Firebird

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Book Reviews and Synopses

Firebird

Mercedes Lackey

Lacky, Mercedes. Firebird. Tom Doherty Associates, Inc. N.Y., New York. 1996.

The story of Firebird is a beautiful one. It is a children’s story of tragedy, suitable for children as young as six. Although it is written for kids, the lifelike portrayal of the mythical creature and depiction of human nature in Firebird is sophisticated enough to be enjoyed by adults.

Firebird begins when David, a young boy about ten years old, living in a log cabin in the forest, one day decides that he wants to make his parents proud using his hunting skills that he had learned over the years. He wandered deep into the forest to find an animal; something elegant and unusual. He was so eager that he failed to remember to take any notice of his surroundings. It did not take long for him to realize he was lost.

Desperately looking for a way out, David comes across a bird, bigger and more beautiful than any other he had seen before. He was certain any animal with such bright, radiant feathers with the characterization of flames would make his parents genuinely proud. As he equips his rifle, the bird’s form slowly shifts into a different shape. He lowers his weapon to take a closer look and all of a sudden, the bird that David was so anxious to shoot had, in seconds, transformed into a beautiful young woman. Aware of what was about to happen, the woman fled without hesitation. David hadn’t the intention of shooting a woman, and was shocked at what had just happened. The setting sun prompted him to find a way home, and soon enough, he had made it back before his parents became concerned.

The Firebird was not a young lady with a curse - it was a bird with a defense mechanism. It was born that way to protect itself from any humans that would do it harm - humans exactly like David. The Firebird acknowledged the fact that David struggled to please his parents with an unusual animal, even though still nervous to approach him. After all, David had also taken a liking to the Firebird and had been leaving her seeds and berries of his own the past few days he had gone hunting. She decided that she could, at the very least, trust him with a few of her feathers.The more kindness David would show the Firebird, the more allured she was to give him more feathers. David was very grateful for them because they thrilled his parents.They often used the flaming ones to start the cooking fire, and the neutral yet colorful ones to brighten up bouquets of flowers. Sometimes his mother would even wear them in her hair. And soon enough, the Firebird was bare, without a single feather on her unembellished body to spare. For all of the sacrifice that the Firebird gave up for him, David vowed to be at her service until the day she dies.

And then the storm came. A terrible storm that caused every living creature in the forest to escape to any near sheltered area. The Firebird, without wings, was tragically left to wither in the cold, wet forest, that was left in ruins by morning when the storm passed.

The poetic story of Firebird goes from heartwarming to heartrending. It is a unique masterpiece that will surely engross the mind of any reader in the fairytale that is Firebird.

5 out of 5 stars.

Contributed by C. Corazza

February 7, 2012