The Greenstone Grail

January 3, 2005
British author Hemingway draws on classic mythology and her fertile imagination to create a refreshingly different Arthurian fantasy, the first in a trilogy about a contemporary grail quest involving many endearing, if occasionally trite and predictable, characters. Nathan Ward is just your typical 11-year-old of supernatural parentage, until he stumbles on a hidden altar that gives him visions of a green stone cup filled with blood. Soon he begins dreaming of Eos, a world that needs the grail for a spell to ward off a terrible plague. As the dreams become astral excursions, the grail surfaces in Nathan's world, but then is stolen and sent to Eos, at the wrong time and into the wrong hands. While Nathan goes to the rescue, his mother and the venerable grail guardian, Bartlemy Goodman, fend off the village witch, an antiques trader, police and a malevolent river spirit. Despite being almost self-consciously British, the book glows with a blend of ancient magic and wide-eyed wonder that should captivate audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, especially readers weary of more conventional Arthurian epics. Agent, Anthony Harwood. (Mar. 1)

FYI:
Under the pseudonym Jan Siegel, Hemingway is the author of
Prospero's Children and other fantasies.

February 15, 2005
When Annie Ward brings her fatherless child to live with Bartlemy Goodman, a culinary master and wise man, she hopes to keep her son safe from harm. Goodman recognizes young Nathan Ward's special gifts and takes it upon himself to teach the boy enough about his talents to protect him from those who hunt him and who search for the object known as the Greenstone Grail. Hemingway's first novel provides a new look at the Grail legend, linking it to many times and places, not all of them in the known world. Intriguing characters and a mythic feel make this series opener a solid addition to most fantasy collections.

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2005
In Hemingway's beautifully written and intriguing variation on the quest for the Grail, a single mother whose son, Nathan, doesn't resemble his supposed father, an old recluse whose skills encompass more than the culinary domain, and a missing family artifact with a string of legends attached to it are the major ingredients. Melding them, Hemingway places all in an English setting in which traditional, modern, and imaginary elements are skillfully blended. In the manner of so many romances, there is even a very fine opening poem. One descries in the situation of Hemingway's young Nathan resemblances to elements of the situations of a boy named Harry, some of Neil Gaiman's characters, and even Lemony Snicket. There are also notable differences, notably Nathan's mother, Annie Ward, a stronger female character than any of the authors involved in the above-mentioned contexts have yet created. She and Hemingway's folkloric expertise make it sheer good news that this book launches at least a trilogy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)