The Ropemaker

Starred review from November 10, 2003
This novel "moves from the mythic to the particular and back again, making clear the ways in which an individual's extraordinary experience could metamorphose into an entire culture's legend," PW
wrote in a starred review. "A challenging magical adventure for the thinking reader." Ages 12-up.

Starred review from November 5, 2001
Like his stellar novels Shadow of a Hero
and Bone from a Dry Sea, Dickinson's latest offering moves from the mythic to the particular and back again, making clear the ways in which an individual's extraordinary experience could metamorphose into an entire culture's legend. Readers who are willing and able to fall into step with its majestic pace will be rewarded by a thought-provoking trek through a fairy tale world that is as breathtakingly fresh as it is archetypal. For 19 generations, the comfortably prosperous Valley has been tucked away from the outside world—kept safe by powerful enchantments. When these powers begin to weaken, however, it's up to Tilja and her grandmother Meena, along with their companions, Tahl and his grandfather Alnor, to journey forth in search of a magician powerful enough to protect their home once again. In the course of this pilgrimage, Tilja—who has recently and heartbreakingly learned that she possesses not a jot of the hereditary magic that would entitle her to inherit her beloved family homestead—comes to understand more about the unique and valuable gift she does possess. Eerily, the novel is sprinkled with images that take on an unforeseen resonance: a rebel magician—be-turbaned and lanky—and collapsing towers that crush their proud builders. A challenging magical adventure for the thinking reader. Ages 12-up.

Starred review from November 1, 2001
Gr 7-10-The Valley is left alone by barbarian marauders from the north and by the powerful, greedy Empire to the south. Old stories explain why. Although these ancient legends are hardly believed any more, Tilja's mother still goes into the forest to sing to the cedars and Tahl's grandfather talks to the waters that flow along the northern border. Their families have been protecting the Valley in this manner for nearly 20 generations. Now that magical protection is breaking down, and Tilja, her grandmother, Tahl, and his grandfather set out on a quest to find a mysterious man who may or may not still be alive but who probably holds the secret they need to discover. As this band of travelers makes it way across hostile, unfamiliar territory, Tilja begins to learn of her ability to neutralize magic, rendering it powerless. Since the Empire's leaders have harnessed magic as a tool to control its subjects, this proves to be a most important talent. The travelers experience one dangerous, exciting adventure after another. They meet a strange man known as the Ropemaker, whose magic is mightier than any in the Empire. As the four come closer to achieving their goal, evil forces conspire to destroy them. And the suspense does not let up until the very last pages. While on one level this tale is a fantasy, it is also a wonderful coming-of-age story. Tilja is a young woman who is discovering who she is and what she is meant to do in life. Fascinating questions about time are posed, and there is much for young people to think about here. As much as anything, this book is about the power of story and the influence it can have on ordinary people's lives.-Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 15, 2001
Gr. 7-12. Dickinson works his own wonders in a thoroughly compelling tale that delves into the nature of both magic and time. According to legend, a powerful magician has isolated the Valley for 18 years to protect it from the armies of the Empire in the south and the fierce, marauding horsemen of the north. But now something is terribly wrong. Young Tilja sets out with her grandmother Meena, the boy Tahl, Tahl's grandfather, and an ill-spirited horse on a daunting quest to find the magician in hopes of his renewing the magic that protects the Valley. Their trek through the tightly controlled Empire is fraught with danger, which leads to some exciting scenes. And along the way, Tilja discovers her extraordinary power, a power that connects her to the Ropemaker, a mysterious being who appears along the route in many guises. It's left to Tilja and the Ropemaker to make things right in both the Valley and the Empire. Dickinson's world is vividly realized, his play with time and magic is totally credible, and his characterizations are fully developed--particularly that of Tilja, whose coming-of-age is beautifully portrayed.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2002
For twenty generations, Tilja's family has performed a ritual to renew the forest sickness that protects their valley from invasion. When the magic begins to fade, Tilja and three others begin a journey to find the magician Faheel and ask him to renew his original spell. Dickinson provides the travelers with a wealth of adventure that keeps the narrative moving; the conclusion matches the promise of the ambitious framework.

(Copyright 2002 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)