The Illyrian Adventure - Lloyd Alexander

by Tristi Pinkston | More from this Blogger

13 Jun 2007 10:30 PM

In "The Illyrian Adventure," Lloyd Alexander kicks off a new series which is combination fantasy and archaelogy. Think Indiana Jones meets Amelia Peabody meets Arabian Nights, starring a teenage girl in the late 1800's, and you've pretty much got it.

Vesper Holly is that sixteen-year-old girl, and she's just been informed that she's an orphan. Her father was a great archaeologist, and she frequently studied alongside him, and so has quite a grasp on the subject matter. When her father's good friend Brinton Garrett and his wife Mary are given the unfortunate task of telling Vesper that her father has been killed and that they are now her guardians, they expect her to be distraught. While she is sad at her father's passing, Vesper is more interested in one thing: What had her father been doing when he was killed, and did that have anything to do with why he died? With access to all his papers, Vesper has discovered that her father believed an ancient, mythical tribe of warriors had actually existed in the far-off land of Illyria. While most people believed "The Illyriad" to be just a pretty story, Mr. Holly had found evidence that it was in fact a historical document, and Vesper is determined to prove it to honor her father's memory.

Taking the elderly Brinton Garrett along with her (she now calls him "Brinnie" - no point in standing on ceremony) Vesper sets off on a journey to ferret out the truth behind her father's findings. She's not expecting to get caught up in the politics of Illyria, but that's exactly what happens as she discovers that the government isn't dealing fairly with the natives of the land. The closer she gets to finding out the truth about her father, the more danger she is in, as well.

This is a great adventure for young adult readers. I did wish here and there that more description was given - it's a fairly short book and I felt at times that I was reading a rough draft rather than a full novel, but nonetheless, it was gripping and exciting. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

(This book was published in 1986 by Bantam Doubleday Dell.)

Related Blogs:

The Iron Ring

The Chronicles of Prydain

Westmark

Learn more about Tristi Pinkston

I've been a blogger for Families.com since August of 2006.

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