Urchin of the Riding Stars
by M.I. McAllister
Published on September 21st
On an island cut off from the rest of the world by permanent mists exists a kingdom of woodland animals: hedgehogs, otters, squirrels and moles. Although there is a certain amount of inter-species rivalry, their society is a peaceful one, run on lines that are familiar from many a medieval fantasy: there is a king, whose word is law and who happens at present to be a hedgehog; a priest; a noble class; and a select group of Captains who manage the island's daily affairs - although since Mistmantle has never known conflict their titles and weapons would seem to be largely ceremonial.
From this well-ordered society (well-ordered, that is, if one approves of absolute monarchies, but then in fantasyland who doesn't?) erupts an ancient evil. Suddenly the animals are being sent on forced working parties, sickly babies are being 'culled', there is talk of food rationing, and the bravest of the Captains is falsely accused of murder. The task of righting these wrongs falls, ultimately, to the young foundling squirrel Urchin, who must make good the heroic prophecy told at his birth.
The zero-to-hero plot of this book is very familiar, but counterbalanced by a strong telling and memorable characters that need not matter a jot. Unfortunately, these are largely absent here, and the book's mise-en-scúne is too reminiscent of Brian Jacques' Redwall series for its own good. By comparison with Redwall, Urchin of the Riding Stars is a rather ponderous book - particularly in the matter of dialogue, which tends to plod when it should scamper.
Urchin is a standard humble hero with a destiny, Fir a wise priest whose part in the action is oddly muted, Crispin a very familiar dashing hero. None of them lingers beyond the page. Of the major figures the villain and his consort are the most interesting, with nods to Macbeth and his wife. There are hints of something more intriguing still in the not-quite-wholly villainous otter Tay, and the self-centred and fawning, but essentially uncorrupted, Gleaner, and I would like to think that in future volumes (for future volumes there will surely be) this interest in moral fine shading might be built upon.
(From the point of view of continuity, it's a pity that the hedgehog Needle is referred to as a squirrel early in the book (p.21), and that the squirrel-hero Urchin has a name that means hedgehog. These are confusions one could do without when trying to get a fairly large cast straight in one's mind.)
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