A medieval land in another world, where magic is a force and a mighty threat looms.  It could be "Novels by Numbers" but Clovermead, David Randall’s first book, manages to avoid the major traps of a very typical fantasy formula. 

Certainly there are predictable elements: the physically and mentally powerful bad guy who almost overwhelms the young heroine, who is gradually discovering her secret powers, as mighty armies face off in battle.  Randall sets up the inevitable storyline of confrontation with a minimum of fuss, instead concentrating on developing the character of young Clovermead through it, and letting us follow her worries, uncertainties and choices. 

She is the child who has been sheltered in a distant valley, upon whom falls a destiny and powers she has to learn along the way to saving the world.  She has helpers, some obvious and some unexpected, and she has enemies, similarly obvious and unexpected.  She travels through strange lands and encounters new and surprising people, beings and places.  She faces both the natural world and the magical realms and the bears that seem to move between both.  Finally, she learns something of her past and the role she must play in the future. 

The first episode of any series has the problem of needing to set up the whole situation, but then solving just a bit of it to leave enough for the later parts.  But it also have to be both exciting and satisfying enough to make readers want to continue on the journey.  Clovermead manages this tricky balancing act by giving us a sympathetic central character who has a lot to learn.  How she learns it should make good reading in the sequels.

Review by David Beagley

© 2004 David Beagley