The freedom and majesty of eagles has provided a powerful symbol for many writers and dreamers.  William Mayne uses it in a very interesting way in this reissue of Antar and the Eagles by showing how even the great must depend on the weak sometimes.

William Mayne has been one of Britain's top writers for teenagers for over thirty years.  He is able to create magical worlds of myth and legend, but with clear messages for today.

Antar is a boy carried off by a huge eagle and given the task of retrieving the egg of the next Great Eagle, stolen by men. He is raised as an eagle, taught to speak with them and to fly with borrowed feathers. Through this he learns much about himself and about struggle against odds.  He copes with his training, volcanoes, cruel humans as well as loneliness and fear.

He succeeds, as in all good legends and fairy tales he should, but that is only part of his story.  When the egg hatches unexpectedly, the new chick demands him as its "egg-mother" and Antar must start learning again, this time about responsibility and duty.

This story could be just another heroic adventure, but William Mayne helps us consider several points of view.  Several of the eagle flock do not like the idea of relying on a human and are actively unhelpful.  Others simply do not understand.  They assume Antar keeps a kitten because it is a meal!  Antar must not only accept his own limitations, but also how the eagles feel about him.  They, on the other hand, have to trust someone usually seen as an enemy.

This more thoughtful approach in Antar and the Eagles provides a good balance for stories like the Harry Potter adventures.  Both types of book push young readers into imaginary worlds and let them dream.  Harry is fun, while Antar offers them a bit more to ponder.  That is William Mayne's style.

Review by David Beagley

© 2000 David Beagley