George MacDonald, sadly, has not found the limelight for American readers that his colleagues C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien have found. His fantasy works are equally steeped in the lore of the British Islands and are also whimsical, captivating, and enjoyable for both young readers and adults. This illustrated version conveys those qualities richly. It would make an ideal gift. Thank you to the legacy of George MacDonald, Jerome Tiller (Illustrator), Adapted Classics, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

“The Carosoyn” is an adaptation of a two-part fairy tale by the fantastic George MacDonald. In this iteration, with story by Jerome Tiller and charming illustrations by Mark Johnson-Pencook, the story is infused with modern language to bring it more up to date.

Unfortunately, the gorgeous language that MacDonald used to describe the natural world and the intriguing storytelling about fairies are both interrupted by attempts to make it more modern (?) or current (?) by awkward insertions of “get real” and “screwed up” and other jarring phrases. And does anyone say “homey” anymore? Worse, to make the protagonist Colin’s wife Fairy “a more assertive female,” as Tiller writes in a followup to the story, she is turned into a creative buzzkill. (Using “female” as a noun is not a great building block for writing a female character.)

Nonetheless, Tiller’s purpose here is to modernize the story, and if I put myself in the shoes of an eight-year-old, I can see that the modern insertions, combined with the excellent illustrations might make an old story a lot more approachable and comprehensible. Tiller is also very honest about his goals for the story, and is clear that the end of the book has a lot of material original to Tiller. I appreciated his clarity on this.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for review.

This edition of George Macdonald's classic fairy tale <i>The Cabasoyn</i> was adapted by Jerome Tiller and has lovely illustrations by artist Mark Johnson-Pencook. It's a charming novella-length adventure story in which a boy called Colin sees one day a ship of fairies sailing by the brook in his farm's lands, and decides to help them reach the ocean when they're stuck inland and builds a little canal for them to continue their voyage. For this kindness, the Queen of Fairies grants him a boon.

But Colin asks for the return of a seven-year-old girl kidnapped by the fairies, which displeases the Queen. In retaliation, she sends Colin in search of the Cabasoyn, a wine that makes the fairies happy and which nobody has any idea where it's produced. Not to be deterred by this, Colin decides to go on a quest, that leads him to a grandmother and her hen, then to a blacksmith, and so on, until he can reach the end of his quest and find the coveted wine.

The second part is with Colin already grown up and married with a son, who has been taken by the fairies. Again, Colin sets out in search of his son and rescues him from the fairies, in the process wrestling from the Queen of Fairies a solemn promise to never bother him or his family and lands ever again, after which he can return to his farm to live happily but still working as hard as ever.

It's a very simple plot, heartwarming, and will be the delight of children especially, although it also can be enjoyed by adults like all of MacDonald's tales. I personally liked the first half better, because the second part felt less compelling and more repetitive. Also, I'd have liked colour illustrations more, as I think johnson-Pencook's style would look much better if coloured and might also appeal more to young readers this style of drawing usually is aimed at.

I was invested in what was going on from the description, I really enjoyed going through this book and thought that the plot was perfectly done. The characters were interesting and felt like real people and worked in this universe. The drawings in this book were beautifully done and I enjoyed getting to see them during my read. I can't wait to read more from the author.

"But oddly enough once more, it does not follow that the country to which the fairies are banished is so much richer and more beautiful for their presence. Not at all. For if that country has its own fairies, it doesn’t need any more."