''Star Dancer'' is the first novel in the Star Dancer

Tetralogy A tetralogy (from Greek τετρα- ''tetra-'', "four" and -λογία ''-logia'', "discourse") is a compound work that is made up of four distinct works. The name comes from the Attic theater, in which a tetralogy was a group of three tragedies ...

, written by the British author Beth Webb and published in 2006 by

Macmillan Publishers Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be one of the 'Big Five' English language publi ...

. ''Star Dancer'' is a mixture of history and fantasy, suitable for teenagers and adults, based in the late

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

when the Romans were just beginning to invade Britain. ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' selected ''Star Dancer'' as a Family Book Club choice for August 2007. ''Fire Dreamer'' is the second novel in the Star Dancer series, written by the British author Beth Webb and published in 2007 by

Setting

The story opens in the year AD 40, and takes place in the

Mendip Hills The Mendip Hills (commonly called the Mendips) is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running from Weston-super-Mare and the Bristol Channel in the west to the Frome valley in the east, the hills ...

in what is now

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, in "an

world steeped in superstition and magic". ''Star Dancer'' considers how Tegen, a girl with the power and qualities needed to become a

Druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Whi ...

, copes in a world where only males are allowed to become Druids, but where

Roman invasion The Roman conquest of Britain refers to the conquest of the island of Britain by occupying Roman forces. It began in earnest in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, and was largely completed in the southern half of Britain by 87 when the Stane ...

suddenly becomes real.

Plot

The druids have prophesied that the one born in the middle of an untimely meteorite shower will avert a great evil, but they are looking for a boy who will grow into a mixture of war hero and super-magician. nstead there is one baby girl, Tegen, born at the right time, and a boy, Griff, who has

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

, who is born just as the stars were fading. The book explores how these two children grow up together, discovering their individual destinies, but it also shows how much they need each other to become who they were meant to be in a harsh and unforgiving world. Tegen is the Star Dancer, but she needs Griff’s honesty and kindness to stand against the druids who aren’t evil, but are fixed in their habits. Griff needs Tegen to stand against his cruel mother who abandoned him at birth. As the story unfolds, Derowen, an evil-minded ‘wise-woman’ connives with a young handsome druid who believes he should be the Star Dancer. They plot to destroy Tegen by stealing her magic, and setting her up to fail so together they can seize power. With dark spells they disturb a demon from the depths of funeral caves under the

and Tegen has to face her nemesis at last.

Critical reception

''Star Dancer''

In a review for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', Kate Agnew wrote that the Iron Age setting is "vivid" and "plausibly detailed", and that despite a formula that is "hackneyed at times", the tale is compelling, raising questions "about mistrust, prejudice and gender-related expectations" that "still resonate in today's world". ''Bookseller'' noted that ''Star Dancer'' seemed unusually realistic for a fantasy: "so convincingly and earthily rooted in real archaeological evidence about our prehistoric ancestors that you can almost smell the wood smoke, taste the mead and hear the chanting of druids." Writing in ''The Daily Telegraph'', Christopher Middleton praised the author's depiction of early British religion, writing, "Webb creates a rich, if shaggily created textured tapestry of primitive beliefs, interweaving unfamiliar-sounding names (Gorgans, Clesek, Huval), with obscure ancient rituals (The Ogham, a divination test that makes use of stones). Screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce commended the way that Webb skilfully wove in historical details, telling ''The Daily Telegraph'', "You're left in no doubt that Beth knows her subject, but at the same time, you don't get wedges of Wikipedia or clumps of Google suddenly appearing in the middle of the text."

''Fire Dreamer''

The ''Western Daily Press'' in

Bristol, England Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in S ...

, wrote that Webb had set ''Fire Dreamer'' "against a firm bedrock of in-depty study into the period", resulting in "a compelling sense of credibility" that makes the reader "feel transported back in time". A review in ''The Bookseller'' called it an "expertly researched and finely tuned sequel to ''Star Dancer''."

References

External links

{{Portal, Children and Young Adult Literature
Beth Webb's site

Macmillan's Star Dancer site
British fantasy novels 2006 British novels 2006 fantasy novels Macmillan Publishers books Novels set in Somerset