by Sally Gardner
The setting is Breitenfeld in November 1642, the midst of the Thirty Years War. Otto Hundebiss is an 18-yr-old soldier fighting for the Imperial Army who are soon to lose the battle against the Swedes. He is wounded - a bullet in his side and a sword in the shoulder - and he is suddenly facing Death himself. But it is not yet Otto's time. Instead he is confronted by a half-man half beast who cleans his wounds and gives him a gift of dice which, when rolled, will tell him which way to travel.On his journey he meets with the beautiful flame-haired Safire and falls in love. But their meeting is short-lived. She is being tracked by huntsmen and runs off alone through the forest. He vows to find her again, and his travels take him to a ghostly castle where he uncovers truths he should not hear and beasts that will follow him for the rest of his journey. He acquires a magical tinderbox which he cannot dispose of, but which he will find to be of more use than he at first imagined.
This is a beautifully told rendition of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale The Tinderbox, which I haven't read but will now seek out. Sally's mastery of the language of a fairy story is excellent. It is so wonderful to escape into such a world, such a refreshing change from other novels around at the moment, but yet the story itself contains the same pieces as a modern one - love, jealousy, war, death, sorrow.
The copy I read was a proof sent by the publisher with a few sketches by the illustrator David Roberts (whose brilliant drawings can be seen in the Dirty Bertie books, The Tales of Terror series by Chris Priestley, and many many others). The final edition will contain over 100 black and white images, so I may have to buy that one too.
