The Seeing Stone

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The trilogy is a contemporary retelling of Arthurian legend, told by Arthur de Caldicot as a first-person narrative, where both the primary and secondary settings contribute to the retelling. As bright and as vivid as the pictures in a Book of Hours. Deep scholarship, high imagination, and great gifts of storytelling have gone into this; I was spellbound. - Philip Pullman, The Guardian As a child I borrowed books all the time from the library about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Then there were various children's series based on the theme, and later the Mary Stewart trilogy (which grew, if I recall correctly). Every now and then I've found more that sit worthily alongside those from my past, and this book for children is yet another. Kocher, Paul (1974) [1972]. Master of Middle-earth: The Achievement of J.R.R. Tolkien. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0140038774.

Over time, some of the Stones are moved, or end up in obscure locations that only the most die-hard Middle-earth nerds could identify. However, several of them end up spending time in locations that are immediately recognizable. For instance, one is kept on Weathertop right in the tower that is later seen in its ruined form when Frodo is stabbed by the Witch-king. Another Stone is kept in the tower of Orthanc in Isengard. Saruman, anyone? A third is lodged in Minas Ithil — the tower that later becomes the home base of the Ringwraiths. A fourth is kept in Minas Tirith, which becomes a temptation to Denethor, as we'll see in a minute. a b c Harl, Allison (2007). "The Monstrosity of the Gaze: Critical Problems with a Film Adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings" ". Mythlore. 25 (3/4 (Spring/Summer 2007)): 61–69. JSTOR 26814608. What happened was that as I read I began to enjoy the story for what it is – a story for children AND adults, one where the author has used his imagination and obvious knowledge of Mediaeval life to expand on the basic Arthur tale and make it a much more interesting book. The wizard Merlin gives Arthur de Caldicot the "Seeing Stone" early in the story, along with the warning it will cease to work if anyone else shares in its knowledge. Through the stone Arthur observes the life of legendary King Arthur until his rise to power as King of Britain. It begins with the marriage of King Uther and Ygerna. They conceive a child, who is named Arthur and is taken by Merlin to a foster family. Years later, when King Uther dies, Arthur comes to be king. Many specific people look similar to or exactly like people in Arthur's life. The most notable resemblance is between Arthur and young King Arthur himself, which leads de Caldicot to suppose that Arthur in the stone is himself in the near future. This belief is only accentuated when he learns on his birthday that his parents are only foster parents, as for young King Arthur. Eventually it becomes clear that King Arthur inhabits a parallel universe, with events in both worlds reflecting each other.

Shadows of the Past

Roughly a thousand years before the War of the Ring, the Ringwraiths capture the Gondorian fortress of Minas Ithil. This is the ghastly city that Frodo, Sam, and Gollum pass on their way up to Shelob's lair. When Minas Ithil is captured, no one officially finds out what happened to the palantír that was housed there. However, the wise leaders in Gondor decide that they should stop using their Stones, since the Nazgul — and more importantly, their master Sauron — may have captured it. This is a good call, as the Lord of the Rings does indeed end up with that Stone and uses it to destructive effect on more than one occasion in the future. As I've got older and find more and more books I want to read, I've always reserved some space on my Book Pile (tottering as it is!) for new children's literature. In my last job there was a superb library with an exemplary librarian, blessed with a generous budget, so there was always an exciting shelf on the library counter with New Books displayed on it. That's how I came to discover the joys of Kevin Crossley-Holland's marvellous Arthur trilogy, starting with The Seeing Stone, later followed by Gatty's Tale. These are the sort of books you treasure, that will never be in the de-cluttering bag, though from time to time I do spot them in the charity shops. When I do I snap them up, ready for giving to young people I come across who love reading. And, because I want to support the author and help keep him in bread and butter, I also buy new copies from time to time for birthday and Christmas presents. Four were taken to Gondor, while three stayed in Arnor. Originally, the stones of Arnor were at Elostirion in the Tower Hills, Amon Sul (Weathertop), and Annuminas: the Elostirion stone, Elendil's own, looked only Westwards from Middle-earth across the ocean to the Master-stone at the Tower of Avallonë upon Eressëa, an island off Valinor. The stones of Gondor were in Orthanc, Minas Tirith, Osgiliath, and Minas Ithil. [1] After seven years teaching in Minnesota, where he held an Endowed Chair in the Humanities, Kevin Crossley-Holland returned to the north Norfolk coast in East Anglia, where he now lives.

The year is 1199, the place the Welsh Marches. Young Arthur de Caldicot is given a magical shining stone in which his legendary namesake is revealed. In 100 short chapters that brilliantly evoke life in a medieval manor, stories of the boy King Arthur begin to echo - and anticipate - the secrets and mysteries that emerge in his own life ... About This Edition ISBN:

Kevin Crossley-Holland Press Reviews

a b Pearce, Joseph (2014). Catholic Literary Giants: A Field Guide to the Catholic Literary Landscape. Ignatius Press. p.316. ISBN 978-1-68149-074-8. We learn of life in 12th century England, where the rich rob the poor, the strong trample the weak and widows and orphans are defenseless- a situation so different from wghen Britian was ruled by the great King Arthur, and a siutation which cries out for a hero. A major theme of palantír usage is that while the stones show real objects or events, those using the stones had to "possess great strength of will and of mind" to direct the stone's gaze to its full capability. [T 2] The stones were an unreliable guide to action, since what was not shown could be more important than what was selectively presented. A risk lay in the fact that users with sufficient power could choose what to show and what to conceal to other stones: in The Lord of the Rings, a palantír has fallen into the Enemy's hands, making the usefulness of all other existing stones questionable. Commentators such as the Tolkien scholar Paul Kocher note the hand of providence in their usage, while Joseph Pearce compares Sauron's use of the stones to broadcast wartime propaganda. Tom Shippey suggests that the message is that "speculation", looking into any sort of magic mirror (Latin: speculum) or stone to see the future, rather than trusting in Providence, leads to error. There are significant female characters in the story and their lives are mainly under the control of the men, so they wield their power and influence in more subtle ways than the male characters, who just expect to be obeyed. This lends additional authenticity and depth to the book, as well as reminding us that it is only in recent decades that women's rights have been promulgated. I found myself learning about Mediaeval social mores, the workings of religion, the law and justice, as well as everyday life and the social hierarchy, from peasant to king. All this just by reading a great story about a thirteen year old boy and his family.

The Sigil stones in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, as well as The Elder Scrolls: Online, could be a reference to the Seeing-stones, having a very similar appearance.The palantíri were made by the Ñoldor in Eldamar, likely by Fëanor himself during his time in Aman in the Time of the Trees, and then given by the Elves to The Faithful Númenóreans, who kept them as heirlooms until the Fall of Númenor during the late Second Age. Seven of these stones were rescued and brought to Middle-earth by Elendil and his sons and set in well-guarded Towers throughout the Realms in Exile. In Quenya, palantíri means "far-seeing", from the word pal ("wide open") or palan ("far, distant"). Palantír is the singular form. The Seeing Stone won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award and the Smarties Prize Bronze Medal. The Arthur trilogy has won worldwide critical acclaim and has been translated into 21 languages. a b Shippey, Tom (2016). "The Curious Case of Denethor and the Palantír, Once More". Mallorn (57): 6–9.

This is the first book in the Arthur Trilogy. It's hard to believe this was actually written for young adult readers. I found it difficult to follow and understand. It is supposed to be a bit of retelling of the legend of the early life of King Arthur through the "seeing stone". But, it seemed more fantasy than anything. It is set in the March of Wales during A.D. 1199-1200 and told in the first person by the main character, 13-year old Arthur de Caldicot, where he learns his life runs parallel to King Arthur's life. Fisher, Jason (2013) [2006]. "palantírs". In Drout, Michael D. C. (ed.). J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. Routledge. ISBN 978-1135880347. I started off not knowing if I was going to like this book or not. I had not read a children’s book for a while and knowing pretty much what happens to young Arthur (doesn’t everyone?) I wasn’t about to be bowled over in surprise.

The stones were made of a dark crystal, indestructible by any normal means, except perhaps the fire of Orodruin. They ranged in size from a diameter of about a foot (30 cm) to much larger stones that could not be lifted by one person. The Stone of Osgiliath had power over other stones including the ability to eavesdrop. The minor stones required one to move around them, thereby changing the viewpoint of its vision, whereas the major stones could be turned on their axis. [T 3] The critic Tom Shippey's analysis of uses of palantírs, with consistently unpredictable effects [3] Viewer