Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this quasi-mystery set during the 1956 Montgomery bus boycott, 12-year-old Alfa relies on the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. to get through some strange times. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">PW said this novel "may well inspire readers to discover more about this important chapter in civil rights history." Ages 8-12. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Jan.)

Starred Review ALA Booklist (Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2000)

Starred Review "When the Lore is bruised and broken, / . . . Then shall Herne be justly woken, / Born to set the Herla free. / On his brow a leaf of oaken, / Changeling child shall be his fate." And so in an ancient Scotland under threat by Norse invaders, the prophecy works its way. A greatly feared, ambitious stag named Drail gathers power, names himself "Lord of Herds," and sees that all the Outriders, who maintain the old ways, are murdered. Then into the herd is born a fawn called Rannoch, whose forehead bears a mark in the shape of a perfect oak leaf. Rannoch will be in great danger if Drail and his minions discover his mark. So when his secret is revealed, the youngster flees the herd in the company of a group of hinds and their fawns, and the small band makes its way into the hills, heading toward the mystical High Land. Their flight is fraught with danger and death. Drail and his forces are in hot pursuit, and encounters with men and other deer sometimes prove perilous. Maturing, Rannoch becomes the group's leader, drawing other deer to his side, and eventually he is ready to face Drail in a battle to the death. The deer characters maintain their animal traits, all the while conveying a believable anthropomorphic intelligence, culture, lore, and sense of past, present, and future. An enthralling read that will captivate young people and adults alike, this first novel is a masterpiece of animal fantasy pitting good against evil. It conjures up images of both Richard Adams' Watership Down and Brian Jacques' Redwall series, and is infused with a mythical quality that gives it the feel of a heroic epic.

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up-A sweeping story of prophecy and adventure set in medieval Scotland and mixed with liberal doses of the habits of red deer. The Lore of the Herla foretells the coming of one deer that will restore the traditional ways of life to the herd. Rannoch, born on the night of his father's murder and the overthrowing of the Outrider stags, seems destined to fulfill this prophecy. To protect him, his mother gives him to another hind to raise and engineers the escape of a group of hinds and fawns to travel with him. Rannoch finds he is different from his friends-he has a unique birthmark, prophetic dreams, healing powers, and the ability to communicate with other species. As he grows, so does the danger to the home herd, with first Drail and then Sgorr introducing progressively militaristic measures to the deer. As Rannoch matures, the violence in the world grows as does the violence within him. For a while, he turns his back on his friends, but in the final climactic battle with Sgorr, he takes his place as Lord of the Herd and restores the balance of the forest. While the Herla talk and have a mythology, they are deer through and through-they search for food, the stags fight for their harems, and protection of the young is one of the highest priorities. Even Rannoch, a pacifist, eventually realizes the Herla's only hope is to continue behaving like deer, not to follow Sgorr's idea of becoming more like humans. Give Fire Bringer to fans of Brian Jacques's "Redwall" books (Philomel) and Richard Adams's Watership Down (Macmillan, 1974).-Lisa Prolman, Greenfield Public Library, MA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

In the primeval forest there is a prophecy: a fawn born with an oak-leaf mark on his forehead will change the future of the Herne (as the deer are called). This augury is the keystone of first-time novelist Clement-Davies's sweeping animal fantasy. Rannoch is the hunted and hidden fawn who must find his destiny. His father and the entire legion of Outrider bucks have been betrayed and slain by Drail, the Lord of the Herds and his followers. Rannoch is fostered among strangers, only to be hunted first by the Drail's Nazi-like legions and then by the Machiavellian Sgorr and his minion. Tutored by the others of the animal kingdom, rescued by man, surviving many close calls on his journey, Rannoch faces his ambivalence and fear to lead the deer from their bondage. This vividly told story is not for the faint of heart: dreadful predictions, holocaust-like massacres, and ritual killings pervade this tale. Imaginatively placed in the wilds of ancient Britain, the obviousness of the allegory, with Rannoch as a Christ-like figure may make some readers cringe and others fill with ominous dismay, as it seems the story rushes to an unmistakable conclusion. Jaded readers of the genre will be surprised and relieved as the narrative veers off into the unexpected. A hurtling ride. (Fiction. 12+)

Horn Book (Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2001)

This imaginative animal epic follows the fawn Rannoch and his friends through many years on the run from their herd's harsh dictator. Although the animals think and speak, they otherwise have the characteristics of wild deer. Rannoch's trials are monumental; his character is complex; and his enemies are truly vile. Set in Scotland during the thirteenth century, the novel refers to some historical events that give the story additional depth.