The White Horse Trick

September 27, 2010
This concluding volume in a trilogy that began with Thompson's beguiling The New Policeman blends Irish mythology with a compelling if slightly message-heavy story about global warming. Readers of the previous books are the best audience, as Thompson provides little summary. It's decades in the future and the Liddy kids are now senior citizens, except for Jenny, a changeling, who returned to her fairy homeland in The Last of the High Kings. Devastating storms have wrecked Earth and the economy; Jenny's older brothers, Aidan and Donal, survive but are at odds. Aidan has hoarded supplies and commands an army; Donal is his general but has a hidden agenda. As Aidan's stores run low, he hatches a plan to steal from the fairies. The action alternates between T'ír na n'Óg, where the sun always shines and no one is hungry, and the ravaged earth. Thompson considers many modern ills—the immigration issue is raised when the fairy king objects to streams of "ploddies" seeking refuge. But weighty concerns are balanced by humor, and the story ends on a hopeful note about the planet's ultimate resilience. Ages 12–up.

Starred review from August 1, 2010
Starting at the ending and ending at the beginning, Thompson's latest Liddy-family romp in Tír na n'Óg (The Last of the High Kings, 2008, etc.) lives up to the highest expectations and brings back familiar friends from both worlds, from Aengus, the Dagda and the puka to Jenny, J.J. and Mikey. The tale begins in a dystopian future, when climate change has wreaked havoc. The raging weather has fundamentally changed society, and communities exist as virtual islands in medieval conditions. Donal Liddy thinks he has a solution, but power players in both worlds are more intent on satisfying personal goals than looking after the good of all. Jenny and J.J. grasp onto the "white horse trick" as a possible creative solution to their difficulties. The humor in the telling, the high stakes and the absolute adherence to the rules of the world previously revealed keeps the suspense level in the stratosphere. As one character after another acts with complete, independent consistency, never bending to the demands of the plot, the author's prowess is increasingly evident. Fast-paced, masterful and wholly satisfying. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

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September 1, 2010

Gr 7-10-Although magical T'ir na n'Og remains unchanged, readers will find Ireland an unfamiliar place in this conclusion to the trilogy that began with The New Policeman (2007). In the not-too-distant future, global warming has wreaked havoc on the world's climate. Periods of unrelenting rain that have washed topsoil away and left crops rotting in the ground are followed by months of drought. People are starving, and there appears to be no hope. Aidan Liddy, whom readers last saw as a fractious toddler in The Last of the High Kings (2008, both HarperCollins), is now Commander Liddy. He has stockpiled food, tobacco, and other supplies, and uses his soldiers to control the suffering people. In an unexpected twist, Aidan's sensitive brother, Donal, now 69 years old, is his general. Although it appears that Donal has chosen an immoral path by following his brother, it becomes apparent that he has a plan to save the people and culture of Ireland, and fairyland will play an important role-if the Dagda and Aengus Og will allow it. Thompson has done a marvelous job of spinning an entertaining and ultimately hopeful tale, while at the same time criticizing the devastation caused by humanity's excesses. And no book in this series would be complete without some music, so instead of a whimper, the end of this world comes with a wink and a nod, and an Irish tune-Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2010
Grades 7-10 This complex fantasy, which follows The New Policeman (2007) and The Last of the High Kings (2008), offers readers a taste of genre-blending that is both challenging and successful. Jenny is either 16 (in fairy terms) or quite an elderly woman (in mortal Irish terms). The fantasy world, where time has stopped, is presented as nearly feudal, while Ireland has moved into a future where such contemporary trappings as DVDs are now pass'. That is because the ploddy worldas the fairies call the one we mortals know as our ownwas ruined generations back by ecoviolence of the sort young teens will already recognize as a potential real disaster. Readers with some familiarity with Irish lore will have the most immediate success unwinding the complexities of familial lines and political allegiances in the fairy world. The conclusion surprises, however, as Thompson delivers a delightful twist that turns the tale into a riff on the biblical creation story. Copious drinking and some use of tobacco are in keeping with the characters and their diverseand divertingtimes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)