Review: Retro Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 24, 2012
"The Foundling" has an charmingly retro feel to it in plot and writing style. At the start I wondered if it was going to be a recycled hash of popular epic fantasy themes.  Dwarves, elves, mages, magic rings - all the usual ingredients were there. I persisted, however, and was happy to discover "The Foundling" is something very different from the usual Tolkein knockoff. The influences go back much earlier, to fantasies by writers like Edith Nesbit and George MacDonald.The story juxtaposes themes of innocence, morality, and darkness in a way alien to modern literature. For example, the author mentions that Balbus, completely unaware of his danger, saves himself from capture simply by avoiding greed. He never spent money which could have been used to trace him, as he was content with his ordinary life. Yet, neither Balbus nor Elerian are boringly perfect.  Balbus has insecurities and obdurate moments.  Elerian is prone to pranks and and his own kind of willfulness. They make mistakes, learn, and become wiser.The writing level is appropriate for an older child, yet it has enough depth to be interesting to an adult.