O I forbid you, maidens a’ That wear gold in your hair, To come or go by Carterhaugh For young Tam Lin is there.
I went into Yolen’s Tam Lin thinking this would be a heavy tale, because I’d heard of her Briar Rose (the Mythopoeic Award-winning retelling of ) where she had not shied away from more mature themes.
But it was only a 36-page short story, a literal translation of one of the many Scottish ballads ever written on Tam Lin (since 1549!). Young Jennet MacKenzie wins back her family estate at Carterhaugh and frees the ensorcelled human enslaved there for a 100 years, back from the wicked Fey.
Those aware of the ballad would know that Jennet wants to protect Tam Lin from being sacrificed as tithe to nefarious forces. The simplest way to protect him is to literally never let go, as Tam Lin changes to a serpent, to a lion and then to a wretched flame.
The descriptions of Carterhaugh are spooky; shadows show up where they shouldn’t and the place smell bad like “”. There are also elements of Beauty and the Beast: the rose that Jennet unwittingly plucked, the wicked enchantress, the poor forgotten prince …
But the main highlight of the book is the illustration work by Charles Mikolaycak:
I sniffed around for more of Mikolaycak’s work, He had illustrated many folklore- / mythology- themed books (mostly for children/ young adults), giving them that perfect “otherworldly” look (a biography).
Recommended for Fans of:
I’ve loved this tale ever since I first found it in An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire, and later in The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Pope. Both are excellent books and highly recommended if you ever want to hear more of Tam Lin.
Overall Rating:
6.5/10 (though the art work gets a 9 out of 10)
4 replies on “Tam Lin by Jane Yolen & its Splendid Artwork”
I am unfamiliar with An Artificial Night although ages ago I worked at Penguin and DAW was one of the imprints I presented to bookstores every month. I think I also came to the Tam Lin legend from The Perilous Gard, although until I checked the pub date I wondered if I had read Fire and Hemlock (1985) first. Another I liked was An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton.
What a shame it is that Elizabeth Marie Pope started writing so late in life that she only wrote two books! I love them both, although they are very different.
Very interesting! At the end of Artificial Night, Toby (a paranormal PI) is forced into a duel where her friends must hold fast to her and claim her back from fae enchantment. I loved the story so much that I went hunting for other reviews — and that’s how I got to know of the Tam Lin legend.
One thing led to another, and then Perilous Gard and Sherwood Ring. So glad you’re a fellow Pope fan!! I keep reccing her books to everyone and I wish she’d written more. I haven’t tried Earthly Knight, so I’m definitely going to fix that. Thanks for the rec 🙂
~Lex
This sounds good and I do love the illustrations! I know I’ve read something similar to this but I can’t remember the name of it at all. I think it was set around Shakespearean times. That probably doesn’t narrow it down much. I’ll look for this one!
Illustrations and Shakespearean times? Ooh, that sounds really good. If you ever recall the title, do let me know, would love to give it a try