First, however, we must follow the adventures of a young woman who falls into the company of two mysterious strangers fleeing a deadly demon. Their journey will change her almost beyond recognition as she faces unspeakable evil and discovers unexpected camaraderie with her unusual companions. Beautifully rendering a mythological backdrop with a Welsh sheen, Ms. Haydon proves herself to be a spellbinding storyteller with the rare ability to manage remarkable characters with both intimacy and power. Any first novel is a major achievement. But a first novel like Rhapsody , with the robust confidence of a California cabernet and the mellow, layered subtlety of a well-aged port, is a triumph.
Rhapsody announces the birth of a first-rate fantasist.
In the crucible of her vivid imagination and wit, old themes and ancient myths are transmuted into something burnished, iridescent, and subtly, but unmistakably new.