Ancient Fall

Mother Earth, angry and tired of being exploited, has chosen to seek her revenge on the humans who have mistreated and abused her for so long. Humanity must now deal with volcanoes, fires and floods.

The enchanted land of Coraira has died, and it is evident to many that a curse may be responsible for humanity’s actions. If there is any hope of reconciliation with Mother Earth, the curse must be broken. To make the situation even more critical, there is a time limit. The curse must end before twin moons reach the highest point of their orbit.

Jaime Lee Mann has created a fantasy world full of pixies and fairies, mermaids and mermen and all kinds of magical spells and potions. The inhabitants of Cymbria and the Cymbrian Sea must work together to overcome the curse and return the environment to its earlier natural state. Mann also includes excitement and adventure in this tale of good versus evil. Readers follow a large cast of characters who overcome both physical and emotional obstacles in their effort to find one another and come together in order to change the world as they know it. Gradually, they learn to trust even those who have been harmful or deceitful in the past. Achieving their goals requires a major team effort.

Mann’s theme of environmental awareness and the need for action illustrates the notion that the current generation has allowed the planet to get into a never-before-seen “eco-mess”, and it will be future generations who will work together to reverse global environmental problems and restore earth’s equilibrium before it is too late. In the story, the Ancients have all disappeared into some sort of mysterious cloud, and the younger characters choose to take responsibility and make a difference.

The sheer number of characters in the novel means there is little time for in-depth character development, but those who read all seven volumes of the series will see personality traits which change due to time and circumstances. In her “Series Summary” at the end of the book, Mann highly recommends that children, teachers and parents begin at book one in order to fully appreciate the depth of the story. She does, however, provide this ‘cheat sheet’ which will fill in the important plot details for those who are reading book 7 as their introduction to the story. As well, there is a family tree and a guide to the various characters, and these also help readers understand the many links between people. Lastly, there are discussion questions which will encourage readers to think more deeply about the book/series they have just finished.

Middle grade readers are the intended audience for this book, and both the fantasy and adventure will appeal to them. Chapters are short, and the font is fairly large. There are also a few illustrations which will help young readers visualize the world Mann has created. For a change of voice, the chapters featuring Mother Earth are presented in rhyme.

Mann has created worlds and characters which will entertain and amuse her readers, but she also portrays the dangers of our seeming lack of awareness of environmental issues and our sluggish response to major crises such as global warming. Like the author, one can only hope that future generations are more enlightened and responsible and somehow find the phoenix feather which will lead to the rebirth of the planet.