Mini-review: The Rats of Hamelin
Excellent and different — Begins and ends on A, March 29, 2006
| Reviewer: | Michael Blyth (Jos, Nigeria) - See all my reviews |
This book is entertaining and readable, but keeps going beyond expectations. It would be a mistake to see it as just another medieval adventure story.
On the brink of disaster, young peasant Hannes is saved and becomes an apprentice Piper. This kind of piping, though, is a form of deep power as well as entertainment. After years of apprenticeship, Hannes is handed his first solo assignment: rid the town of Hamelin of a terrible plague of rats. Things are more complicated than they appear, though, and a complicated conflict ensues.
The biggest surprise of this book was simply that it was so good overall, at least in the top 10% of books I’ve read in its genre. It compares favorably, and is similar in ways, to some books by Madeleine L’Engle and Ursula LeGuin. Richness and complexity are the features I found that set this book apart from many others.
An example of this richness is the way the book handles moral issues. The tale explores themes of mercy, justice, and the tension between them, but not with glib answers. (And truthfully, I started reading the book expecting less depth.) A question it asks toward the end is who is responsible when a person who has received mercy harms others once again.
I kept thinking I had pegged the “moral” or simple message of the book and Hannes’ development, only to be surprised again. For example, I thought of “would-be-messiah learns his lesson,” “naive do-gooder encounters institutional evil,” “young man learns that mercy triumphs justice,” “good guy succumbs to the lure of seduction of power,” and so on. Instead, I kept being surprised as the book and character kept breaking those stereotypes. In my experience, it’s uncommon to find this level of complexity in similar books.
The story itself is likewise full of surprises, twists and turns, never gratuitous but well-woven. The writing and language are excellent as well.
In summary, an outstanding and unusual book, and one which makes you think.
The Rats of Hamelin by Adam and Keith McCune, 2005.