The Silver Stag Review

The Silver Stag
Christine Schulze

Publisher: CreateSpace
Release Date: February 26, 2010
Series: The Gailean Quartet (#4)
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Pages: Paperback, 196 pages
Source: Author (ebook)
Rating: 4/5 (Avg 4.5/5)

She had never seen a forest as green as the Wood. It seemed ironic. The apparent life and vitality flowing from the lush green woods mocking all those entered in the past, never to return again. Chrysillee would not be one of those though. She was on a quest, a mission she would sooner die than leave unfulfilled, a journey she was willing to die for to fulfill, if need be. The sunlight filtering through the trees emitted a glittering, golden-green light. The Wood smelled thick with sweet, succulent magic that lured her forward yet made her sleepy. She stumbled on. The peddler warned of the legendary dangers of the Wood. She must not allow herself to give in... Suddenly, she stopped, listening. She heard it. The music. The sprightly call of the fiddle. She carefully made her way towards it, lured by its enchanting, lively strain. The melody awakened her sleepy spirit and body, spurred her slow steps into a quick walk, then a run, and then- She stopped as she emerged into a clearing where a girl danced on feet light as feathers, fingers weaving and skipping across the fiddle as delicately yet boldly as a spider spins her web. Both feet and hands moved deftly, skillfully, swiftly. Her white-gold hair twirled about her like beams of sunlight as did the full folds of her white-gold dress. Everything shimmered and glowed as she wove in and out of the green-gold beams of light streaming through the trees like the grand pillars of a princess' inner sanctum. Her eyes were closed but suddenly she opened them as if sensing Chrysillee's presence. A striking, sapphire blue. The girl smiled, still dancing, still playing, her feet not missing a beat, her hands not faltering on a single note, her eyes sparkling in a playful yet powerful sort of way. As Chrysillee continued to watch, she knew her quest would indeed not be in vain, for she found the Siren of the Wood, the Sunlit Wind Whisperer. Or maybe she found Chrysillee.

Ahh, the fourth and final installment in Christine Schulze's Gailean Quartet series - which I have to say was a fascinating journey from the very beginning until, here, the end. The Silver Stag is a little different from its predecessors, as it follows more with Chrysillee along with her godmother Gail and her daughter Rory. In the past books, we're concentrating more on Rory herself as well as David and Sascha - who, by the way, are all still in the book and still have wonderful roles.

The characters are obviously a big part of this book and I absolutely fell in love with each and every one of them. I can't say that I had a favorite because they were all so swell in their own ways, each bringing something new and interesting to the table - so to speak. There's also a fun array of species in the book, including vampires and faeries. I think what was more interesting to read about and completely unique was the introduction of the Wind Whisperers - which, believe me, you'll just have to read about to understand better. I think their introduction into the story really made it 'pop' in the way that makes you look at a book as one that stands out from the crowd of expected and ordinary.

Although a little on the short side, The Silver Stag is a great read that makes up for its quantity by its unbelievable quality with an incredible storyline and characters that you get to know well and fall in love with. The ending is a bit bittersweet, yet somehow completely suitable for this book. This book, along with the rest of the Gailean Quartet, is definitely a recommended read for pretty much everyone out there.


Other Books in Series:

Guest Blog: Into The Past with Christine Schulze

It's my honor to welcome Christine Schulze, author of the Gailean Quartet series, to Missy's Reads & Reviews as part of her series' blog tour! Today, Christine will tell us about what books her past self would recommend at specific ages during her life.

Enjoy!

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Age 5: First of all, I probably would have commanded you to read “Jonny to the Rescue!” my first book with both words and illustrations. Then, I would have insisted you buy yourself a copy of Good-night Moon and make sure you stock up on your Dr. Suess collection so your mom could enjoy reading those long, tongue-twister books every night before bed. Oh, the Places You’ll Go! was a particular favorite of mine, probably for its adventuresome quality. There is also one I can’t remember the name of, one with a zoo with all these wacky creatures. I liked this one simply for the page with the adorable little deer with huge antlers.


Age 11: These are all probably more around age 12; twelve was a poignant age for me, for both reading and writing, even video games. A creative explosion occurred for me around this age, like coming of age, only in the writing realm instead of normal puberty. The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Neverending Story, Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass—all these fantasy classics were making a major impact on my own fantasies I was writing at the time. I also attended good Christian schools, so the literature I read there helped influence the Christian themes and values seen in many of my books.

I also finally got to play The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which Mum bought after my wanting it since I was eight. She didn’t know my secret obsession over it, but after seeing it at a friend’s house, I was hooked. I actually rushed home that night to write a comic on it.

At twelve and the through the next few years, I’d tell you to rush out and get The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which is as good as any book with its unique, quirky characters, great plot and fantasy elements, and then borrow the above books from your local library. All of these inspired books I was working on at the time, such as The Legends of Surprisers series, Loz: Zephyr’s Islands, and Loz: The Mass.


Age 16: I don’t honestly remember reading a lot at this age besides the Harry Potter series, plus various other books I got in book sales. I was very busy working on many of my own books. However, even Harry Potter helped inspired the series I wrote around this time, The Hero Chronicles.


Age 20: This is actually going to be a mix of books I’ve discovered between about eighteen til the present, in part because I don’t remember my exact age for many of them. I know that, after Aaron, a best friend of mine, bought me the movie of Howl’s Moving Castle for my birthday, that I soon after read the book and became hooked on Diana Wynne Jones. I consider her a great inspirer to this day, as we seem to share a love for quirky characters, unique fantasy worlds, and intriguing plots. I truly loved Castle in the Air and the first Chrestomanci Chronicles. I am still itching to get my hands on a copy of Dogsbody. I read the blurb and first few pages in Barnes and Noble once, and it inspired me to write my middle grade fantasy, The Last Star, which I hope to procure an agent for in the near future.

I also attended more book fairs at my local library during this time, and one of the books I picked up was a fantasy by Nancy Springer called Chains of Gold. It has some supernatural elements and also tells the story of a young couple daringly escaping a terrible ritual of their people. I think it subconsciously inspired my novel Bloodmaiden, published by Old Line Publishing last year.

I also discovered the world of Stephanie Meyers’ Twilight. Now, for all you haters, I had no clue this was a world-wide fetish or else becoming one at the time. I’d never heard of it, because I generally don’t keep up with what’s going on in the world. I just saw it one day in my college bookstore, read the blurb, and new I must have this book. I’d never done vampires, never been into them, but the concept of romantic, possibly good vampires intrigued me. I usually have honing skills for finding books that I love, and behold, I did it again!

Another great vampire book I picked up later—and this one is truly a unique fantasy, so don’t compare to Twilight; all kinds of stuff going on here—was called Darkangel. I never read the other two in the trilogy though I would like to sometime, but it did inspire me to write a story on gargoyles; you can read the story in October when my Lily in the Snow and Other Elemental Tales is released.

Today, I would suggest books like The Forest of Hands and Teeth. I seem to have taken on a bit of a horror fetish, which is reflected in several short stories I’ve written as of late. I still don’t reserve much time for reading with all of my writing and promoting. However, one series I am eager to read is Susan Collins’ Hunger Games, especially as I’ve been told by some readers that Bloodmaiden was a comparable read for them.