The Hound and the Falcon trilogy remains one of those that has survived my evolution into a super-picky reader, and is still among my favorite books. Sure, the angst of Alfred sometimes gets a little heavy--but unlike far too many novel characters, Alf has some pretty good reasons for being angsty, particularly in this first installment of the trilogy. Alfred of St. Ruan's, you see, is a foundling; he has no idea who his parents were. He's also a monk. Doesn't seem too bad on the angst front yet, right? Except that Alfred isn't human. He's more than eighty years old--and can still pass for about seventeen. He's inhumanly fair, with milk-white skin, white-blonde hair, and eerie eyes that reflect the light like a cat's--and also have a cat's slitted pupils. He can make moonlight into tangible cloth; he can heal with a touch; he can see the future (and it always sucks). In short, with the notable exception of pointy ears (really, they'd be superfluous on top of everything else), Alfred is well-named: he's one of the Fair Folk. He's also a devout priest and philosopher--and the Church says that the Fair Folk have no souls and are automatically damned to Hell. Alfred has reasons to be angsty.Mixed into Alf's various existential crises is the larger-than-life Richard, villainous barons, fanatical witch-hunter monks, and the beautiful (and aggressive) Thea, one of the Fair Folk who has taken one look at Alfred and decided that he's hers. (The vows present her with a bit of a problem, as Alfred takes them VERY seriously.) The Isle of Glass is a wonderful bit of historical fantasy, and the trilogy--which continues in The Golden Horn--only gets better.
I’ve gone back and forth on this text quite a bit, unsure how generous I’m willing to be. The facts are these: Judith Tarr’s prose is better than expected, the story flows well, and the pacing is great, but on the other hand, this is not a book that beyond its style really seems to have a lot to do. The Isle of Glass is the kind of novel that readers will finish with a nod and a shrug rather than a smile or tears.The plot is scanty and rather unambitious. Alfred, or “Alf,” the protagonist, is one of the Fair Folk raised as a monk, which of course means that he’s righteous, sheltered, and troubled by his heritage. He’s the handsome naïf trope played straight as an arrow. One day, a wounded knight of the Fairies arrives with a mission to prevent a war, and the unassuming Alf is drafted as messenger and king-manipulator supreme, leaving his ... Read More:http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
What do You think about The Isle Of Glass (1986)?
I'm rereading this trilogy. The changeling raised as a monk is a nicely conflicted character, but his femalesylvan counterpart is not as 3 dimensional. But then,she can turn into mist, a hound, or a white dove, so maybe that compensates for her lack of depth. I likethat she doesn't whine even when she is a dog.
—Carol
This first book in Tarr’s The Hound and the Falcon trilogy is a work of alternate history, taking place in England during the reign of Richard I. Alf, a monk at St. Ruan’s Abbey, is an elfin changeling left there as a baby, and despite his fair looks and that he never seems to age, only a few are aware of or suspect his true nature. When an injured rider arrives at the abbey one evening, it becomes Alf’s turn to play the part of messenger and ambassador to Richard I in order to prevent war among neighboring lands.Although I wasn't completely wowed, I like Judith Tarr and I’m looking forward to reading the next part in the series.
—Julia
