Eleven year old Phelim Green embarks on a quest to defeat the Stoor Worm, having been greeted as Jack o’ Green by the domovoy and glashans who appear in his house. Phelim is joined by characters from mumming - a Maiden, a Fool and a Horse – with whom he encounters a succession of mythical creatures, including malevolent fairies. Initially afraid and confused, Phelim gains confidence but then becomes arrogant so that he acts hastily and endangers his companions. Phelim may not be right for the quest; indeed it may be in the nature of quests that they morally compromise their supposed heroes. Ultimately the key is Phelim’s family relationships, and the fact that he should be allowed to be a child and not be obliged to grow up too quickly.

McCaughrean’s remarkable style and imagery are more finely crafted and startling than ever in The Stones are Hatching. She is using archetypal figures, and many scenes stick firmly in the mind. Set just after the First World War, the novel is shot through with the cost of conflict, which bestirs the Worm, delights the fairies, and traumatises Mad Sweeney (the ‘Fool’). The story’s take on the Old Ways is complicated - rueful for their passing, yet aware of their harshness, and of how distorted artificial revivals are.

2007-12-29