James Norcliffe
Author of The Loblolly Boy
About the Author
James Norcliffe is the author of The Pirates and the Nightmaker and will be a speaker at the New Zealand Book Awards 2015. (Bowker Author Biography)
Image credit: http://jamesnorcliffe.com/
Series
Works by James Norcliffe
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1946
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- New Zealand
- Places of residence
- Christchurch, New Zealand
Brunei
China
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia - Occupations
- poet
fiction writer
teacher
editor - Organizations
- NZ Poetry Society (President, 2005-07)
- Awards and honors
- Robert Burns Fellowship (2000)
Christchurch Press Literary Liaisons Honour Award (2003)
University of Iowa Fellowship (2006)
Sir Julius Vogel Award (Best Science Fiction/ Fantasy novel, 2007)
Lilian Ida Smith Award (1990)
Members
Reviews
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 28
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 141
- Popularity
- #145,671
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 12
- ISBNs
- 50
- Languages
- 1
And that’s where the adventures begin.
It appears that Becky was expected at Arcadia House, where Dr Faunus, an old man with goat feet, grows younger while she plays to him. When Becky and Johnny, a school mate who followed her to the house, try to escape they find themselves transported to ancient Arcadia, where life is less about magic than survival. Here the minor characters of Greek mythology – random fauns and nymphs, an aged King Basilius, and a drunken Silenus who isn’t all that fussy about what – or who - goes into his stew – compete to possess the flute which will restore Arcadia to its former glory. Or not.
Norcliffe can chart a ripping adventure, flipping from climax to climax, keeping the reader in the dark along with the heroes, and never quite letting the reader quite guess the motivations of the villains. It quickly becomes apparent that the myth of Syrinx – which describes a nymph turned to a reed to escape the lascivious god Pan, who cuts her down and turns her into a set of panpipes – is a metaphor for men who seek to possess women for their own desires. As Becky puts it, her music teacher’s “lovely story” tells of “Just another dirty old man chasing a much younger girl and cutting her down when he couldn’t get her where he wanted her.” This is played out in Arcadia where Becky and Johnny become pawns in an age-old skirmish between the fauns and nymphs. Add to that Silenus’ unsettling hospitality (but delicious stews!) and an enigmatic figure on a motorised tricycle and you have the ingredients of an exciting moral tale.
There are some unexplored subplots here (Becky’s absent father, Johnny’s drunken father, Artemis’ intervention in the Syrinx story), and the resolution is not well foregrounded, but the world building is strong and the characters relatable. Although it’s written in third person, we view Arcadia through Becky and Johnny’s confusion:
“He hadn’t gone more than a few metres before his courage evaporated and he slowed down considerably. It may have been the fact that the gravel path that now led to the front door was littered with bones. The bones, split and broken, had been dried and whitened by the sun and now in the gathering dusk contrasted starkly against the grey of the stones.
The second thing that stopped Johnny in his stride and caused him to look back at Becky for support, was the noise he could hear clearly coming from inside the cottage. It seemed to be wild singing above the rasping wheeze of something like a concertina.”
This mix of creepy fairytale and mundane reaction keeps the reader anchored in Becky and Johnny’s reality as they sift through the shifting Arcadian alliances. These are everyday heroes responding to the unknown much as we would.
This is a story that will suit music students and adventure lovers alike. While the message is perhaps a little dark for middle school readers, the sexual intent of the Fauns is never spelled out and the prologue in which Becky receives the re-gift of the flute without fear makes it clear that the story has a happy resolution. It would be well placed in a library for middle school- mid teen readers.… (more)