Catherine Fisher, Corbenic

Corbenic

Catherine Fisher

Greenwillow, Sep 2006, $16.99

ISBN: 0060724702

Cal is on his way to his Uncle Trevor's home in Chepstow to work in his accounting firm; he leaves behind his mother who always drinks to drown out the voices only she could hear. Cal mistakenly disembarks at Corbenic when he gets a room at the luxurious Castle Hotel Corbenic. There Cal meets the owner Bron, who invites him to attend the evening feast. At the dinner Cal sees a Spear bleeding and the Grail emitting a blinding light. Afterward Cal denies seeing both he goes to his room.

Cal wakes up to a ruined decayed hovel before leaving with a sword that Bron left in his room to take with him him. He takes the train to Trevor's base of operations where he begins working at the office. He is quickly bored, but likes making money. Cal joins the medieval troupe headed by Arthur and Gwen who reenact Camelot. When tragedy strikes, Cal realizes he must find Corbenic and undo the damage he caused when he stopped overnight there. The road back is not a straight line, but instead fraught with danger, treachery and a target that seems to move every step he retraces the route.

Catherine Fisher's modern day version of Percival and the Fisher King combined with a King Arthur spin and a Brigadoon like setting is well written and will attract many fantasy readers. Teens will enjoy this coming of age tale with feet set in the mundane world and in a magical realm. Cal is terrific as he learns what truly matters in life while trying to rectify his mistakes.

Harriet Klausner