Fire Arrow by Edith Pattou is my favorite fantasy novel. It is so beautifully written I wish it was more well known. I just finished rereading it a couple days ago and three lines in particular stand out in my mind:
1. “What think you of revenge?”
2. “The moon hung in the sky like a swollen yellow fruit.”
3. “He is as he was.”
The first quote is the very first line of the novel and I think it’s brilliant. How can someone put down a book that begins like that? Not only does it draw you in right from the start but I think that line fits the story as a whole really well, since the idea of seeking revenge and then realizing it wasn’t really what you wanted is one of the things that ties the whole plot together.
The second line is really quite random. I guess it caught my attention because it’s a rather unique and unexpected use of imagery. I’ve never looked at the moon and thought, Hey, that looks a bit like a piece of fruit. The comparison kind of takes me off guard. But because it’s so weird I really like it.
The third quote I can’t say or read with a straight face. I find it highly amusing and every single time I have read this book I end up laughing out loud for several minutes at this part. Now you’re probably looking at those five words thinking what on earth could be so funny about them, and you’re right—there’s really nothing funny there. In context that line brings the main character happiness and relief. It’s a reduction of tension.
So why do I always laugh at it? Perhaps it’s because I’ve read too much Harry Potter. Now Collun (the “he” in this quote) is most definitely not Harry Potter, I really can’t think of any similarities between the two, but I can totally imagine someone saying this line about Harry and having almost the exact opposite meaning regarding his mental health. So whenever I read “He is as he was,” I think of the double meaning behind the last few words, since Ciaran (the speaker in this quote) never really gives any indication that she thinks Collun was completely sane before he got knocked in the head.
Overall, I love this book. Like the first book, Hero’s Song (which you really ought to read first), it’s not perfect. There are several mistakes, details that irk me just a little because they either reflect a lack of historical knowledge or inconsistencies in characters (such as Hanna saying “Brie” instead of “Biri”). There are also a lot of things that happen under the vague explanation of magic, which in a way makes sense due to the fact that the viewpoint character is refusing to accept any other explanation or take responsibility for them, but it means that the author is asking a lot of the reader’s suspension of disbelief. I still believe it is an amazing fantasy book, especially since when it comes to believable female protagonists Breo-Saight leaves most of them far behind.
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