Elidor

4 siblings, Enid Blyton kids in mildly mean streets of post war bombed-out Manchester. Filling time with a walk into a demolition area before the train home, they encounter a pied piper (fiddler). He is a presentiment of strange places and events. A booted football taken from the street, a broken window in a church, angry demo workmen. Alan Garner starts his story as slowly as the children walking. A simple telling leads us into a new world linked to, evidenced by and then emerging in our ordinary one. Apparent casual normalcy obscures the continual magic of events. At first we hardly notice, as it gradually builds to a mythic crescendo. When it bursts upon us, our eyes open. In "Elidor", Alan Garner has written a unique book. It is for children or adults, a quick easy read. The writer's deep knowledge of story, legend and place barely show, yet they are the deep foundation on which the story is built. Though I didn't realise it until the book neared its end, this is one of the finest imaginative novels I've read. I strongly recommend it and Alan Garner's work.

I read this as a 10 year old in primary school and re-read it recently. It is suspenseful, creepy in parts and realistically portrays the 4 children. I found it interesting from a historical perspective too, with the descriptions of old Manchester. My 9 year old tried it, but it does not translate easily to an american audience in his age group. He may have to watch some BBC first.

"Roland shivered with the effort of looking. He wanted to fix every detail in his mind for ever, so that no matter what else happened there would always be this." It's been a number of years since I read Garner's books. I pulled them out and started into ELIDOR. Turns out - I didn't remember any details of this book in the series, so it truly was a new reading to me. Like so many of my favorite writers, Garner fits enough plot and character into 145 pages whereas many writers can't make a clean work in 500 pages. Written in the late '60's and my copy a reprint from the early '80's - it has a definite Narnia plot running - thin walls between our world and another that is being swallowed by darkness and needs the help of four siblings (David, Nicholas, Helen & Roland). A shift between the two worlds - a hunt for magical treasures is followed by a return to normal life at home and the slipping away of whether it ever happened at all. Similarities - but this story runs darker than Narnia. And the reminders of their adventure keep jabbing at these kids - bursts of static electricity, phantom silhouettes in the rose garden, some serious harassment of these folks front door and mail slot and even a handful plastic prizes: "Are you saying Malebron's sending us souvenirs from Hong Kong?") While the kids turn skeptic, Roland alone packs enough faith to keep the whole bunch on the right track and the story takes some clean, sharp turns - before clipping off abruptly. Geek notes: Had to go online and look-up a few things (dolmen - [...] and even found their old house address at 20 Fog Lane, Manchester: mappable). I'll be on into reading the next book in the series and see if it keeps me guessing, too.

I knew this book during my childhood (over 45 years ago). It is still a good read, even for us older types.

Okay, Garner lacks the modern sensibility of Rowlings, but this is great stuff. A bit darker than Narnia, easier to grasp than Middle Earth, this is thrilling stuff-- I can still remember tha chills I got during the climactic scenes of this book long ago. A great read from a terribly under-appreciated author...

Siblings Roland, Helen, David, and Nicholas are exploring an area of Manchester when they are transported to Elidor. With help from Malebron they retrieve four treasures and must take them back to their own world to guard them. The children bury the treasures in the garden. But as time passes they realize that evil forces from Elidor are searching for them. The children must find a way to protect both Elidor and their own world. The spooky manifestations of the evil from Elidor are very well done and the folklore references are effective, but the story is strangely lacking in action, leaving the reader wanting more. Nonetheless, an intriguing read.

This is among the best I've ever read, the spectacular part is that the 'magic' happens early on, and in an obscured way, without as much detail as you'd expect, but what happens after really shows ordinary life collide, with a window in the psychological state of kids moving to a new home. Colloquial English prose is delightful and seldom inscrutable.

<mild spoiler warning>Reading the other reviews for this book, the main criticism seems to be its story arc. The book has a complete arc, but it's not the one most fantasy readers expect.A lot of readers I think, are being miscued by the standard fantasy tropes (a lost King, a faceless evil being) to expect a quest tale, but this isn't Lord of the Rings. It's "The Door in the Wall". Garner gives the reader a few tantalizing glimpses into Elidor. He introduces those elements into our world and grounds them with details that are so specific and realistic, you almost believe it. Then once you've seen it, enough to believe in it and want more of it, he shuts the door and throws away the key.The reader is not meant to feel closure. You are meant to close the book and feel uneasy and want more. That's the magic of it.

Before hogwarts there was Elidor. A modern classic and a great read

Always did - I almost understand it - fortunately I discovered Boneland and realised I should stop reading

I loved this book as a child. It still grips today, with its tale of parallel worlds and eerie treasures. The story is quite simple really, and it feels like the start of a series rather than the complete story it is. Nevertheless, it has many memorable moments and is a true children's classic.

Here's another splendid tale of primal forces and the gift / burden of chosenness borne by two school children, human values emerging and consolidating between battling archetypal forces.A further rite of passage en route to moral congruence. Conscience and hardship overcome form the backbone of this magical and wondrous tale set - as ever - in Alan Garner's beloved homelands of Cheshire's Alderley Edge.The ethics in Garner are a potent antidote to the dross and instant gratification served up for passive consumption on TV and in much lighter weight literature. Read the whole series, in one swoop if possible! Life-changing.

I read this first as a youngster about 11 or 12. It was for sale in my school as part of a book fair. I couldn't put it down and was there all lunchtime reading and went to finish it the following day. My mother made the brave decision to buy the book for me as we couldn't afford books and always went to the library. It opened a whole new world for me in that there is more than we can see in the universe. Extraordinary book! I am really looking forward to reading it again.