Status
Available
Series
Genres
Publication
Del Rey (2001), Edition: Reprint, 352 pages
Description
It began ages past in fabled Atlantis, when a mad, power-hungry queen forged a key to a door never meant to be opened by mortal man--its inception would hasten her own death and the extinction of her vainglorious race. For millennia the key lay forgotten beneath the waves, lost amid the ruins of what had been the most beautiful city on Earth. But however jealously the sea hoards its secrets, sooner or later it yields them up. Now, in present-day Yorkshire, that time has come. And for young Fernanda Capel, life will never be the same again . . . "From the Paperback edition."
User reviews
LibraryThing member inserttitlehere
I loved this book. Very well written and the last half (also the best half) goes amazingly fast. Everything just clicks together so well, you just can't put it down.
I can't wait to buy the next book, which i plan on doing as soon as possible.
I can't wait to buy the next book, which i plan on doing as soon as possible.
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
To be perfectly honest, I thought this book was something completely different than what it was. I thought it would be a search for Atlantis and include mermaids or something. To be perfectly honest, I was a bit disappointed.
But the story is solidly written. I liked the characters, I liked where
And, I still want my book about Mermaids :)
But the story is solidly written. I liked the characters, I liked where
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the story was going, that is until Fern was sent back to Old age Atlantis to close a door. It seemed like the last third of the book was tacked on. It made sense, I liked how time travel was handled, but there was too much detail in too little of a space. And, I still want my book about Mermaids :)
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LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing
The first half is a creepy, atmospheric fantasy tale in the style of Susan Cooper's [book: The Grey King]. In the second half, the teenaged protagonist falls into ancient Antlantis. There, she must overcome her own amnesia, the queen of Atlantis, and the pagan god/demon that followed her into the
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past. Show Less
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
Sixteen-year-old Fern and her younger brother Will move to a mysterious house in the remote Yorkshire Moors during the Summer holidays. There they discover more and more about the house and it's strange legacy.
Then their father, a widower, meets a new woman and things start to get even stranger and
I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the sequel.
Then their father, a widower, meets a new woman and things start to get even stranger and
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Fern has to do things to save the world that will take her on a strange trip to Atlantis and the past and a complex web of culture and messy lives that will change her forever.I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the sequel.
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LibraryThing member lexilewords
Siegel was a completely new to me author when I picked this book up at the (semi)local used book store. I had seen it around for a bit, but for whatever reason I didn't pick it up until an idle Saturday afternoon. It caught my interest then with tales of a mermaid and Atlantis and a magical
The beginning is simply captivating. The story begins with a mermaid who makes a bargain with a fisherman, though neither enter into the deal in good faith. The fisherman demands she pay him back for the life she took (she killed his son after her capture) and in turn the mermaid offers a key to a treasure they can never touch. This sets into motion events that encompass Fern and her family centuries later.
I didn't really warm to Fern. She's 16 going on 50 it feels like. Levelheaded, composed and seemingly devoid of the teen characteristics one expects she seems so...remote. Even as she acknowledges that her attitude or behavior is out of character for herself, those moments don't serve to warm the reader to her at all.
This is also a very languid novel. Many things happen that defy reason, but the pace of the book doesn't alter one iota. Siegel determinedly forges forward detailing the Capel children's investigations with very little determent. Their father's sinister girlfriend does creepy things at night--first investigate, ask questions, test the theory, then form a plan.
The writing is very dense though despite the languid pace. So much happens in so little time that's its easy to feel like the book is much longer than it is (barely 350pgs, which is nothing by today's fantasy standards) or that you haven't progressed very far into the book.
Mainly I became engrossed in the story because Siegel ties in the Atlantean mythology with other mythologies. The back of my edition had a glossary and a character list, offering tidbits about how this or that name related to other mythologies. Its very obvious that Siegel spent a lot of time researching and it shows in her writing. Her words shine the best when this or that character is discussing history (or as happens later, the past is brought to life in vivid detail). Siegel really immerses you in the scene.
I plan on reading the next two books (which I am given to understand Fern progresses in age as the books go on so that we end with her as a young woman). I want to see how this plays out and whether Siegel is able to keep the immersive feel going for another 600 pages or not.
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destiny. This isn't as old as I thought it was either--published originally in 1999, I thought this was from the 80's.The beginning is simply captivating. The story begins with a mermaid who makes a bargain with a fisherman, though neither enter into the deal in good faith. The fisherman demands she pay him back for the life she took (she killed his son after her capture) and in turn the mermaid offers a key to a treasure they can never touch. This sets into motion events that encompass Fern and her family centuries later.
I didn't really warm to Fern. She's 16 going on 50 it feels like. Levelheaded, composed and seemingly devoid of the teen characteristics one expects she seems so...remote. Even as she acknowledges that her attitude or behavior is out of character for herself, those moments don't serve to warm the reader to her at all.
This is also a very languid novel. Many things happen that defy reason, but the pace of the book doesn't alter one iota. Siegel determinedly forges forward detailing the Capel children's investigations with very little determent. Their father's sinister girlfriend does creepy things at night--first investigate, ask questions, test the theory, then form a plan.
The writing is very dense though despite the languid pace. So much happens in so little time that's its easy to feel like the book is much longer than it is (barely 350pgs, which is nothing by today's fantasy standards) or that you haven't progressed very far into the book.
Mainly I became engrossed in the story because Siegel ties in the Atlantean mythology with other mythologies. The back of my edition had a glossary and a character list, offering tidbits about how this or that name related to other mythologies. Its very obvious that Siegel spent a lot of time researching and it shows in her writing. Her words shine the best when this or that character is discussing history (or as happens later, the past is brought to life in vivid detail). Siegel really immerses you in the scene.
I plan on reading the next two books (which I am given to understand Fern progresses in age as the books go on so that we end with her as a young woman). I want to see how this plays out and whether Siegel is able to keep the immersive feel going for another 600 pages or not.
Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1999
Physical description
352 p.; 4.21 inches
ISBN
0345441435 / 9780345441430