The Fablesinger by Judith Woolcock Colombo

The Fablesinger by Judith Woolcock Colombo
iUniverse.com - Reprint, June, 2001
ISBN: 0595190588 -
Adult / Fantasy / Feminist
Mild, magical sex / some same-sex. Not graphic.

Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, MyShelf.com
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Picture a bard of old sitting at a campfire, his face shadowed and lighted again and again by the flicker of flames. Hear his voice modulated to please his audience, as any talented storyteller of his time would do. The audience-you-are sitting far enough away from the fire to avoid the searing heat but you can hear the timbre of his song, feel the effect of the warm fire on your face and the cool uncertainty of the night air on your shoulders. You are ready to hear The Fablesinger.

The author, Judith Woolcock Colombo, is The Fablesinger, every bit as much as her protagonists--the old crone and her apprentice-are. She weaves us a story of magic and mystery that suggests-as all good fables do-a lesson. That lesson is that we need to trust our instincts about our own path in life.

This is a short novel. It is told more like a memory than the formulas we find between most paperback covers. If you are tired of "the same ol' stuff", you'll want to read this one. It has been reissued at the request of many. As the Fablesinger says, "Whatever one wants to see and is allowed to see, one sees clearly." This is a book that shows us how to do that.

Colombo is also the author of a new suspense novel, Night Crimes.