" Travel Light is the story of Halla, a girl born to a king but cast out onto the hills to die. She lives among bears; she lives among dragons. But the time of dragons is passing, and Odin All-Father offers Halla a choice: Will she stay dragonish and hoard wealth and possessions, or will she travel light?" --Amal El-Mohtar, NPR, You Must Read This From the dark ages to modern times, from the dragons of medieval forests to Constantinople, this is a fantastic and philosophical fairy-tale journey that will appeal to fans of Harry Potter, Diana Wynne Jones, and T. H. White's The Sword in the Stone. "No one knows better how to spin a fairy tale than Naomi Mitchison."-- The Observer "Read it now."--Ursula K. Le Guin "You will love this book."--Holly Black "The enchantments of Travel Light contain more truth, more straight talking, a grittier, harder-edged view of the world than any of the mundane descriptions of daily life you will find in ... science fiction stories." -- Paul Kincaid, SF Site "A gem of a book." -- Strange Horizons "Every page is full of magic and wonder....well worth seeking out."-- Rambles "Combines the best of Rowling and Pullman, being full of magic and fantasy with the hard edge of reality sharp at its edges." -- The New Review/LauraHird.com
This book is a magical gem that transports the reader to the mythopoetic era, when angelic beings interact freely with ordinary mortals.If you want to gain vision into paradise, lost or found, read this little beauty. Your mind will expand as you stretch your wings in the pages of this world. This parable teaches lessons that may take a person a lifetime to appreciate.
A magical tale of quest and transformation
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
This slender book, first published in 1952, should be of interest both to the curious reader and to Naomi Mitchison fans. This is a story about magic, transformation and quest. In some respects it resembles Mitchison's much earlier novel, The Corn King and the Spring Queen, though more through thematic similarities than the style of writing. Both books have an engaging central heroine and both involve travel between various lands, actual and invented by the author herself, and both deal with religion and mystical forces. Travel Light, however, is suitable for young adults as well as grown-up readers. It is written in clear, precise English (which, admittedly, does come across as somewhat old-fashioned now). The tone of the writing is tinged with a certain sadness. But Travel Light it is not an even vaguely depressing book - the story is full of magic and mystery! The references to bears and dragons made me think of the sagas of Norse mythology (there are many fairy tale elements too) and, as ever with Naomi Mitchison's historical novels, the reader finds him or herself fully immersed in a captivating alien word. Travel Light a charming book which offers an easy read full of many pleasures.
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