The Rainbow Bridge by Karen Mc Cullough
Fantasy/Magic
Dreams-Unlimited
This is a fast, easy read. (115 pages)
Alsa wants to save her village from certain defeat. Small but prosperous, it is in danger of being overrun by its warlike neighbors. Alsa knows that without magic, her village will fall. Unfortunately, the only wizard capable of teaching her magic lives alone on the far side of a chasm spanned by nothing but a rainbow. Crossing the flimsy bridge and affronting the castle's guardian dragon are just little problems compared to getting along with the insufferable wizard magician. The wizard is a veritable hermit, wearing an illusion over his real features to make him appear first a thousand years old then young and handsome, and he wants to be left alone. His character is irascible and sarcastic. Worse, is the bargain he proposes. However, Alsa knows she must accept to help her people.
After agreeing to the deal, she finds herself cleaning the castle from top to bottom. After days of scrubbing and drudgery, she feels more like a washer-woman than apprentice wizard. Her teacher, however, has an answer to everything, and like most wizards, his answers are cryptic. After the castle is cleaned, Alsa is forced to endure days of mind-numbing concentration exercises. These lead to silly tricks that any party-magician could do, and Alsa wonders when she'll ever learn real magic to save her village.
While moping about the castle, she finds a little elemental, a piece of breeze some long ago wizard conjured up and forgot to release. This little breeze follows Alsa about like a puppy, and gives her some comfort in the unfriendly castle. Not everyone is unfriendly. The dragon is a talkative fellow, and chats with Alsa was soon as she pokes her head outside. No, only the wizard is cold and unfeeling.
Alsa continues her magic education, all the while trying to probe beneath the wizard's false appearance. The illusion is nearly perfect, and she can only get glimpses of his real face.
If I say any more, I'll end up giving the story away. Suffice to say that the story ends happily, of course.
I thought that the characters were nicely drawn. The dragon was perhaps my favorite, but I know that the handsome wizard with his secrets and wry personality will entrance more than one! The battle between the village and its enemies was (for me) the weakest part of the story, yet it shows how much Alsa cares for her people and her family. There is quite a bit of humor, a nice dash of lovely descriptions, and good dialogue. There is extramarital sex, but nothing explicit. Magic and caring for others are the main themes in this very enjoyable story.
Reviewed by Jenny