The Nightwood

Lisa Arsenault is a public-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

This is a glorious addition to the genre of classical fairy tales. Based
on a Celtic legend, it tells how Elaine, daughter of the local Earl,
meets and falls in love with Tamlynne in the Elfin Queen’s forest
sanctuary, called locally the Nightwood. Tamlynne has been bewitched and
is condemned to lose his mortality and become a spirit creature by the
next All Hallow’s Eve; Elaine undergoes severe trials to save her
beloved from this fate, even at the risk of losing her own life.

Written and illustrated by Muller, this book is a triumph of the
written word and of artistic expression. The language never compromises:
there are no modern colloquialisms. The text is true to its traditional
roots. At the same time, the universal and timeless motifs are expressed
with a crispness, vividness, and feeling for atmosphere that is also
modern and evocative. The illustrations illuminate the text perfectly.
They have the fluidity and mirage-like quality of watercolors,
appropriate to the spirit-world theme. Facial expressions are
mysterious, mischievous, wild: true to what one would expect of elfin
creatures. Tiny otherworldly figures appear in corners or perch on
rainbows. The Elfin Queen is cold, imperious, reminiscent of icicles in
her silver garb. Elaine appears bemused, enchanted, but ultimately
determined. Light is used to define or conceal: the more sinister
denizens of fairyland are presented in a livid, lurid light, the more
benign in soft, sympathetic, reflected light.

This is a marvelous book—meant for children, of course, but
enchanting reading for everyone.