This novel is a sequel to Sooner or Later(also available at Amazon).It tells of a 17 year old boy, Michel Khamis, who is working for the summer holidays for his mother, who's a rock music promoter.In walks Geraldine, a beautiful Aboriginal girl who's determined to be an opera singer--and the pair fall in love.But the course of true love does not always run smooth.. Although the book addresses a lot of 'issues', it does not preach, and presents all its dilemmas through the characters.

-- Amy Harlib aharlib@worldnet.att.net Serafin by Sophie Masson Serafin, was originally published as Carabas in author Masson's home, Australia, where the poetic quality of the writing and the transcendant appeal of it's story was such that an American publisher saw fit to give the book the wider distribution it deserves. This fantasy novel is set in late 17th/early 18th century France during the time of King Louis XIV and draws inspiration from the old fairytale Puss-in-Boots and from legends of descendants of angels who have mingled with mortals. In a rural village, the local outcast girl, Catou, threatened with lynching by a mob who claims she is a shape changer and a witch, is saved by Frederic, the young son of the town's miller. This altruistic deed gets Catou and Frederic both exiled---a witch and her ally will not be tolerated

by the ignorant villagers. Grateful for her rescuer's kindness, Catou is bound by the code she follows, the Law, to repay him---which she tries her best to do, for her power is not only that of the matagot, (a were-cat who can transform from human to feline and back at will), but greater than even she knows. Catou and Frederic are forced to live a hand-to-mouth existence roaming from town to town, struggling to survive aided by Catou's power which she uses to 'acquire' just enough food, clothing and small coins to get by. Life suddenly seems to offer hope of better prospects when a handsome, charismatic stranger named Balze, in the service of the mysterious Lord of Tenebran, enters their lives. Frederic fails to realize how dangerous Balze is, but Catou does and her efforts to protect themselves lead to adventures that will eventually take the protagonists all the way to the court of the Sun King. Before they get there though, Catou manages to disguise Frederic as the noble Marquis of Carabas from Spain, and herself, (cross-dressed), as his faithful servant Serafin, enabling them to come under the patronage of the brother of the Lord of Tenebran, Monsieur de Saint-Cotin whose lovely daughter Elisabeth inevitably becomes romantically entangled with the erstwhile Marquis. Serafin/Catou, in her efforts to spread kindness in accordance to the Law she follows, runs afoul of Balze, who by his nature is opposed to everything she represents and is using his pose as the steward of Castle Tenebran to spread his own type of corruption and decadence to the dismay of the Monsieur and his daughter when Serafin's deeds awaken them to Balze's mischief. Masson fully developes the characters of Serafin/Catou, Frederic, the Monsieur, Elisabeth, King Louis the XIV, the Lord of Tenebran and Balze as they represent her version of the Eternal Struggle which can never be won without cost. Masson's gifts as a storyteller are considerable, enabling her to deal with spiritual and moral issues in the Judaeo-Christian tradition in a thoroughly entertaining manner---using a fairytale plot, setting, and characters to deliver her message in a poetic, unique prose style that only in a few places towards the end comes just this close to preaching but not enough to spoil enjoyment of a very imaginative and original re-working of centuries-old folkloric themes. Marketed as a young adult novel intentionally designed to be uplifting, Serafin succeeds in doing that but it also tells a beautiful, atmospheric tale that effectively evokes its 17th/18th century French setting in the process and is written well enough to be satisfying to fantasy-loving adults as well.

Serafin is an old story put in service of telling an even older story. You'll never think of the tale of Puss and Boots in the same way after reading it--it may even alter your view of the book of Genesis! The author weaves weighty themes with a graceful hand, working a pattern of Christian thought into the mists of pre-Christian France. Though the historical setting is the early reign of Louis XIV, the legends of an older time nourish it like underground streams. Ms. Masson knows her setting, and her themes, but the the essential gravity of the story does not weigh it down, and characters that could easily become mere slabs of rhetoric are given real human dimension. It's a joy to read and think about.

"Malkin" (also published as "Cold Iron") would seem on the surface to have the rag-and-tatter clad Princess as its protagonist, shut away from her grieving grandfather's sight due to his beloved daughter's death at her birth. But it soon becomes clear, that the centre stage does not belong to the Lady Susanna (nicknamed Tattercoats because of her garb), but to her servent and friend Malkin, who would seem to be a mere serving maid in the house of the Baron. The story is told from her point of view, and as the tale progresses, we see that her own unique gifts and mysterious heritage is even more fascinating than the mistreated Tattercoats.

But Tattercoats is the key figure in motivating Malkin and the adventure that follows - when the forgotten Princess is invited to Queen Elizabeth's godson's birthday celebration Malkin and the gooseherd Pug are determined that she should inherit her birthright, and perhaps catch the eye of the young Earl of Malmsey. Pug directs Malkin in the fetching of a glorious bundle buried in the garden - a dress of feathers, a cap of moss, and two shoes of pleated grass. The trio set off towards court, gathering on the way the ministrel Gallimaufry, the drummer Tabor and the apothecary Pennyroyal.

But other forces are also on the move - the sinister, peacock-like Italian magician Oscuro who is the latest employee of the Baron to find his lost daughter, and who gives Malkin the chills, the glamour and strange workings of the gooseherd Pug, and even deeper magics in the form of the 'Other Country', and the creatures that dwell within it.

Sophie Masson mingles the old English fairytale "Tattercoats" (retold at the end of the book in her own words), the Shakespearean play "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and a bit of real English history to create a lovely story that is both new and familiar, touching on age old themes and ideas. Her poetic prose is beautiful to read, capturing every aspect from descriptions of scenery to human emotions elegantly and realistically. In Malkin, she has a strong, captivating heroine, gradually discovering the secrets to her past, and interacting well with those around her.

Although Pug (does that name ring a bell? - you've probably already guessed who he is with the mention of a Midsummer Night's Dream) is a nice, enigmatic character, Tattercoats is a little *too* good to be true, and didn't really hold my interest. She sighs in her unhappiness, giggles innocently in her joy and plays the damsel in distress one too many times for her to have any sort of character depth. I much prefer the less-perfect Malkin who has her moments of doubt, jealousy and frustration. Likewise, I could not really see the point of the trio's travelling companions Gallimaufry, Tabor or Pennyroyal - whenever they were in the action the pace tended to slow considerably, and they served no particular function so far as I could see, but to tag along (and their lack of reaction to the magical glamour around them was rather mind-boggling). Gallimaufry is Tattercoat's love interest, but their relationship is barely touched on at all. Again, I was more eager to get back to Malkin, and Sophie Masson could have gotten on much better with her original trio of travellers.

However, this is a great little book, beautifully written and created, filled with both old and new ideas, that Massonn shares with the reader in her 'Afterword' at the back of the book. Teachers or parents might be interested in using this book to introduce the Shakespeare play, or perhaps touch on Elizabethan history, but readers who love re-shaped or mingled fairytales will find little to complain about here. If you like this, I definitly recommend "The Perilous Gard", which is in much the same vein as "Malkin".

Also published under the title of Cold Iron, this has the wonderful feeling of a primary fable, although it is woven from many different tales. I would suggest that this book is suitable for pre-teens to adults who are interested in faerie tales. The only reason that I do not give it five stars is that I think anything can be improved upon.

Shakespeare blended the fairy world with mortal beings in Midsummer Night's Dream, but Ms. Masson goes one better by juxtaposing the court of Titania and Oberon with the court of Queen Elizabeth, and then adding a traditional English fairy tale to the mix. It's a lovely introduction to all three! I was not familiar with some of the traditions behind this story, but the author's voice is perfect for creating the proper mood and setting. The narrative slows down a bit in a few places, but it's fun to see the characters of the "Tattercoats" tale emerge in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" setting. This book is a lovely illustration of how human imagination touches and overlaps in folk tradition, art and history.