October 25th, 2010

‘Never name your sheep—never assist another shepherd with their sheep—never trade, sell, or buy sheep. And never, ever, EVER—risk the lives of yourself or your flock to rescue one sheep in danger.’

Micah doesn’t heed this for some reason and always insists on diving to the rescue of his little straying sheep, even if blizzards threaten. It is his deep affection for his sheep which singles him out for a perilous quest whose end he cannot know, and upon which rests the fate of the Kingdom of Gable and the Green Isles. And in the end, only sacrificial love on his part will suffice to save both sheep and kingdom.

The story follows several other characters as well, such as a chivalrous, blue-eyed giant named Drift who rescues Robbyn (a young slave) after her secrets are revealed. And to make a pun, I can’t forget Isaac Ganthorn, one of the best-depicted characters in Kestrel’s Midnight Song. He is a Marauder who is continually haunted by the memory of the shepherd boy’s eyes, which look forever sleepy and innocent.

But since ALL the characters are interesting, I better run through them! There’s the Marauder King (shocking and terrifying, especially his gold tooth. That part was done with excellence) and Captain Lewell, who waits impatiently for his promotion to being the Marauder King’s second. Or Bart the nonsensical who is truly clever.

Or Gretchen, the former King’s Wool-Spinner who informs us that everyone needs forgiveness & healing, and no-one is perfect, even old ladies like herself. And of course, there is the strange matter of Micah’s father, who as it turns out is lesser than Micah; or Samuel Kamloop whose life-long passion is conversing with birds, much to his detriment. Nor should I omit James Kestrel himself, who gets his name on the cover and whose hanging is due all through the book.

This is a book I’m now happily re-reading. Its plot works perfectly and left me baffled and guessing all the way to the dramatic, twist-and-turn end! Masterful, vivid storytelling combines with tightly sequenced and meaningful events to climax in the most striking way I have ever seen. If the book is an inside look at the author’s head, then Jacob Parker must be a genius. The entire book fits together like so many wheels and cogs within an intricate device, each one interlocking, each one depending on the rest. This book also has to be the most pristinely clean book imaginable while being widely alert to detail & realism. Jacob’s terrific sense of humor is, therefore, just icing on the cake.