Lloyd Alexander Books

I'm 21, and I must say I love the Vesper Holly books as much as I did when I first discovered them at age 10. I read them over and over again through my teen years. They're like a cross between Indiana Jones and the Adventures of Tintin, with an added bonus--an original female heroine! As a young girl I admired Vesper and all her intelligence and pluck; she's a great role model for smart, ambitious girls who want to make discoveries. These books are funny, intelligent, and genuinely exciting. They are honest, lighthearted, goodhearted fun. I was delighted to discover that Lloyd Alexander has recently written a series finale (Xanadu Adventure). They're at a young adult reading level (good for ages 9-16) but are also great books for reading out loud with kids from ages 7 to 107.

Vesper, with a heart as big as her brain and her endearing knacks for mathematics, historical puzzles, and banjo music is a truly trailbrazing heroine in young adult literature. (Keeping track of her numerous and various admirers and enemies, and bumbling along with her humorous guardian, Brinnie, is fun, too!)

Thank you, thank you, Lloyd Alexander!

This is a poor and forgettable book. It introduces us to young and newly orphaned Vesper Holly. Upon learning that her adventurer father has died, her reaction is along the lines of "jolly good, let's have some tea." (In the story she is from Philadelphia, but she's written like she's English, hence the tea. Sorry to any English people out there, but I'm not owning this sociopath as American.) I think that this was supposed to be spunky, but that isn't how it comes off. The same flat cruelty and lack of care for other people runs through the story. It is broken by occasional sentences in which Vepser expresses saddness about the caste system in Illyria and is disturbed that one of the Illyrians she meets, Nilo, may be killed in civil war.

On to the plot... ...Vesper convinces her newly designated guardian (our narrator) to accompany her to the land of Illyria to continue her father's research and try to find an army of magical warriors from an Illyrian legend which her father had believed truly existed. She meets the Zentan (Illyrian upper caste) king, and they discuss the caste system in Illyria. She is then off to do archaeological research with some help from her Illyrian (Illyrian lower caste) guide, Nilo. Together they uncover mystery and subterfuge and discover the secret of the magical army of legend, all while remaining completely two dimensional and unsympathetic.

The underlying mystery of an ancient secret that could hold the key to uniting castes in the present, or driving them further apart if things didn't work out, wasn't bad. Had there been, say, some character development, this book might have been able to ride on that. As it is the characters are badly written, the plot is bland and doesn't hold together, and there is no redemption from elsewhere, like stellar prose or something. This book is not worth the paper it is printed on. A child who was extremely into the genre might be OK reading this, but their parents and peers aren't going to find anything.

I did not like The Illyrian Adventure because I didn't like because the main character. Vesper is a know it all. She can speak five different languages and can figure clues out before anyone else. Her arm was cut and she didn't even worry about it. Someone was stalking them and Vesper knew how to get out of it. She just wasn't believable.

The Illyrian Adventure is about a girl whose Dad died. He was an archaeologist. His daughter, Vesper, and her guardian went to Illyria. When they got there they met King Osman. He gave them permission to go through Illyria and finish what her father had started, to find the treasure. On the trip someone was following them. They found someone to help in their adventure. Find out if Vesper and her Guardian find the treasure by reading the Illyrian Adventure.

I would recommend it to anyone who likes adventure and mystery. I would recommend it to anyone eleven to thirteen.

I've been a Lloyd Alexander fan for a long time. His Westmark Trilogy and Prydain Chronicles are certainly some of my favorities for their high adventure, dry wit, and extraordinary depth. I've even exchanged letters with Alexander. Needless to say, I've been excited to begin the Vesper Holly books for a long times, and while this one is not quite up to the level of Westmark and Prydain, I am not disappointed.

Vesper Holly is quite a girl. She has a knack for getting into finding trouble and adventure. In this novel, she drags her Uncle Brinnie to Illyria and into a civil war with its roots in ancient mythology. Together, Vesper and Brinnie have to try to unite the country by bringing together the king and the leader of the rebel forces. Of course, the plot contains a lot of murder attempts and quick escapes and mysterious plot twists. It's certainly a fun, fast ride.

There is a lot that's great about this book. I'm always a stickler for good high adventure, and the humor, action, and characters of The Illyrian Adventure provide that. The only problem with the book is that it stops there. Where Prydain and Westmark have underlying messages about such things as political philosophy, the nature of heroism, and the ability of love to cut through the chaos of the world, this book did not have that depth. Certainly, read this book, but read Westmark and Prydain first.

Readers may already know veteran author Lloyd Alexander, especially his Prydain and Westmark fantasy titles. Not as many are familiar with Alexander's indomitable red-haired heroine, Vesper Holly. The Illyrian Adventure is the first of a series of books featuring this plucky young woman and her guardian Uncle, affectionately called Brinnie. This book is a delightful romp, a sort of young readers' Indiana Jones without the snakes.

Vesper Holly is a young lady who is determined to clear her late father's name and discover the secret of Illyria's greatest legend. To do so, she enlists the help of her resourceful uncle and leads them off into the Illyrian countryside where they will face assassins, betrayals, rebellions and impending war. To Holly, this is all simply part of the marvelous excitement of her adventure. Nothing sets her back or leaves her daunted, and she will lead the rest of the characters by the ears if necessary to accomplish her goals. The overall impression is charming, but a bit on the thin side. At only 132 pages, it's not so surprising that the book has less development than some of Alexander's more extensive works. Still, the book lacks the flavor of originality. Evil royal viziers and noble rebels are a bit too stereotyped for me to be completely forgiving. The keen young heroine, her more staid guardian and wild adventures across the globe smacks more of serial writing than strong story crafting. The serial quality can be seen in the number of Vesper Holly adventures that exist, although many may be out of print currently.

I've nothing against a good serial, but I do want readers who might have read other Alexander works to be aware of the nature of these stories. There's also a level of unreality to the world of Vesper Holly. While the perils are frequent, the threats seldom feel that dangerous-none of the main characters ever seems seriously hurt for long. Still, the adventure can make for some exciting reading and can be perfect for the young reader who hasn't cracked longer books yet. Children who are fresh from the Magic Tree House series or The Secrets of Droon may be just the audience for Vesper Holly. The books are not particularly scary, there is no gore and there is nothing in the way of sexual innuendo. While violence is necessarily part of the adventure, it is kept at a comfortable distance.

I can only give this particular book three stars, as I have read better stories by this author. But I do think the book is a delightful lightweight read for the right audience. It's vivid and charming and an easy read. For those who enjoy Vesper's story, she's got several more! The sequel to this one is The Eldorado Adventure. For those who may be looking for other adventure tales, I also recommend The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, about mutiny, murder and betrayal on the high seas.
Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad

All the wizards have long since departed this land for Vale Innis - but one has been left behind. When Mallory's favourite oak tree is felled, she finds a surprising discovery inside: an old wizard named Arbican who's desperate to follow his fellow wizards across the sea. The orphaned Mallory has grown up with stories of magic and enchantment, and couldn't be more delighted with the discovery - especially if there's a chance that she can go with him. Mallory does not have the most wonderful life as scullery maid to the nasty Mrs Parsel, but Arbican has bigger problems: his magical powers have been severely depleted, and if he does not reach Vale Innis soon he faces imminent death.

It sounds like another wonderful Lloyd Alexander story, but sadly "The Wizard in the Tree" falls short on several levels. It is a very slim novel, and so does not have time to delve very deeply into character or plot development - instead the story is made up of Mallory and Arbican running from various members of the neighbourhood who are intent on exploiting Arbican and harming Mallory. This complete lack of likeable secondary characters is surprising for Alexander, since friendship and teamwork is a major theme of many of his other books (particularly his beloved "Chronicles of Prydain"). Although Mallory is a spunky young heroine, Arbican is not as easy to like. He's bad-tempered and arrogant, faults that are not balanced or made endearing with the inclusion of more likeable traits. The more intriguing magical elements of the plot are overshadowed by the sinister designs of the corrupt Squire Scrupner who is too much of a one-dimension villain to be particularly interesting (a greedy land-developer who's out for all he can get). There's also some surprisingly strong language: Mallory is called "slut" throughout the novel by various characters.

Alexander also adds a general theme of environmentalism and love of country-side that is much akin to Tolkien's use of the topic with his Ents versus Saruman subplot. However, his general setting of early 19th century countryside, with rustic occupations and dialect is quite appealing, and his commentary on the true nature of magic is thought-provoking (though sadly there's not enough of it).

Laszlo Kubinyi provides simple, but lovely illustrations that portray Mallory particularly well and capture the time-period of the story in the clothing and hairstyles of the characters.

Ultimately, it is a harmless enough story, but is simply not up to the exceptional standards of other Lloyd Alexander publications.

Mallory is not happy, and is living a miserable existence. She is an orphaned teenager being raised in rough manner by her new guardian, who mostly uses her as a slave which includes regular beatings. To make matters worse her idyllic village is being taken over by a greedy local squire who is scheming to take away the local farms and businesses. In their place will be the shops, farms, and Inns that he will own, and the verdant farmland will be dug up for coal.

Mallory always loved the old stories of magic and wizards. Unbelievably, she manages to rescue a real wizard named Arbican trapped in a tree. The wizard she finds is shockingly different than in the stories. He won't grant 3 wishes for one thing even though she rescued him. And to top it off, rather than showing his gratitude and helping her in her miserable state, he is permanently grouchy and wants to leave immediately. Confusingly for Mallory, she has to feed him and protect him, rather than the other way around.

The plot has many surprises and keeps you guessing. It delivers plenty of suspense and big surprises. I believe that in the long run the story is about the magic that we all have within, through perseverance, ingenuity, bravery, and other positive traits that get us through hard times. Arbican's magic takes a back seat to all of these, but usually in a hilarious way. When he is able to use his magic, it is usually done wrong... such as the time he wants to fly and turns himself into a goose instead. "Catch hold! The spell's gone wrong! Pull me down! I'm floating away!"
It is a short book, but fast-paced at 134 pages. Great coverart. There is a lot if fun in this story, it is a quick read, with an upbeat ending. I recommend.

Well, compared to a several books by Lloyd Alexander, this book isnt nearly as interesting or fun as others. However, it's still a very good book and, as all Lloyd Alexanders, a great read with very cool characters.

In the story The Wizard in the Tree By Lloyd Alexander Mallory and a wizard named Arbacan experienced some terrifying adventures. If you like scary adventures, this is the book for you.
When Mallory finds Arbacan in the tree, Arbacan explains that he got put in the tree because Wizard are not supposed to fiddle with nature in the human world before they leave to Vale Innis. If they fiddled with the environment before they left they would be a part of whatever they fiddled with. When Mallory finds somewhere for Arbacan to stay, she goes and get food. When she brings the food back, Scrupnor the squire follows her. He chases Arbacan and Mallory for hours. Finally they get caught.
Will Mallory be forced to be Scrupnor's slave? Will Arbacan get beaten until he grants wishes for Scrupnor? Will Arbacan escape or not? Will Mallory escape? My favorite part is when Mallory and Arbacan have to sneak past all of Scrupnors guards. Will they sneak out without getting caught? They experience fabulous adventures until Arbacan has to leave to Vale Innis. Arbacan gives Mallory a magical gift before he leaves. What power does this gift has? Will Mallory be able to see Arbacan when she needs a friend? I encourage you to read The Wizard in the Tree.

I never thought I'd give two stars to a Lloyd Alexander story, but sadly this story is far below his usual fare. After reading the similar "Cat Who Wished To Be A Man" I expected excellence from this book. I was somewhat disappointed.

Mallory is a young girl who loves stories about magic and wizards and so forth; she also lives in a village ruled over by the repulsive Squire Scrupner, who is milking the people for money while masking it under faux benevolence. But when she notices an oddity about an old oak, she finds a real live -- and very cranky -- wizard inside!

Arbican was a powerful wizard who broke a certain law, and ended up sealed inside the tree. Thus, he hasn't been able to follow his fellow wizards across the sea, and his magic has gradually seeped away. Mallory agrees to keep Arbican a secret from her shrewish inkeeper and her spineless husband, and especially from Squire Scrupner.

But soon Arbican is revealed to the Squire--who uses him as a scapegoat for the death of the old squire. Mallory and Arbican end up in a perilous situation, with the squire determined to commit murder again.

It took me a while to understand why I disliked this book. Finally I figured out why: the story just lacks what we expect from Lloyd Alexander. With the greedy squire/mayor sapping money from the townsfolk, and the intervention of a magical being, it is similar in some respects to "Cat", but lacks what made that other book so appealing.

It lacks the supporting characters that Alexander does so well, and thus we get a rather stifling view of this invented land. His trademark humor and wit are rather underdone, as the only person with wit is Arbican and his seems to be a rather malicious one. Also, most of the characters other than Mallory are completely unsympathetic: The squire is detestable, so is the fawning woman that Mallory lives with, her husband is a first-order wimp, the farmer is a thief and child-abuser, his son is about the same, Arbican never apologizes for his snappishness or really does much at all, and only really shows much graciousness at the end.

The story gets two stars for being written in Lloyd Alexander's excellent style, and also for featuring the nice, fantasy-fed heroine Mallory.

Unfortunately Mallory cannot save this tale. I can only speculate that Alexander was experiencing a rather dreary view of humanity while writing this story, and scoot on to something else.

I have to admit I bought this story based on the title (I mean Amazon provides no information nor does anyone else) and was kind of expecting it to be about an invisible boy and his adventures (I assumed they supposedly would be fantastic). I anticipated a story along the lines of H.F. Saint's classic Memoirs of an Invisible Man or Donald E Westlake's book Smoke but you know with a kid as the main character and from the picture on the cover maybe it was set back in the era of sailing ships and explorers and stuff.

So I was to be honest somewhat annoyed when I started reading the book to find out it's the story of a boy called David who seems to be living in the Charles Dickins era of London (although he says he's in Philadelphia, USA in the 1920's) but anyway he is forced to stay home sick and being set in an historic era where doctor's use bizarre and strange remedies of treating patients he outlines what he is medically going through while breaking into a fantasy world between treatments of being a pirate captain of a ship called the Sea Fox and his adventures in that fantasy world. About half way through the book David's ecstatic state of mind of being away from school is brought crashing down when his boring Aunt Annie volunteers to tutor him and he knows his fantasy world is going to turn into a boring reality. David however couldn't be more wrong!

If a boy from the Charles Dickins era's fantasies about being a pirate and other stuff are what you are after then you probably can't ask for a better book. Don't know why they didn't call the title something that would attract that target market though. Mentioning an invisible boy and having a story about something else is a little bit wrong and unethical though in my opinion.

If adult fiction invisible man adventures were what you were after read Memoirs of an Invisible Man or Smoke. If junior fiction invisible man/boy tales were what you were really looking for then the best of this genre are My Best Friend Is Invisible (Goosebumps) by R. L. Stine, You Are Invisible: CYOA #48 by Susan Saunders, The Invisible Day by Marthe Jocelyn, Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex, you can even get an illustrated version of H.G. Wells 1897 classic The Invisible Man (Great Illustrated Classics).

Tales Beyond Time ed. L. Sprague & Catherine Crook de Camp (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1973, hc)
Introduction: Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Mayby * L. Sprague & Catherine Crook de Camp
Icarus * Catherine Crook de Camp
The Boy Who Found Fear * Ignaz Kunos
The Marvelous Powder of Life [from The Land of Oz] * L. Frank Baum
The Sacred City of Cats [from Time Cat] * Lloyd Alexander
The Shed * E. Everett Evans
Something Bright * Zenna Henderson
The Rocket Man * Edward W. Ludwig
Native Son * Thelma D. Hamm
Playmate * Leslie A. Croutch
Robbie ["Strange Playfellow"] * Isaac Asimov