I wish I could find the gateway between our everyday world and the worlds of magic.  Authors of so many books seem to locate them all over the place – wardrobes, mirrors, caves, secret words, they must be everywhere!

In Cassandra’s Klein’s case it is a necklace given to her on her thirteenth birthday, a gift from the mother who disappeared immediately after her birth.  It transports her from our world (Doldrea) to her mother’s world of Morphea where magic, myth and legends are all alive.

Needless to say there is the requisite arch-villain desperate to grab the necklace to enable him to seize ultimate power, along with the noble and comic assistants who help Caz discover how to resist and defeat him.

Morphea is a rather confused mix of ancient Greek myths with modern attitudes and speech.  Pedantic purists (like me) could find some of the details jumbled, stereotyped and corny, but not all writers can craft a world as carefully as Tolkien, Emily Rodda or Terry Pratchett.  Brooks does write with energy, keeping the story moving quickly and precisely. 

My main disappointment with her use of Greek myths is, with so many possibilities already existing in the rich personalities of characters such as Pegasus, harpies, and Charon the boatman, to use them just as passing details seems such a waste.  Ken Catran's Voyage with Jason shows what can be done with the authentic stories - I think Brooks could have done much more.

Like so many fantasy novels, both for children and for adults, this one seems structured to lead to sequels.  Cassandra does not find her mother but does grow closer her father.  She still has the necklace for when she is called back to Morphea.

I am sure she will be, and her adventures should entertain many younger teen readers.

Review by David Beagley

© 2002 David Beagley