Sedgwick, Marcus. Blood Red Snow White.

Sedgwick, Marcus.  Blood Red Snow White.  Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press 2016  296p  $17.99  ISBN 978-1-62672-547-8  Hardback  hs  Historical fiction  VG-BN

Marcus Sedgwick has been shortlisted for Britain’s Carnegie Medal six times, and has received two Printz Honor awards, for Revolver and Ghosts of Heaven. In 2013 he won the Printz Award for Midwinterblood. Savvy readers will appreciate the metaphor disguised as a fairy tale at the beginning of the book to describe the rise of the Bolsheviks against the Imperialists. This is not a novelization of a fairy tale; this is not a re-telling of Snow White and Rose Red. However, readers expecting a well-written historical novel will not be disappointed by Blood Red Snow White.

Blood Red Snow White focuses on writer Arthur Ransome (a real historical figure), who  leaves England to work in Russia as a journalist. He finds himself in St. Petersburg on the eve of the Russian Revolution, and is at the center of a clandestine tug-of-war as two countries want Ransome to work for them. The Bolsheviks want Arthur to send messages to England, and England wants Ransome to spy on the Russians.In time, Ransome comes to play an important role in the demise of Tsarist Russia, which in turn leads to the rise and fall of Trotsky and Lenin.

Sedgwick’s three-part plot jumps among three stories (“A Russian Fairy Tale”; “One Night in Moscow”; “A Fairy Tale Ending”) until these braid into one seamless tale. The first section is told in the style of a fairy tale.  The second section is told in the third-person voice. The last section is narrated by Ransome himself. Everything is historically accurate, and Sedgwick has obviously done his homework. While some may call this novel a fantasy, the action focuses on plots and counterplots, espionage and spies, love affairs and adventures. It is a memorable and engaging story with a superb sense of place.

Summary: Arthur Ransome leaves England to work as a journalist in Russia, where he finds himself at the center of a violent revolution that is about to unfold. “Let me tell you a fairy tale.  I used to tell stories like this all the time; it used to be so important. It even saved my life once. Now let me see, how do fairy tales begin?”

Russian Revolution-Fiction, Arthur Ransome-Fiction          -Hilary Welliver

Sedgwick, Marcus. Midwinter Blood.

Sedgwick, Marcus.  Midwinter Blood.  Macmillan/ Roaring Brook Press     2013  262p  $17.99  ISBN 978-1-59643-800-2      hs/adult          Horror      VG-BN

In 2011, a reporter named Eric comes to the Scandinavian island of Blessed to write an article about a rare plant.  There he meets a woman named Merle. Because of an old Viking curse, Eric, the plant, and Merle, in different incarnations, inhabit all the other six vignettes.  An archaeologist who unearths a mysterious artifact, an airman who finds himself far from home, a painter, a ghost, a vampire, and a Viking -- all of these characters trace back to the original Eric and Merle, who were a star-crossed king and queen.  It’s creepy, bloody, evil and sad -- rambling and strange, but pure Sedgwick, and purely compelling to those hardy souls who read past the first stories.  There is no happy ending to this, just a final end to the curse of reliving the various incarnations seven times. Pair this with Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn for two completely different and compelling reincarnation tales.         

Reincarnation                                                     --Pat Naismith

Sedgwick, Marcus White Crow

Sedgwick, Marcus  White Crow  

 Roaring Brook Press see macmillan children's pub      2011  234p  16.99 978-1-59643-594-0      ms/hs VG-BN      Horror      

    Winterfold is a village crumbling into the sea when 16-year old Rebecca and her father “vacation” there to escape controversy at home.  Her encounter with Ferelith brings into a dark game, as they uncover the town’s dark history.    Scary and creepy, with fear hovering just under the lines, this Best Books for Young Adults nominee manages to set an almost supernatural scene of evil through an economy of words and actions.  Told in three voices - the newcomer Rebecca, the strange girl Ferelith, and a clergy man from 100 years previously, this story of evil, death and resurrection chills the readers bones.  There is not outright violence, but the reader comes to realize that what happened in Winterfold Hall is gruesome beyond comprehension.  The stunning final chapters end with a bizarre twist and leave the reader with more questions than answers about the afterlife.  Brilliant and creepy.             Horror stories      Pat Naismith

 

Revolver.

Sedgwick, Marcus. Revolver.
Roaring Press see Millbrook 2010 204p 16.99
978-1-59643-592-6 ms/hs VG-BN
This is an Arctic survival story set in Alaska. It is a compelling story of a young boy faced with his father’s death and the consequences he must face as a result of his father’s actions. Sig is a 14 year old boy who finds his father frozen to death on the Alaskan lake. After taking his father back to their cabin his sister and step mother go to town for help. It is a stressful time for Sig. However, the tension heightens when a stranger shows up demanding the gold his father stole during the gold rush days and then vanished. His father had not mentioned the gold but later it was discovered that he had left several hints and clues to its whereabouts.
The sister and mother prove to be resourceful when they return and discover the existence of the stranger.
Without telling the ending it must be noted that the compelling factor in the story is Sig’s personal conflict with using the revolver that is hidden in the storeroom in an old wooden box. It is a story that builds suspense until it climaxes with a very satisfying conclusion for the readers. McNeil, Linda