Firegold

by Dia Calhoun

Book Overview

Thirteen-year-old Jonathon, feared and hated by the brown-eyed Valley people because of his blue eyes, tries to find answers to his true identity in the Red Mountains, home of the Dalriada, a mountain... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1890817104
• ISBN13: 9781890817107
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Winslowhouse International
• Length: 285 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.7" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Amazing

I loved this book. I first read it in 4th grade, when I was searching through my dad's bookshelves. I have read it about forty times and it just keeps getting better. I didn't like how the end left off, so I even wrote another chapter to the book. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Wonderful!

I absoloutley loved this book! It is about a boy named Jonothan who lives in The Valley. When strange things start to happen, the people blame him because of his blue eyes and his Mothers red hair. They think he is part Dalriada. He goes to teh Red Mountains, (Where the Dalriadas live,) to find answers. He ends up on a journey for his life. I was annoyed at the end, but it was still a wonderful book.I hope you like it.

A book of Fire

The journey this book takes the reader on is unforgettable and mystical. The way Calhoun wrote the story is awesome! This is a tale of sadness and triumph. This book warmed my heart, it is a treasure amoung other fantasy books, but it is also a book where the main charachter becomes a new person. The ending showed me that you must forgive the people who have hurt you, especially the ones that hurt you the most. The mountain people, the Dalriada, sound so beautiful and graceful. I would rather be a Dalriada, wild, fierce, strong and free, instead of the plain prejudiced valley people. I felt that Jonothan's mother was with him through his whole journey to cleanse his heart and soul, and also his body. This book is a must read !

Simple delight

If Dia Calhoun continues writing such works as this and "Aria of the Sea," she may become the next Robin McKinley! This book is wonderful, emotional, deep, but all wrapped in simple prose and style.It centers around Jonathon, a teenage boy who has something that no one else in his native Valley has: blue eyes. Rumors flit about his mother, by the people who live in the valley and suspecy that the young boy is a Dalriada. The Dalriada are viewed as barbarians by the Valley folk, with their horses and astounding powers. They have blue eyes -- and, according to others, they also have horns from their foreheads. The Valley inhabitants fear that, as Jonathon reaches adulthood, he will go insane -- and mysterious welts are rising on his forehead, where horns would be...These rumors reach their peak when Jonathon's mother dies, and he is accused of bringing a blight down. He must leave his home for his future, among the Dalriada. He will go to the ends of the world and back again, with the Firegold apples that will help him -- and those he loves -- to their destiny.This book is elevated from a usual coming-of-age novel via Calhoun's beautiful prose and style. Her fantasy world is very similar to ours (a reference is made to a grandfather clock) yet the mythos and mystical experiences are different. It also brings to the forefront the disgusting bigotry and prejudice, without being heavy-handed in the execution. Jonathon is a wonderful character, growing in strength and complexity as the book progresses. Some of the people who oppose him are a bit too narrow-minded for outright believability, but that is a very small flaw in a very good book.I advise all admirers of good fiction -- fantasy or otherwise -- to check into this book. (I also advise you to read her second novel, "Aria of the Sea," which I am half done with)

Fantastic!

This book was awsome! A mix of legends, Indians, ancient ways, and reality! The characters were very very real, set in a fantasy setting which gave the book a surreal feeling. I can't wait for a sequel!