The Hunter's Moon (novel)

Last updated

The Hunter's Moon
The Hunter's Moon (novel).png
Author O. R. Melling
LanguageEnglish
Series Chronicles of Faerie
Genre Fantasy
Publisher Amulet Books
Publication date
1993
Publication placeCanada
Followed by The Summer King  

The Hunter's Moon is a fantasy novel by O.R. Melling [1] about two teenage cousins, one Irish, the other Canadian, that set out to find a magic doorway to the Faraway Country, where humans must bow to the little people. It was published in 1993 by Amulet Books and is the first book in the Chronicles of Faerie, with the second being The Summer King , the third being The Light-Bearer's Daughter , and the fourth and final being The Book of Dreams . It was awarded the Ruth Schwartz Children's Book Award in 1994. [2]

Contents

Plot

Gwen, a Canadian, is visiting her cousin, Findabhair (finn-ah-veer), in Ireland. The two, who keep regular correspondence, share a deep love of Irish mythology. Since their youth, they have tried to find a doorway to another world called Faerieland. Now sixteen, they travel to Tara, without telling their parents, the ancient seat of the High Kings in Ireland in search of adventure.

While they are there, the cousins challenge an ancient law by sleeping in a fairy mound. That night the King of Faeries, Finvara, comes to take them away. Since he is King of Dreams, he comes to them in their sleep and asks them to come with him. Findabhair says yes, but Gwen refuses. Therefore, since he is bound by an ancient law, the King only takes Findabhair, leaving Gwen to wake up wondering about her cousin's safety. Gwen decides to rescue her cousin from her fate, only to find she is happy. Gwen does not want her to stay with the faeries because they are immortal, partying teenagers. As Gwen tries continuously to find the Faeries, which is hard for her since the King is hindering her, she meets many good friends, including a middle-aged businessman, a farm girl, a king (who becomes her boyfriend) of an island, called Island Island, and even befriends the second in command of the Faeries, Midir.

When she finally catches up with the faeries fast pace, she learns that she or her cousin must be the sacrifice to an evil ancient creature known as Crom Cruac, the Great Worm, supposedly the serpent from the Garden of Eden. Her cousin voluntarily chooses to be the sacrifice, upsetting Gwen and the King of Faeries, who has fallen in love with her. In the end, with the help of many friends, Findabhair decides not to be sacrificed, but to be the first person to fight the serpent. With their friends by their sides, Findabhair and Gwen attack the serpent after being equipped for battle by the Land of Light, but after a while Findabhair gets blasted with poison from the serpent and falls unconscious with her life on the edge. The King of Faeries, in a desperate act of love, gives himself up as the sacrifice. He is greatly mourned, and Midir becomes king. The friends decide to meet again in a year.

After a year, they meet again at Island Island and reminisce. Then they suddenly hear music. As they search for the source of the music, they find the king, alive. The worm had only taken his immortality instead of killing him, and now the faerie was mortal and without memory. They understand that it's going to be hard for the king, because of his loss. But overjoyed as they are, they promise to explain everything to him.

Cultural references

"The Hunter's Moon" contains numerous literary and culture references. There are two editions of the novel which include different references. The newer edition includes:

The original edition includes references to:

[3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aengus</span> Irish god of youth, love, and poetic inspiration

In Irish mythology, Aengus or Óengus is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably originally a god associated with youth, love, summer and poetic inspiration. The son of The Dagda and Boann, Aengus is also known as Macan Óc, and corresponds to the Welsh mythical figure Mabon and the Celtic god Maponos. He plays a central role in five Irish myths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Étaín</span> Fictional character

Étaín or Édaín is a figure of Irish mythology, best known as the heroine of Tochmarc Étaíne, one of the oldest and richest stories of the Mythological Cycle. She also figures in the Middle Irish Togail Bruidne Dá Derga. T. F. O'Rahilly identified her as a sun goddess.

In the Mythological Cycle of early Irish literature, Midir, Midhir or Mider was a son of the Dagda of the Tuatha Dé Danann. After the Tuatha Dé were defeated by the Milesians, he lived in the sidh of Brí Léith. The name Midir may come from the old Irish word for a judge, midithir.

Eochu Airem, son of Finn, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He succeeded to the throne after the death of his brother, Eochu Feidlech, and ruled for twelve or fifteen years, until he was burned to death in Fremain by Sigmall Sithienta. He was succeeded by Eterscél. The Lebor Gabála synchronises his reign with the dictatorship of Julius Caesar. The chronology of Geoffrey Keating's Foras Feasa ar Éirinn dates his reign to 82–70 BC, that of the Annals of the Four Masters to 131–116 BC.

<i>The Books of Magic</i> English-language comic book mini-series

The Books of Magic is the title of a four-issue English-language comic book mini-series written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo. Since its original publication, the mini-series has also been published in a single-volume collection under the Vertigo imprint with an introduction by author Roger Zelazny. It tells the story of a young boy who has the potential to become the world's greatest magician.

<i>The Iron Dragons Daughter</i> 1993 novel by Michael Swanwick

The Iron Dragon's Daughter is a 1993 science fantasy novel by American writer Michael Swanwick. The story follows Jane, a changeling girl who slaves at a dragon factory in the world of Faerie, building part-magical, part-cybernetic monsters that are used as jet fighters. The plot of her story takes the form of a spiral, with events and characters constantly recurring in new settings.

<i>Tochmarc Étaíne</i> Irish Mythological Text

Tochmarc Étaíne, meaning "The Wooing of Étaín/Éadaoin", is an early text of the Irish Mythological Cycle, and also features characters from the Ulster Cycle and the Cycles of the Kings. It is partially preserved in the manuscript known as the Lebor na hUidre, and completely preserved in the Yellow Book of Lecan, written in language believed to date to the 8th or 9th century. It tells of the lives and loves of Étaín, a beautiful mortal woman of the Ulaid, and her involvement with Aengus and Midir of the Tuatha Dé Danann. It is frequently cited as a possible source text for the Middle English Sir Orfeo. Harvard professor Jeffrey Gantz describes the text as displaying the "poetic sense of law" in Irish legal society.

Geraldine Valerie Whelan, known by the pen name O. R. Melling, is a writer of fantasy novels, mostly for children and young adults. Melling's novels focus on Irish and Celtic folklore. She writes reviews and film scripts as G. V. Whelan. She is sometimes published as Orla Melling.

<i>The Spiderwick Chronicles</i> Series of childrens books

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a series of children's fantasy books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. They chronicle the adventures of the Grace children, twins Simon and Jared and their older sister Mallory, after they move into the Spiderwick Estate and discover a world of fairies that they never knew existed. The first book, The Field Guide, was published in 2003 and then followed by The Seeing Stone (2003), Lucinda's Secret (2003), The Ironwood Tree (2004), and The Wrath of Mulgarath (2004). Several companion books have been published including Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You (2005), Notebook for Fantastical Observations (2005), and Care and Feeding of Sprites (2006). A second series, entitled Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, includes The Nixie's Song (2007), A Giant Problem (2008), and The Wyrm King (2009).

<i>Books of Magick: Life During Wartime</i> Fantasy comic book series published by DC Comics

Books of Magick: Life During Wartime is a fantasy comic book series published by DC Comics under their Vertigo imprint in 2004 and 2005 that was discontinued after fifteen issues.

<i>Johnny and the Sprites</i> 2005 American TV series or program

Johnny and the Sprites is an American children's musical television show that aired every weekend on the "Playhouse Disney" block on Disney Channel. The show was created by, produced by, and starred John Tartaglia. The show's theme song was written by Stephen Schwartz. Each episode of the show features a musical number, many of which are written by various notable Broadway composers such as Gary Adler, Bobby Lopez, Laurence O'Keefe, Michael Patrick Walker, and others. The Sprites and all of the other creatures that inhabit Johnny's world were designed by Michael Schupbach. The set was designed by Laura Brock.

Béḃinn or Bé Binn, in modern orthography Béibhinn, is an early Irish personal and mythological name. In some sources Béḃinn is a goddess associated with birth and the sister of the river-goddess, Boann. Béḃinn is also described as being an underworld goddess in both Irish and Welsh mythology, inhabiting either the Irish underworld Mag Mell or the Welsh Annwn, although it is unknown which is the original source.

<i>The Lair of the White Worm</i> (film) 1988 film by Ken Russell

The Lair of the White Worm is a 1988 supernatural comedy horror film written, produced and directed by Ken Russell, and starring Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg and Peter Capaldi. Loosely based on the 1911 Bram Stoker novel of the same name, it follows the residents in and around a rural English manor that are tormented by an ancient priestess after the skull of a serpent that she worships is unearthed by an archaeologist.

<i>The Books of Faerie</i>

The Books of Faerie is a series of three mini-series spun off from Vertigo Comics' series The Books of Magic written by Bronwyn Carlton and John Ney Rieber. It featured characters used predominantly in the parent series – Titania, Auberon and Molly O'Reilly – to tell stories set in the realm of Faerie prior to the start of The Books of Magic, and later in the present era.

<i>Wildwood Dancing</i> 2006 novel by Juliet Marillier

Wildwood Dancing is a young adult fantasy novel written by Juliet Marillier, and published by Pan Macmillan Australia in 2006. The publication of Wildwood Dancing follows soon on the heels of previous highly anticipated collections by Juliet Marillier: The Sevenwaters Trilogy, and The Bridei Chronicles.

<i>An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong</i> 2009 American TV series or program

An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong is a 2009 American television film and the fifth film in the American Girl series. It was the first American Girl film to focus on a Girl of the Year, starring Sammi Hanratty in the title role. It is based on the Chrissa books in the American Girl series written by Mary Casanova.

<i>Irish Fairy Tales</i> 1920 book by James Stephens

Irish Fairy Tales is a retelling of ten Irish folktales by the Irish author James Stephens. The English illustrator Arthur Rackham provided interior artwork, including numerous black and white illustrations and sixteen color plates. The stories are set in a wooded, Medieval Ireland filled with larger-than-life hunters, warriors, kings, and fairies. Many stories concern the Fianna and their captain, Fionn mac Uail, from the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology.

The Summer King is a fantasy novel by O. R. Melling about twin sisters and the Irish fairy world. It was first published on June 30, 1999, and is the second book in the Chronicles of Faerie series, the first being The Hunter's Moon, the third being The Light-Bearer's Daughter, and the fourth and last being The Book of Dreams.

<i>The Light-Bearers Daughter</i> 2001 book by O. R. Melling

The Light-Bearer's Daughter is a fantasy novel by O.R. Melling. It was published on March 1, 2001, and is the third book in the Chronicles of Faerie series, the first being The Hunter's Moon, the second being The Summer King, and the fourth and final being The Book of Dreams.

<i>The Book of Dreams</i> (Melling novel) 2003 novel by O. R. Melling

The Book of Dreams is a fantasy novel by O. R. Melling. It is the fourth and last book in the Chronicles of Faerie series. The first three books are The Hunter's Moon, The Summer King and The Light-Bearer's Daughter.

References

  1. "The Hunter's Moon". Kirkus Reviews . 15 March 2005. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  2. "Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award". The Canadian Children's Book Center. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  3. "The Chronicles of Faerie Series by O.R. Melling".