MURKMERE
Patricia Elliot
Little, Brown and Company
Fantasy
ISBN: 0316010421
352 pages

Fifteen-year-old Agnes Cotter, aka Aggie, always expected to live the rest of her life in the village on the Eastern Edge, where she grew up under the care of her Aunt Jennet, a recently retired schoolteacher. Aggie has never questioned the rule of the Ministration or the power of the divine beings --- the Birds. Aggie and her Aunt Jennet, like many of the villagers, wear amulets as a source of protection from the Birds of the Night and a symbol of devotion for the Eagle, even though Aggie is fearful of his absolute power. When the Master of Murkmere Hall, a member of the Ministration, seeks Aggie to be a companion to his ward, she accepts, seeing the job as an opportunity to improve her life and that of her aunt's. Little does she realize just how difficult the job will be.

When Aggie passes through the gates of Murkmere, she immediately has an uneasy feeling as she sees the rooks nesting above her. She continues to feel out of place when she meets the estate's steward Silas Seed and the housekeeper Miss Crumplin, whose disdainful remarks about Aggie's deceased mother Eliza makes Aggie uncomfortable but curious to know more about the life her mother had while working at Murkmere years before. Then Aggie meets the mysterious Mr. Tunstall, the Master bounded to a wheelchair as the result of a terrible accident, and his ward Leah. A moody, restless girl who prefers to visit the mere and its swans every chance she gets, Leah often eludes her sour-faced maid Doggett, aka Dog, who quickly sees Aggie as an enemy rather than a friend.

Leah makes it clear that she would rather not have a companion or be at Murkmere at all. When Aggie voices her concern about Leah to the Master, she sees that the Master cares for Leah even though his protectiveness makes Leah --- and later Aggie --- feel imprisoned behind the gates of the estate, just as the Master himself seems to be from behind the iron bars that restrain him in his wheelchair. The Master's overprotectiveness, his rumored secret "blasphemous" book collection, and the dangerous machine in the estate's watchtower add to the mystery that surrounds Murkmere.

While Aggie settles into her new life, she soon discovers that the devout charming Silas is not as dutiful as he seems and becomes entangled in a deadly web of secrets and lies involving Murkmere, the village, and even the Capital. As the celebration of Leah's 16th birthday approaches, Aggie realizes she must save Leah and herself, or else be trapped in the mysterious Murkmere forever.

MURKMERE is a well-crafted fantasy that teems with suspense, intrigue and symbolism --- all the while remaining descriptive of the haunting scenery that brings Aggie and Leah's story to life.

   --- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle (SdarksideG@aol.com)

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