Skip to content

THE ODDLING PRINCE

Written By:

Ian White
oddling prince

In an ancient Scottish kingdom, a king lies dying from a mysterious ailment. Whatever has happened to him is connected to the ring that suddenly appeared on his finger and cannot be removed. When he is seemingly moments from passing, and his wife and son are gathered mournfully around his deathbed, a fey visitor arrives in the courtyard on a magnificent horse claiming he can save the monarch’s life. His name is Albaric, and although everyone else in the household fears him the king’s son Aric feels an immediate affinity towards the beautiful young man. It is only when Albaric removes the ring by the aid of magic and the king appears to revive that Albaric reveals he is also a son to the king. It is a revelation that threatens to tear the royal family apart, and Aric’s allegiance to his new fey brother is tested to the limit as darkness threatens to overwhelm the kingdom.

Let’s start with an admission. Tachyon is swiftly becoming this writer’s favourite publishing house for fantasy fiction and this latest offering from Nancy Springer is right up there with other authors in their stable like Patricia A. McKillip, Peter S. Beagle, and Ellen Klages. This is luminous writing that enfolds the reader like a spell from the very first page. Some may find the stylistic language and first-person POV off-putting to begin with but stick with it because there is something beautifully out-of-time about the way Springer weaves her words that fit the atmosphere of this tale enormously well. This is an alien medieval world, but her prose makes us feel immediately at home here.

But what really sets The Oddling Prince apart from other similarly-themed stories is its emotional intensity. The bond between Aric and Albaric feels totally real, and the complicated relationship that emerges between Albaric and their father has a genuine heart-breaking complexity. We might be in the realms of fantasy, but the dynamics between the characters – the love, guilt, doubt and pain – are all recognisably human. Albaric is fey, but he has given up so much (including his immortality) to save the king’s life and be among mortals, and Aric – as the only character who truly feels Albaric’s agony – is a good-hearted man who is immediately torn between his loyalty for his newly-discovered sibling and his fealty to his king, a king who seems to deny Albaric’s very existence. There are other fantastic characters in this book, moments of great action, and a genuine external jeopardy to overcome, but it is this intriguing push-pull between the three men that we believe makes The Oddling Prince such a richly textured and transformative read. Hold onto your bows and arrows Elflings, we might have an early contender for the best fantasy novel of 2018.

THE ODDLING PRINCE / AUTHOR: NANCY SPRINGER / PUBLISHER: TACHYON PUBLICATIONS / RELEASE DATE: MAY 31 ST

Ian White

You May Also Like...

outrun video game graphics by sega

OUTRUN Video Game Gets Michael Bay Movie Treatment

Michael Bay and Sydney Sweeney are teaming up for a high-octane movie adaptation of OutRun, the classic Sega video game franchise. Originally released in 1986, OutRun challenged players to dodge
Read More
still from trailer of i know what you did last summer sequel

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER Sequel Debuts Trailer

The first trailer for the I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel horror film has debuted online, just weeks after it premiered at CinemaCon. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, best known
Read More

Check Out This Awesome STAR WARS Fan Film

Now the dust has settled on Star Wars Celebration, the thirst for more Force-related content needs to be satiated. So why not watch this rather fantastic short fan film Echoes
Read More

THE REMEDY Heading to Fantastic Pavilion at Cannes

The new film from brilliant director Alex Kahuam (Failure!), The Remedy, has been announced for the Fantastic Pavilion at this year’s Cannes Festival, with the director in attendance. Alex said
Read More
ready or not sequel, ready or not: here i come taps sarah michelle gellar and elijah wood

READY OR NOT Sequel Taps Sarah Michelle Gellar, Elijah Wood

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Elijah Wood will be joining Samara Weaving in Searchlight Pictures’ Ready or Not sequel, Ready or Not: Here I Come. The film, which has already begun production, also stars Kathryn Newton, Shawn
Read More
weapons teaser trailer child running at night

WEAPONS Teaser Trailer Sees Children Disappearing At Night

The teaser trailer for Barbarian filmmaker Zach Cregger’s newest horror project, Weapons, sees children disappearing from their homes in a small town. “Those kids walked out of the homes,” someone says in
Read More