Maddigan's Fantasia

The title of this book refers to a travelling circus that wends its way through the shape-shifting badlands of a world mutated by war, scratching a living by bringing magic to communities of survivors. Just as bandits kill her father, Garland Maddigan, descendant of the circus founder, begins to have visions of a spirit-guide, and the circus is joined by two youths carrying a baby, who claim to have fled from the future. What follows is a convoluted odyssey as the circus toils from peril to peril in pursuit of its mission of securing the survival of the most civilised of the communities. En route, it strives against and redeems various damaged societies, while constantly being harried by a sinister duo pursuing the refugees.

As in much of Mahy’s fiction, dramatic action is intriguingly underpinned by archetypal imagery and ethical issues. There are some enchanting episodes in this eventful book, but the struggle goes on for about 150 pages too long. Some of Garland and Co’s adventures acquire a Perils of Pauline quality, and the repetitive confrontations with the pursuers become increasingly unconvincing. In spite of this, the book engages a host of colourful characters with big themes in a bizarre environment, and will reward the patient reader.