The Storyteller and Other Tales.

Deborah Dowson is a Canaadian children’s librarian in North Wales,
Pennsylvania.

This slim volume of fantasy tales contains four stories about very diverse worlds. Although each story is set in a completely different time and place, the characters share common experiences of conflict, struggle, and upheaval. All of the stories are dark and dramatic with depictions of battle and death.

“The Storyteller” is set in a Scandinavian style world in which a young girl named Ulfleif is doomed to be the Queen’s “Sword,” though she dreams of being a storyteller instead. When a storyteller visits the court, she brings incredible upheaval and the possibility that Ulfleif may realize her dream. The second story is set in a world modelled after ancient Mesopotamia, in which slavery, child sacrifice, and unquestioning compliance with the ruler God are the accepted way of life. The protagonist, He-Redeems, is faithful until his lovers are brutally executed. Then he dares to question his faith for the first time. In “The Inexorable Tide,” Merlin’s daughter describes the final years of King Arthur’s reign and the decisions that lead to his downfall. The final story weaves an Old English poem about the battle of Maldon with the reflections of a soldier caught between the futility of the fight and the dishonour of retreat.

Well-designed worlds and empathetic characters make this a fascinating collection of tales told by an award-winning fantasy writer. The stories contain mature subjects and themes that will be best appreciated by older teens and adults.

Recommended.