Out of the Dark

Lorraine Douglas is the youth services co-ordinator at the Winnipeg
Public Library.

Ben Elliott and his brother Keith have moved with their recently widowed
father from Ottawa to Ship Cove, Newfoundland. The village is close to
L’Anse aux Meadows, the ancient Viking settlement. Ben finds comfort
in delving into the Norse sagas and the archeological sites. But he
becomes more and more isolated from his family as he begins to play the
“Tor game,” imagining he is a young Viking shipbuilder. Alienated
from his family and the children in the village, Ben begins working on a
model Viking ship, an activity he once enjoyed doing with his mother.
When the other children ridicule his model, Ben becomes determined to
show them that his craft will sail. Unable to come to terms with his
grief for his mother, Ben is pulled deeper into the world of Tor.

This slow-moving and structurally complex story is not always easy to
follow, but fans of high fantasy will find the climax exciting and
satisfying. The portrayal of Ben’s grief and loneliness is well
realized, and there is a beautifully drawn cover illustration by Martin
Springett. Recommended.