David Clement-Davies

PHENOMENAL. I have read this book three times since I first picked it up when I was thirteen years old, and it has been an incredibly powerful read every time. It reads like a creation myth told from the first person narrative of one of the mythic first animals. Every scene drips with portent, prophecy, and the sense that were the main character to turn around quickly enough, they would be nose-to-nose with a god. An unsung masterpiece of high fantasy.

I've discovered that what most people think when they look at this book is "It's an epic fantasy about deer? Well, unless you're some kind of deer lover, it's got to be boring, right?"

Wrong.

In his debut novel, Clement-Davies spins a world of incredible, realistic fantasy. Much as he did later in "The Sight," he populates this world with prophecies, myths, dark forces, spirits, gods, and unlikely heroes and heroines. And the result never ceases to amaze me.

High in the hills of Scotland, amid show more one of the herds of proud red deer, a fawn is born to the stag captain Brechin. On that same night, Brechin is murdered in a dark plot by the tyrannical Drail, who seeks to make the herd, and eventually all the deer in the valley, his own. But Brechin's calf, Rannoch, is in grave danger. For he is born with a white oak leaf on his forehead: the sign of a prophesied hero who will rise to bring the true ways of the wild back again. But not before he has endured an unimaginable quest.

In a tradition as epic as any ancient mythical hero, Rannoch and his friends, a wonderful and diverse cast of characters that are fantastically written, must travel into the heart of the wilderness to seek sanctuary from Drail. Like "Watership Down," this book makes you take a closer look at an often dismissed animal, into you are pulled so completely into the adventure you can't believe you ever thought deer were boring. show less

If you want really good animal fantasy, David Clement-Davies delivers, both with this awesome novel, and his other "Fire Bringer".

Sometimes the pace is slow, and the book is indeed long and detailed, but anyone who looks closely will see that this is mostly because of how intricate it is. Real wolf fact blended with creative folklore fiction on every page; I think this book does what every great animal fantasy should: make you look at the natural world through new eyes. It's chilling, with show more the dark fairy tales and horrific cults of blood and sacrifice. It's relatable, with characters as kind as Larka and Kar and as hateful as Morgra. It's eye opening, with the choices the wolves make and the great revelations it gives us about life, religion, and the human purpose. All in all, I can read "The Sight" over and over, (and have) and still find new things to love about it. show less

Deer gods.
The review blurb on the front (by Locus) says "Fire Bringer does for deer what Watership Down did for rabbits."
And that is true--it strongly resembles Watership Down in that it is a political fiction told through the lens of anthropomorphized animals. But it also has strong elements of Celtic epic tales and mythology, and could even be categorized as being Historical Fiction, as it takes place in medieval Scotland. As one other reviewer mentioned, it also reminds me of The Lion show more King.

Definitely a touching tale. Read it, and don't forget your tissues. 5 stars. show less