Vivi Conway and the Sword Of Legend

Vivi is about to leave her beloved Wales, with her two Mams, when she obeys the call of the nearby lake, and although she has to escape from a water monster, she meets Dara, and yes, when she pulls a sword from the lake it’s THAT sword, though it is a smaller version that fits her hand. Dara (they/their) is with the dog Gelert, who can talk, and is very useful – he turns out to be the ghost of the legendary Irish wolfhound (explained later in the story). They realise that they are both ‘calons’, respectively linked with Ceridwen and Nimuë of Arthurian legend, and each has a special power, but they must find 4 others before they can defeat the evil King Arawn, who rules the Unlands, but wants to take over the country. It sounds complicated here, but the reader is soon swept into this alternative world.

Starting at her new school in London, Vivi is amazed to find Dara there, and they make 2 more friends, Chiasoka who loves to sing and perform, but gets kidnapped by Arawn, and Stevie, who has one arm ending below the elbow. One of them also turns out to be a calon. Vivi is autistic, and has had a bad experience with friends who turned on her at her last school, and it takes time for her to trust her new friendships, but she finds that they are supportive, even when she has a meltdown, and all is well. The friends are indeed a diverse group, and there is at least one other lesbian relationship developing. Lizzie Huxley-Jones was diagnosed as autistic aged 26, and they are now a vocal advocate of representative stories for children of all ages, including queerness and disability, which is certainly the case in this book.

The story is full of references to Welsh legends, all explained, and it gets very exciting. The group venture into the Unlands, and Vivi meets a boy whom she later finds out was Merlin in disguise: ‘Merlin.  He’s a Disney character.’ Indeed, the story is fantastical, but described very realistically, and the reader really wants to know what happens next. This book ends with the 3 calons having achieved one aim, but evidently there is more to come, as 3 more have to be identified and Arawn is not yet defeated: this reader is looking forward to the next exciting instalment.