![]() |
John Morressy, The Juggler (HarperTrophy, 1998) |
From the compelling first chapter in which a capricious king orders a juggler's hand cut off, to the last, quietly triumphant page, The Juggler is a dark, meticulously detailed, compulsively readable medieval fantasy. The strongest portion of the book is undoubtedly the first chapter, which has a tone strongly reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe's quirky, macabre short stories -- "Hopfrog" in particular comes to mind. The Juggler isn't a perfect book; the romance is a little unconvincing, and the ending is somewhat anti-climactic. However, its surprising originality (considering it has two very overused fantasy elements -- a medieval setting and evil incarnate) more than makes up for its shortcomings. After all, how many medieval books can boast of having a juggler as a main character? The Juggler is not a book for younger teens, but the older teen with any interest in dark fantasy or medieval England will find it to be an engrossing read. by Jennifer Mo |