much subplot at all, it works well, and the Wilderking prophecy adds just the right amount of mystery.
5/5
 
Other: I very much enjoyed this book. It is simple and clear, a nice change from the complicated novels I often read. I also enjoyed the fact that the people and setting seemed like a pleasant cross between my favorite medieval fantasy world and early America, something I’ve never found in any other book.

Overall Rating: 4/5

2 comments:

  1. I have to agree with you this is one of my top ten books and the feechiefolk are just awesome. Though I will disagree about the location (Come-on there is a map) I think it should rank at least a four.

    Jessica

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jessica,
    You're right! I looked at the book again this morning and discovered that if I had actually remembered to look at the map, I wouldn't have gotten confused. Thanks for pointing out my mistake!
    -Sarah

    ReplyDelete

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