The One-Armed Queen

From the Publisher

"Yolen resumes the saga that began in Sister Light, Sister Dark and continued in White Jenna. As has come to be usual for Yolen, the tale is well told in all particulars. Excellent fantasy fare."-Booklist

"High quality fantasy."-VOYA

"Myth, legend, song, history and story interweave to create a magical tale."-Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Following the format of the two earlier books in the White Jenna oeuvre (Sister Light, Sister Dark and White Jenna), the third shows how myth, legend, song, history and story interweave to create a magical tale that is neither wholly truth nor simply fancy. Focusing primarily on the adopted and natural children of Queen Jenna and King Carum, the narrative details the trials and tribulations of the royal family, who are trying to maintain an unstable peace more than a decade after the Gender Wars. Disturbing the royals' harmony is the need of Scillia, oldest daughter and heir to the throne, to find her path by traveling the "mother road" and learning more about her natural parents. More dangerous to the kingdom are eldest son Jemson's desires after he is exchanged for another prince in a land where women are lower than peasants, and peasants have no rights at all. Trying to keep everyone happy is good-natured middle child Corrie, who loves life, fancy clothes and his family. Far less prominent in this novel than in its predecessors are the dark sisters, mystical twins brought forth by trained women who appear only during appropriate conditions of light and shadow. Indeed, readers looking for the fantasy element nurtured in the previous books primarily by the twins would do well to reread those novels, since this one concentrates on the interactions of more mundane family members. But those who want to see the story of Jenna continued to what is probably its logical end will find that Yolen spins a mean yarn here. Also included are music and lyrics for 10 songs by Yolen's son Adam Stemple. (Nov.)

VOYA - Donna Scanlon

After a nine-year pause, Yolen demonstrates her ability to translate common human experience into high quality fantasy in this third book of her Chronicles of Great Alta following Sister Light, Sister Dark (Tor, 1988/VOYA April 1989) and White Jenna (Tor, 1989). Queen Jenna's adopted daughter, Scillia, is groomed to rule the Dales. Scillia struggles for identity in the light of her mother's heroic fame and her own largely unknown past. She must also deal with the physical reality of having only one arm, for which she more than compensates. Conflict comes from Jemson, Scillia's younger brother; raised as a "hostage" prince by the Garuns, former occupiers of the Dales, Jemson believes that he should be king.

Yolen uses subheadings such as "The Legend," "The Myth," "The Ballad," and so forth, with "The Story" indicating the main narrative. A subheading called "The History" looks at the tale from a twentieth-century perspective-including the inevitable rivalries among schools of thought. This device allows Yolen to provide background information without resorting to pages of expository dialogue, and the different perspectives round out the story in a thought-provoking way. The ballads, written by Yolen and scored by her son, are a particularly nice addition.

The story is tightly woven, and the book stands very well on its own although the ending may not appeal to all readers in its summation of the characters' fates. Characterization is very good, the mother-daughter relationship is particularly well portrayed, and Scillia's personal struggles parallel Jenna's need to balance her various roles of mother, queen, and hero. The cover art is attractive and appealing.

VOYA Codes: 5Q 4P J S A/YA (Hard to imagine it being better written, Broad general YA appeal, Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9, Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12 and adults).

Kirkus Reviews

Third of Yolen's fantasies (White Jenna, 1989, etc.) about the matriarchal land of the Dales, where women trained in mirror-magic can call forth dark twins who appear by moonlight or candlelight. This one, however, has turned into a family saga in more ways than one. The text includes ten songs co-written by Yolen's son Adam Stemple, and otherwise is cluttered with annoying sections headed "The Myth," "The Legend," "The Ballad," "The History," and so forth. The story, when we finally get to it, mostly concerns the children of Jenna, the White Queen. Her adoptive daughter and heir, the one-armed warrior Scillia, is rebelling against Jenna's strictures and training. Meanwhile, King Kras of the Garuns, the Dales' patriarchal rival, is fervently attempting to persuade Jenna's sons Jemson and Corrie to challenge their sister for the monarchy. The expected complications ensue. An all-singing entry in this waterlogged and insipid series.