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The Wolves Chronicles #4
The Stolen Lake
Dido Twite, heroine of Black Hearts in Battersea and Nightbirds on Nantucket, is on her wildest adventure yet. On her way back to London aboard the Thrush, Dido and crew are summoned to the aid of the tyrannical queen of New Cumbria. Her island is an infernal place where birds carry off men and fish eat human flesh. The queen is greatly distressed because a neighbouring king has stolen her lake. Dido faces fire, flood, wild beasts and, ultimately, threat of execution in order to get the lake back. Is she equal to the challenge A rich mixture of legend, fantasy, humour and pure snowballing adventure.
317 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
24 people are currently reading
879 people want to read
About the author
Joan Aiken
331 books599 followersJoan Aiken was a much loved English writer who received the MBE for services to Children's Literature. She was known as a writer of wild fantasy, Gothic novels and short stories.
She was born in Rye, East Sussex, into a family of writers, including her father, Conrad Aiken (who won a Pulitzer Prize for his poetry), and her sister, Jane Aiken Hodge. She worked for the United Nations Information Office during the second world war, and then as an editor and freelance on Argosy magazine before she started writing full time, mainly children's books and thrillers. For her books she received the Guardian Award (1969) and the Edgar Allan Poe Award (1972).
Her most popular series, the "Wolves Chronicles" which began with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, was set in an elaborate alternate period of history in a Britain in which James II was never deposed in the Glorious Revolution,and so supporters of the House of Hanover continually plot to overthrow the Stuart Kings. These books also feature cockney urchin heroine Dido Twite and her adventures and travels all over the world.
Another series of children's books about Arabel and her raven Mortimer are illustrated by Quentin Blake, and have been shown on the BBC as Jackanory and drama series. Others including the much loved Necklace of Raindrops and award winning Kingdom Under the Sea are illustrated by Jan Pieńkowski.
Her many novels for adults include several that continue or complement novels by Jane Austen. These include Mansfield Revisited and Jane Fairfax.
Aiken was a lifelong fan of ghost stories. She set her adult supernatural novel The Haunting of Lamb House at Lamb House in Rye (now a National Trust property). This ghost story recounts in fictional form an alleged haunting experienced by two former residents of the house, Henry James and E. F. Benson, both of whom also wrote ghost stories. Aiken's father, Conrad Aiken, also authored a small number of notable ghost stories.
She was born in Rye, East Sussex, into a family of writers, including her father, Conrad Aiken (who won a Pulitzer Prize for his poetry), and her sister, Jane Aiken Hodge. She worked for the United Nations Information Office during the second world war, and then as an editor and freelance on Argosy magazine before she started writing full time, mainly children's books and thrillers. For her books she received the Guardian Award (1969) and the Edgar Allan Poe Award (1972).
Her most popular series, the "Wolves Chronicles" which began with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, was set in an elaborate alternate period of history in a Britain in which James II was never deposed in the Glorious Revolution,and so supporters of the House of Hanover continually plot to overthrow the Stuart Kings. These books also feature cockney urchin heroine Dido Twite and her adventures and travels all over the world.
Another series of children's books about Arabel and her raven Mortimer are illustrated by Quentin Blake, and have been shown on the BBC as Jackanory and drama series. Others including the much loved Necklace of Raindrops and award winning Kingdom Under the Sea are illustrated by Jan Pieńkowski.
Her many novels for adults include several that continue or complement novels by Jane Austen. These include Mansfield Revisited and Jane Fairfax.
Aiken was a lifelong fan of ghost stories. She set her adult supernatural novel The Haunting of Lamb House at Lamb House in Rye (now a National Trust property). This ghost story recounts in fictional form an alleged haunting experienced by two former residents of the house, Henry James and E. F. Benson, both of whom also wrote ghost stories. Aiken's father, Conrad Aiken, also authored a small number of notable ghost stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
October 31, 2014
This book explodes like a firework in the brain, or perhaps like one of the thirteen volcanoes that encircle the misappropriated lake of the title. The ideas, the plot, the situations go beyond the merely outrageous and into the sublimely wonderful. This is a masterpiece of children's fantasy, and Dido Twite must surely be one of the great heroines of children's literature.
Dido is travelling back to England on the Naval steamer The Thrush, which is diverted to South America, or, as it is known in this alternative universe, Roman America, by the Admiralty, to the country of New Cumbria, established centuries before when the Romans and the British fled Saxon invaders, crossed the Atlantic and found the New World. Yes. All is not well, however, and as Dido and her companions traverse rivers and jungles and mountains to answer the summons of the Queen, they dodge kidnappers and ferocious beasts and encounter plots and mysteries by the score. Missing children, sinister dressmakers, giant flying birds, horrible hunts, steam-powered revolving silver castles and, yes, a stolen lake, whose provenance must be one of the wildest, maddest, most original ideas I've encountered in ages. Aiken's measured style keeps things anchored, as does the incomparable Miss Twite, her good-natured, big-hearted, curious, stubborn, loyal, common-as-muck and ferociously intelligent protagonist, who speaks fluent street-cant as though it were lyric poetry, and whose common sense and indefatigable moral compass keeps the whole fabulous contraption firmly on the ground.
I honestly think this is the most purely enjoyable thing I've read in ages, of any genre, for any age-group, and I've read some pretty enjoyable stuff lately. I will definitely and absolutely be reading more of this series.
Dido is travelling back to England on the Naval steamer The Thrush, which is diverted to South America, or, as it is known in this alternative universe, Roman America, by the Admiralty, to the country of New Cumbria, established centuries before when the Romans and the British fled Saxon invaders, crossed the Atlantic and found the New World. Yes. All is not well, however, and as Dido and her companions traverse rivers and jungles and mountains to answer the summons of the Queen, they dodge kidnappers and ferocious beasts and encounter plots and mysteries by the score. Missing children, sinister dressmakers, giant flying birds, horrible hunts, steam-powered revolving silver castles and, yes, a stolen lake, whose provenance must be one of the wildest, maddest, most original ideas I've encountered in ages. Aiken's measured style keeps things anchored, as does the incomparable Miss Twite, her good-natured, big-hearted, curious, stubborn, loyal, common-as-muck and ferociously intelligent protagonist, who speaks fluent street-cant as though it were lyric poetry, and whose common sense and indefatigable moral compass keeps the whole fabulous contraption firmly on the ground.
I honestly think this is the most purely enjoyable thing I've read in ages, of any genre, for any age-group, and I've read some pretty enjoyable stuff lately. I will definitely and absolutely be reading more of this series.
November 27, 2019
Well, that does it for me, finishing off another adventure following Dido round the world and spending a good amount of time in a fantasy Bath with some sites grounded in reality. Wildly imaginative plots and creatures Dido must cope with. Arthurian plot has fun with King Arthur and his lady who has been waiting for his return for hundreds of years. Dido's survival looks questionable but then she is rescued by her ship captain who floats into play with a flying machine. Hilarious.
Library Loan
Library Loan
October 31, 2018
This title marks the point at which Aiken's Wolves Chronicles becomes somewhat complicated, in terms of publication date vs. narrative chronology. Although it is the sixth book published (excluding
Midnight Is a Place
), it backtracks a little in the chronology, occurring just after the events in
Nightbirds on Nantucket
and well before Dido Twite returns to England in
The Cuckoo Tree
.
It follows the indomitable Dido Twite, who finds the ship on which she is sailing diverted to Roman (South) America, on an important diplomatic mission to the kingdom of New Cumbria, established by the fleeing court of King Arthur in 577. Together with the stern Captain Hughes (the son of old Mr. Hughes in The Whispering Mountain ), Dido must help to prevent war between New Cumbria and its neighbors, Hy Brasil and Lyonesse, by retrieving the stolen lake of Arionrod.
While I love Aiken's highly original revision of the legend of King Arthur and his court, transplanted in her alternative time-line to South (Roman) America, and combined with vampire-lore, The Stolen Lake just wasn't as satisfying for me as some of her others. It all sounds wonderful, in theory, but the actual narrative struck me as somewhat cluttered, and somehow claustrophobic. I also found myself chagrined to discover that for all the elements that she transformed, Aiken retained Guinevere as a villain... Alas.
Addendum: Because the reading order of this series is somewhat complicated, I have included this handy guide, which is organized by publication date, and which I recommend to prospective readers of the series, rather than the one offered here on Goodreads:
Reading Order for the Series:
1) The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
2) Black Hearts in Battersea
3) Nightbirds on Nantucket
4) The Whispering Mountain
5) The Cuckoo Tree
6) The Stolen Lake
7) Dido and Pa
8) Is Underground
9) Cold Shoulder Road
10) Dangerous Games
11) Midwinter Nightingale
12) The Witch of Clatteringshaws
A few notes:
-- Is Underground is the American name for the British original, Is . Similarly, Dangerous Games was originally published in Britain as Limbo Lodge .
-- The Wolves of Willoughby Chase features two characters that recur, but the two young heroines do not.
-- The Stolen Lake is the point at which the chronology becomes somewhat complicated, as it is the sixth book, but chronicles events that occur in between Night Birds on Nantucket (#3) and The Cuckoo Tree (#5).
-- Is Underground (or Is ) and Cold Shoulder Road both feature Is Twite, cousin to the main heroine, Dido. They occur alongside the other books, and their position in the series is not chronologically relevant.
-- Dangerous Games ( Limbo Lodge ) is another title that backtracks in the chronology...
--Although not technically part of the series, Aiken's Midnight Is a Place does occur in the same alternative timeline, and is set in Blastburn, the same imaginary city that features in the other books.
It follows the indomitable Dido Twite, who finds the ship on which she is sailing diverted to Roman (South) America, on an important diplomatic mission to the kingdom of New Cumbria, established by the fleeing court of King Arthur in 577. Together with the stern Captain Hughes (the son of old Mr. Hughes in The Whispering Mountain ), Dido must help to prevent war between New Cumbria and its neighbors, Hy Brasil and Lyonesse, by retrieving the stolen lake of Arionrod.
While I love Aiken's highly original revision of the legend of King Arthur and his court, transplanted in her alternative time-line to South (Roman) America, and combined with vampire-lore, The Stolen Lake just wasn't as satisfying for me as some of her others. It all sounds wonderful, in theory, but the actual narrative struck me as somewhat cluttered, and somehow claustrophobic. I also found myself chagrined to discover that for all the elements that she transformed, Aiken retained Guinevere as a villain... Alas.
Addendum: Because the reading order of this series is somewhat complicated, I have included this handy guide, which is organized by publication date, and which I recommend to prospective readers of the series, rather than the one offered here on Goodreads:
Reading Order for the Series:
1) The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
2) Black Hearts in Battersea
3) Nightbirds on Nantucket
4) The Whispering Mountain
5) The Cuckoo Tree
6) The Stolen Lake
7) Dido and Pa
8) Is Underground
9) Cold Shoulder Road
10) Dangerous Games
11) Midwinter Nightingale
12) The Witch of Clatteringshaws
A few notes:
-- Is Underground is the American name for the British original, Is . Similarly, Dangerous Games was originally published in Britain as Limbo Lodge .
-- The Wolves of Willoughby Chase features two characters that recur, but the two young heroines do not.
-- The Stolen Lake is the point at which the chronology becomes somewhat complicated, as it is the sixth book, but chronicles events that occur in between Night Birds on Nantucket (#3) and The Cuckoo Tree (#5).
-- Is Underground (or Is ) and Cold Shoulder Road both feature Is Twite, cousin to the main heroine, Dido. They occur alongside the other books, and their position in the series is not chronologically relevant.
-- Dangerous Games ( Limbo Lodge ) is another title that backtracks in the chronology...
--Although not technically part of the series, Aiken's Midnight Is a Place does occur in the same alternative timeline, and is set in Blastburn, the same imaginary city that features in the other books.
April 26, 2016
It's been a while since I read any Joan Aiken. Too long! I do love her all-out adventures, even when they go over the top, like this one. The pacing of the story is mad-cap, speeding up until I find myself rushing over the words to get to the end - so it loses some of its strength this way - BUT! Really, Joan Aiken is so wonderful - girls with grit and a sense of adventure and humour - lots and lots of imagination and Dickensian plots. Just lovely. So glad she wrote a lot.
March 4, 2018
A rollicking adventure about 12-year old Dido Twite which takes place on board a ship and in a fictional version of South America ruled by the ancient celts. Pirates, witches, a queen, a king reborn, a cast of intriguing and sometimes nefarious characters and all manner of beasties are encountered as the story unfolds.
Dido is a feisty and natural s/hero. The language is marvellous. I’ve not read the companion books but this stands alone as a satisfying and complete story.
Dido is a feisty and natural s/hero. The language is marvellous. I’ve not read the companion books but this stands alone as a satisfying and complete story.
December 18, 2023
Das mit Abstand schwächste Buch aus der Reihe bisher.
Nicht unbedingt, dass die Geschichte uninteressant wäre. Es ist vielmehr die sprachliche Barriere, die ich hier wahrnehme. Keiner der sprechenden Personen ist des Englischen mächtig. Die Grammatik ist mit Absicht falsch, es wird in Seemanns-Slang und Gossensprache parliert. Und auch die Leute in dem ausgedachten Land sprechen ein ausgedachtes Englisch. Die meiste Zeit ist es mir zu anstrengend die Handlung nachvollziehen zu wollen. Es stört meinen Lesefluss so sehr, dass ich nun abbreche.
Nicht unbedingt, dass die Geschichte uninteressant wäre. Es ist vielmehr die sprachliche Barriere, die ich hier wahrnehme. Keiner der sprechenden Personen ist des Englischen mächtig. Die Grammatik ist mit Absicht falsch, es wird in Seemanns-Slang und Gossensprache parliert. Und auch die Leute in dem ausgedachten Land sprechen ein ausgedachtes Englisch. Die meiste Zeit ist es mir zu anstrengend die Handlung nachvollziehen zu wollen. Es stört meinen Lesefluss so sehr, dass ich nun abbreche.
December 21, 2024
This one really gave as the creeps, with this horrible old queen eating children
December 7, 2020
[Late addendum: "The Stolen Lake" is actually #7 in the series, not #4, though there are multiple sites - including Goodreads - that are restating this error, resulting my reading out of order. The actual order is as follows:
1. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1962)
2. Black Hearts in Battersea (1964)
3. Nightbirds on Nantucket (1966)
4. Whispering Mountain (1968)
5. The Cuckoo Tree (1971)
6. Midnight is a Place (1974)
7. The Stolen Lake (1981)
8. Dido and Pa (1986)
9. Is - a.k.a. Is Underground (1992)
10. Cold Shoulder Road (1995)
11. Dangerous Games - a.k.a. Limbo Lodge (1998)
12. Midwinter Nightingale (2003)
13. The Witch of Clatteringshaws (2005 - posthumous) ]
Dido Twite: Unlikely but unmistakable heroine. Aiken's previous "Wolves" series editions stayed in relatively "real world" scenarios, but though "The Stolen Lake" gets off to a slow start aboard a ship, it transforms into a full-blown fantasy. 'Hadn't expected that, but after a quick adjustment of expectations this became an excellent adventure, one I was happy to experience. It was also surprising to learn (just now,) that this book was first published in 1981, a full fifteen years after the previous volume, "Nightbirds on Nantucket" - because the style throughout the series has been seamless.
Dido's passage from Nantucket back home to London on the HMS Thrush turns into an unexpected adventure when its captain receives orders to divert to assist a South American ally of Britain, in the fictional kingdom of New Cumbria.
Dido is again the focus of the story, and in "The Stolen Lake" develops into a character who is at once disarmingly unpretentious and outstandingly courageous. There's an endearing matter-of-fact, unflappable, optimistic, can-do attitude she exhibits throughout - as well as an iron-clad commitment to facts and truth - which are intensely refreshing, particularly in a 21st century era in which fiction is dominated by mandatory sarcasm, ethical dithering, caustic irreverence toward anything and everything whether good or evil, metaphysical gloom and defeatism.
Though I won't claim that Aiken rises to the level of J.K. Rowling, in "The Stolen Lake" you can't help but be reminded of Harry Potter's world. Here too is a cast of hundreds, all of them unique and memorable; here too are strange and wonderfully-imagined places, creatures and events. Surprises both good and horrifying abound, and at the center of it all is the plucky, indomitable character Dido.
Once again I'm amazed at how Aiken transformed what had been an annoying street urchin - a supporting role in "Black Hearts in Battersea" - into a great lead character. I'm stoked to see where Aiken takes the series from here.
The "Wolves" series remains more within the Juvenile Fiction genre than Rowling's Potter books - which began as such but quickly deepened to adult-level literature on a par with Tolkien. But it's no less worthwhile and thoroughly-enjoyable reading for adults, and excellent entertainment. I highly recommend the series. This one is perhaps a little too strange for its own good in context of suspension-of-disbelief, but it's still a good story and something kids will likely love.
1. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1962)
2. Black Hearts in Battersea (1964)
3. Nightbirds on Nantucket (1966)
4. Whispering Mountain (1968)
5. The Cuckoo Tree (1971)
6. Midnight is a Place (1974)
7. The Stolen Lake (1981)
8. Dido and Pa (1986)
9. Is - a.k.a. Is Underground (1992)
10. Cold Shoulder Road (1995)
11. Dangerous Games - a.k.a. Limbo Lodge (1998)
12. Midwinter Nightingale (2003)
13. The Witch of Clatteringshaws (2005 - posthumous) ]
Dido Twite: Unlikely but unmistakable heroine. Aiken's previous "Wolves" series editions stayed in relatively "real world" scenarios, but though "The Stolen Lake" gets off to a slow start aboard a ship, it transforms into a full-blown fantasy. 'Hadn't expected that, but after a quick adjustment of expectations this became an excellent adventure, one I was happy to experience. It was also surprising to learn (just now,) that this book was first published in 1981, a full fifteen years after the previous volume, "Nightbirds on Nantucket" - because the style throughout the series has been seamless.
Dido's passage from Nantucket back home to London on the HMS Thrush turns into an unexpected adventure when its captain receives orders to divert to assist a South American ally of Britain, in the fictional kingdom of New Cumbria.
Dido is again the focus of the story, and in "The Stolen Lake" develops into a character who is at once disarmingly unpretentious and outstandingly courageous. There's an endearing matter-of-fact, unflappable, optimistic, can-do attitude she exhibits throughout - as well as an iron-clad commitment to facts and truth - which are intensely refreshing, particularly in a 21st century era in which fiction is dominated by mandatory sarcasm, ethical dithering, caustic irreverence toward anything and everything whether good or evil, metaphysical gloom and defeatism.
Though I won't claim that Aiken rises to the level of J.K. Rowling, in "The Stolen Lake" you can't help but be reminded of Harry Potter's world. Here too is a cast of hundreds, all of them unique and memorable; here too are strange and wonderfully-imagined places, creatures and events. Surprises both good and horrifying abound, and at the center of it all is the plucky, indomitable character Dido.
Once again I'm amazed at how Aiken transformed what had been an annoying street urchin - a supporting role in "Black Hearts in Battersea" - into a great lead character. I'm stoked to see where Aiken takes the series from here.
The "Wolves" series remains more within the Juvenile Fiction genre than Rowling's Potter books - which began as such but quickly deepened to adult-level literature on a par with Tolkien. But it's no less worthwhile and thoroughly-enjoyable reading for adults, and excellent entertainment. I highly recommend the series. This one is perhaps a little too strange for its own good in context of suspension-of-disbelief, but it's still a good story and something kids will likely love.
January 30, 2013
A Ripping Yarn! Part of a series (but the first of them I've read) which began with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, The Stolen Lake finds plucky heroine Dido Twite aboard a British man'o'war headed for England. As they make their way across the Atlantic, a message arrives by carrier pigeon diverting the ship to New Cumbria. Where? Well, the series takes place in an alternate history where the Stuarts still rule Great Britain, with James III the King rather than Queen Victoria. New Cumbria (roughly Argentina, I think) is part of "Roman America," where Latin is spoken, and was settled by the remnant of the Arthurian Britons after their defeat by the Saxons in 577.
Dido and her companions have one adventure after another and encounter several characters out of Arthurian legend during their travels through New Cumbria and neighboring Lyonesse. Some of the adventures are quite hair=raising (human sacrifice, people eaten by piranhas, etc.) This is not a book for the faint-
hearted child, but other reviewers testify that for the right person,of any age, it will become a favorite book. I recommend it and will be looking for the other books in the series as time permits. You don't need to have read the rest of the series to enjoy this book.
Dido and her companions have one adventure after another and encounter several characters out of Arthurian legend during their travels through New Cumbria and neighboring Lyonesse. Some of the adventures are quite hair=raising (human sacrifice, people eaten by piranhas, etc.) This is not a book for the faint-
hearted child, but other reviewers testify that for the right person,of any age, it will become a favorite book. I recommend it and will be looking for the other books in the series as time permits. You don't need to have read the rest of the series to enjoy this book.
March 28, 2025
One of my favourites. A proper picaresque tale with Dido, the hero, living on her wits as she travels through through fictitious South American countries, watching fellow travellers being hunted to death, torn apart by aurocs, or eaten to death in seconds by piranhas. The book ends surprisingly sadly for a children's book and you have to take a deep breath (with Dido) and turn to an uncertain future where things might, or might not work out.
Reading again after only a few years - special mention for Bran for the stories that never get finished.
Reading again after only a few years - special mention for Bran for the stories that never get finished.
February 10, 2016
more adventures of dido twite. in this volume, the ship she's on, bound for england, must make an emergency stop in not-south-america, to assist one a tyrannical (and crazy) queen, whose lake has been stolen by a neighboring country. totally absurd and totally enjoyable with very funny bits that left me with a hankering for more aiken and a better knowledge of king arthur's legend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2017
this is where things started getting weird...before, it was just an alternate history. with the Stolen Lake and King Arthur coming back and old ladies eating peoples bones in mush and other odd things, Joan Aiken stole my heart and simultaneously weirded me out.
April 9, 2010
Violet's reading page: http://happyheartsmom.typepad.com/swe...
January 16, 2018
My least favorite of the series so far. Dido suffers from interacting with only adults, versus her youthful friends of Nightbirds on Nantucket. While her spunk still shines through, she becomes less a leader and more a chastised responsibility. At moments, her inventive ideas and quick wits reflect the determined and self-sufficient girl from previous books; more frequently, her suspicions and plans remain inside her head.
As the first book that really showcases the alternate-history nature of Aiken's world--something I'd mostly failed to notice in the first three--The Stolen Lake creates an absurd "Roman America" that mixes Roman traditions, British customs, and Latino cultures (or stereotypes). This trilingual country of Latin, English, and Spanish makes little sense to anyone reasonably educated in history and geography, despite its sublime scenery. Its insensibility is compounded by the seemingly magical forces at work, New Cumbria's mythology becoming more and more truthful as the book progresses. So far in this series, Aiken has generally relied on scientific antagonists--sketchy science, perhaps, but some semblance of believability. As the book veered further and further from that worldview, I became less and less interested in finishing it.
Moments of this book brought to mind City of the Beasts, a book that tackles the existence of indigenous South American ethnic groups with respect and understanding. Written by a South American woman, it approaches those traditions and customs with nuance. I found myself wishing for that nuance as Aiken struggled to balance whatever sensitivity to indigenous groups she could muster with the European sensibilities espoused by many of the central (mostly, but not solely, European) characters. I also thought of the short story "Heart's Desire" in Garth Nix's anthology Across the Wall: A Tale of the Abhorsen and Other Stories. It surprised me to realize how little I seem to know about that original legend, for this interpretation to stick out most clearly in my mind.
I strongly believe any story set in South America (which seems to be this book's location) faces many pitfalls in handling the layers of colonial and racist perceptions of those indigenous groups. I'm not absolutely positive who Aiken was writing about, in fact--weren't they actually supposed to be the descendants of Romans? Regardless, I didn't feel it held up. I absolutely adore the first three books of this series, and I still find Aiken's writing gorgeous, but I disliked this book immensely.
As the first book that really showcases the alternate-history nature of Aiken's world--something I'd mostly failed to notice in the first three--The Stolen Lake creates an absurd "Roman America" that mixes Roman traditions, British customs, and Latino cultures (or stereotypes). This trilingual country of Latin, English, and Spanish makes little sense to anyone reasonably educated in history and geography, despite its sublime scenery. Its insensibility is compounded by the seemingly magical forces at work, New Cumbria's mythology becoming more and more truthful as the book progresses. So far in this series, Aiken has generally relied on scientific antagonists--sketchy science, perhaps, but some semblance of believability. As the book veered further and further from that worldview, I became less and less interested in finishing it.
Moments of this book brought to mind City of the Beasts, a book that tackles the existence of indigenous South American ethnic groups with respect and understanding. Written by a South American woman, it approaches those traditions and customs with nuance. I found myself wishing for that nuance as Aiken struggled to balance whatever sensitivity to indigenous groups she could muster with the European sensibilities espoused by many of the central (mostly, but not solely, European) characters. I also thought of the short story "Heart's Desire" in Garth Nix's anthology Across the Wall: A Tale of the Abhorsen and Other Stories. It surprised me to realize how little I seem to know about that original legend, for this interpretation to stick out most clearly in my mind.
I strongly believe any story set in South America (which seems to be this book's location) faces many pitfalls in handling the layers of colonial and racist perceptions of those indigenous groups. I'm not absolutely positive who Aiken was writing about, in fact--weren't they actually supposed to be the descendants of Romans? Regardless, I didn't feel it held up. I absolutely adore the first three books of this series, and I still find Aiken's writing gorgeous, but I disliked this book immensely.
September 5, 2019
Number four in the series was published out of order, by a different publisher, because it's...different. To say the least. The Wolves Chronicles were, beneath their whimsy, meant to warn children that we do not live in a safe world. This one, in which cute little jacanas (which hatch with claws on their wings, and use the claws to climb before they have wings that can fly) morph into man-eating raptors, and human sacrifices' bones are ground up to prolong a tyrant queen's life, goes beyond its original mission.
I remember discovering this book--a sixth book in the series! Hurrah!--and being disappointed by it. Aiken had to find a different publisher; Delacorte was willing to print creepier stories than Doubleday.
Aiken's take on Brazil is as vividly picturesque as her takes on England, Wales, and New England. It comes across as a nightmarish jungle; in the nineteenth century, for many Europeans, it really did. In the alternative history of the Wolves Chronicle the dominant culture is British rather than Portuguese, but there's still a rich mix of European and indigenous cultures in a fantastic, not very human-friendly landscape. As in the other Wolves Chronicles readers feel as if they'd really gone to a place that could never have existed.
Then again...cannibals have existed, in the real world; Celtic vampires, who were said to prolong their undead existence by eating human bone meal rather than drinking human blood, existed at least in folklore, and here and there people probably tried both methods of vampirism; and organ donation seems to some people to open the door to a new, more viable kind of vampirism.
Another part of this novel that some parents won't like is that Mr. Holystone, Dido's friend and tutor from the whaling ship that picked her up when she was lost at sea, takes a whack on the head and wakes up believing that he's the reincarnation of King Arthur, summoned back to his kingdom to marry the tyrant Queen Guinevere. Everyone else believes this too. However, at the sight of a queen who looks old and nasty enough to have survived by vampirism for a thousand years, Holystone decides he's meant to marry a local "girl" who's not seemed much older than pre-teen Dido during their adventures. Very British, but not exactly the kind of characters modern parents like to think of children reading about, especially if they idealized Arthur and Guinevere.
I remember discovering this book--a sixth book in the series! Hurrah!--and being disappointed by it. Aiken had to find a different publisher; Delacorte was willing to print creepier stories than Doubleday.
Aiken's take on Brazil is as vividly picturesque as her takes on England, Wales, and New England. It comes across as a nightmarish jungle; in the nineteenth century, for many Europeans, it really did. In the alternative history of the Wolves Chronicle the dominant culture is British rather than Portuguese, but there's still a rich mix of European and indigenous cultures in a fantastic, not very human-friendly landscape. As in the other Wolves Chronicles readers feel as if they'd really gone to a place that could never have existed.
Then again...cannibals have existed, in the real world; Celtic vampires, who were said to prolong their undead existence by eating human bone meal rather than drinking human blood, existed at least in folklore, and here and there people probably tried both methods of vampirism; and organ donation seems to some people to open the door to a new, more viable kind of vampirism.
Another part of this novel that some parents won't like is that Mr. Holystone, Dido's friend and tutor from the whaling ship that picked her up when she was lost at sea, takes a whack on the head and wakes up believing that he's the reincarnation of King Arthur, summoned back to his kingdom to marry the tyrant Queen Guinevere. Everyone else believes this too. However, at the sight of a queen who looks old and nasty enough to have survived by vampirism for a thousand years, Holystone decides he's meant to marry a local "girl" who's not seemed much older than pre-teen Dido during their adventures. Very British, but not exactly the kind of characters modern parents like to think of children reading about, especially if they idealized Arthur and Guinevere.
August 12, 2022
I went into The Stolen Lake expecting something like Nightbirds on Nantucket: an alternate-history romp with some peril for our heroine Dido Twite, but with humor and an expectation of a happy ending. The Stolen Lake felt much darker, with Dido as resourceful as ever but also sadder and in what felt like greater danger. (I mean: there are some *moments* in Nightbirds on Nantucket, but in that book I never doubted that the villains would see their plot foiled or that everything would be OK for Dido and her companions.)
In this one: Dido's on her way back to England, finally, but the ship she's on is diverted to South America, which is Roman America in this world, because in Aiken's alternate history some of the ancient Britons and Romans migrated there when the Saxons invaded Britain. The captain has received a message by carrier pigeon telling him to go to New Cumbria and assist its monarch. The message is vague but there's been "some attack, some invasion": "Something has been taken from the queen." As you might guess from the title, that something turns out to be a lake, and Dido and her companions are enlisted to get it back. But there are frightening things going on in New Cumbria, and they're not all related to the country's dangerous wild animals (though there are things called aurochs, which are described as "huge hairy tusked birds, larger than horses, which can snatch up a grown man in their talons).
After some early humor (the captain says to Dido that she seems "to know nothing about anything except navigation and how to cut up whales"; we learn that the ship's steward "had attended butlers' school in London; part of the course consisted of half an hour's poker-face work every morning) the book turns more serious. It's not just the lake that has been stolen: a princess from a neighboring kingdom is missing, presumed kidnapped by the queen of New Cumbria. Who, by the way, says she's waiting for her husband, King Arthur (yes, that one) to return. (Maybe I would have had more fun with this if I were more familiar with/into Arthurian legend.)
While this one isn't my favorite book in this series, I do look forward to reading the rest, and there were some things I liked about this one—like the descriptions of the landscapes that Dido and her companions travel through, which feature volcanoes and an abandoned city and "fantastic snow-covered peaks, and pinnacles like spectral cities of ice."
In this one: Dido's on her way back to England, finally, but the ship she's on is diverted to South America, which is Roman America in this world, because in Aiken's alternate history some of the ancient Britons and Romans migrated there when the Saxons invaded Britain. The captain has received a message by carrier pigeon telling him to go to New Cumbria and assist its monarch. The message is vague but there's been "some attack, some invasion": "Something has been taken from the queen." As you might guess from the title, that something turns out to be a lake, and Dido and her companions are enlisted to get it back. But there are frightening things going on in New Cumbria, and they're not all related to the country's dangerous wild animals (though there are things called aurochs, which are described as "huge hairy tusked birds, larger than horses, which can snatch up a grown man in their talons).
After some early humor (the captain says to Dido that she seems "to know nothing about anything except navigation and how to cut up whales"; we learn that the ship's steward "had attended butlers' school in London; part of the course consisted of half an hour's poker-face work every morning) the book turns more serious. It's not just the lake that has been stolen: a princess from a neighboring kingdom is missing, presumed kidnapped by the queen of New Cumbria. Who, by the way, says she's waiting for her husband, King Arthur (yes, that one) to return. (Maybe I would have had more fun with this if I were more familiar with/into Arthurian legend.)
While this one isn't my favorite book in this series, I do look forward to reading the rest, and there were some things I liked about this one—like the descriptions of the landscapes that Dido and her companions travel through, which feature volcanoes and an abandoned city and "fantastic snow-covered peaks, and pinnacles like spectral cities of ice."
August 5, 2022
I read the first three books in this series when I was a child (over 50 years ago!) and was enchanted. Re-reading them now has been a treat. This 4th one – the next in chronological order of the story, rather than publication date order – was new to me as it picks up the continued adventures of the plucky Dido Twite, as her voyage back home to England from Nantucket suddenly changes course for a harrowing adventure in “Roman America.”
Although the earlier books played fast and loose with historical figures (e.g., King James III on the throne during what was actually Queen Victoria’s reign), in this book she jumps fully into fantasy, with fictional South American kingdoms with fictional alliances to England, magical creatures, and even a time-bending version of King Arthur. A foreword explains fact from fiction, freeing readers to dive right in to Dido’s fast-paced, rollicking adventures.
The sheer number of characters, the complicated relationships among the fictional kingdoms and their leaders, and the names of the numerous surrounding mountains and lakes, can make the reader sometimes as confused as Dido in keeping it all straight. But with danger lurking at every corner and Dido’s friends as loyal as her enemies are treacherous, it’s another page-turner. Best of all, Aiken once again shows her storytelling chops as delightful threads are neatly woven together in a climactic finish.
I confess I didn't enjoy it as much as the first three books, but it's impossible to know how much of that is due to my childhood affection for the first three.
Although the earlier books played fast and loose with historical figures (e.g., King James III on the throne during what was actually Queen Victoria’s reign), in this book she jumps fully into fantasy, with fictional South American kingdoms with fictional alliances to England, magical creatures, and even a time-bending version of King Arthur. A foreword explains fact from fiction, freeing readers to dive right in to Dido’s fast-paced, rollicking adventures.
The sheer number of characters, the complicated relationships among the fictional kingdoms and their leaders, and the names of the numerous surrounding mountains and lakes, can make the reader sometimes as confused as Dido in keeping it all straight. But with danger lurking at every corner and Dido’s friends as loyal as her enemies are treacherous, it’s another page-turner. Best of all, Aiken once again shows her storytelling chops as delightful threads are neatly woven together in a climactic finish.
I confess I didn't enjoy it as much as the first three books, but it's impossible to know how much of that is due to my childhood affection for the first three.
February 19, 2023
This picks up the story of Dido Twite after she embarks on His Majesty James III’s* ship Thrush en route for Britain. The ship is diverted to South America by a message requiring Captain Hughes to respond to a request for help from Queen Gunevra of New Cumbria. This South America was colonised by ancient Britons when the Saxons invaded Britannia. New Cumbria’s two neighbouring kingdoms are called Lyonesse and Hy Brasil.
Dido is befriended by the Thrush’s steward Mr Holystone but Captain Hughes has little time for her. Nevertheless, on landfall Hughes wants Dido to accompany him to the Queen’s court. New Cumbria is a strange place where girl children between five and fifteen are absent – said to be prey to flying creatures named Aurocs so many girls are sent away to avoid this fate. Queen Gunevra desires the British to persuade King Mabon to restore her lake (which he removed as ice-blocks in retaliation for the abduction of his daughter Elen on her return from education in England.) Gunevra expects Dido to claim to be Elen to satisfy him. She wants the lake back so that her husband will be able to sail back to her across it, something she has been awaiting for hundreds of years. This referencing of the story of King Arthur is exploited further in the rest of the tale during which Dido as usual meets people who wish to do her harm.
*In Scotland this would have been James VIII.
Dido is befriended by the Thrush’s steward Mr Holystone but Captain Hughes has little time for her. Nevertheless, on landfall Hughes wants Dido to accompany him to the Queen’s court. New Cumbria is a strange place where girl children between five and fifteen are absent – said to be prey to flying creatures named Aurocs so many girls are sent away to avoid this fate. Queen Gunevra desires the British to persuade King Mabon to restore her lake (which he removed as ice-blocks in retaliation for the abduction of his daughter Elen on her return from education in England.) Gunevra expects Dido to claim to be Elen to satisfy him. She wants the lake back so that her husband will be able to sail back to her across it, something she has been awaiting for hundreds of years. This referencing of the story of King Arthur is exploited further in the rest of the tale during which Dido as usual meets people who wish to do her harm.
*In Scotland this would have been James VIII.
July 10, 2017
I love how this book series is available with Edward Gorey illustrated covers - that seems to perfectly sum up the type of humor you'll encounter.
Sensible young Dido Thwaite is en route home to England on the ship Thrush, when the Captain receives a message that he is to head to New Cumbria - England's critical ally - on a diplomatic mission. There, Dido notices there seems to be a significant lack of children (particularly girls), and everyone she meets seems to be trying to gammon her, looks shifty-eyed, or is otherwise suspicious. Plus there are stories of owls and "aurocs" that eat human flesh, a stolen lake, a long-lost king - it's all very odd. And her good friend the captain's steward mysteriously becomes quite ill. All of which Dido and her companions must solve quickly in this increasingly hostile atmosphere.
This is book four in the Wolves chronicles (five if you count the prequal) but it can stand alone, as long as you're comfortable with history gone amuck. It's a bit like Narnia, without the closet - fortunately anytime that the confusion gets to be too much, Dido remains incredibly level headed, independent, and resourceful, keeping you on track. She's a delightful character, while fantasy whirls around her.
Sensible young Dido Thwaite is en route home to England on the ship Thrush, when the Captain receives a message that he is to head to New Cumbria - England's critical ally - on a diplomatic mission. There, Dido notices there seems to be a significant lack of children (particularly girls), and everyone she meets seems to be trying to gammon her, looks shifty-eyed, or is otherwise suspicious. Plus there are stories of owls and "aurocs" that eat human flesh, a stolen lake, a long-lost king - it's all very odd. And her good friend the captain's steward mysteriously becomes quite ill. All of which Dido and her companions must solve quickly in this increasingly hostile atmosphere.
This is book four in the Wolves chronicles (five if you count the prequal) but it can stand alone, as long as you're comfortable with history gone amuck. It's a bit like Narnia, without the closet - fortunately anytime that the confusion gets to be too much, Dido remains incredibly level headed, independent, and resourceful, keeping you on track. She's a delightful character, while fantasy whirls around her.
April 19, 2024
The Stolen Lake is double the length any of the three previous installments in this middle grade fantasy series, and it feels that way. The writing and story is reminiscent of Paul Magrs; many characters to keep track of and a chaotic story with something different happening every page. It was difficult to follow the narrative at times, because so many story points were being introduced constantly. What starts out as a pirate story ends up a twist on the Arthurian legend, involving a 1300 year old queen who eats the bones of children, an epic journey through the mountains, the kidnapping of a princess, man-eating vultures, witches, and the titular stolen lake. I feel as though to really appreciate the scope of this story, it needs to be read multiple times, and character charts and maps made to go along with it. Despite the craziness this book brings, I did have a good time with it. I found myself wanting to turn the page and discover with Dido what was going to happen next. I wish I had read this as a child because I really think I would have loved the fast-paced and fantastical nature of it. I'm excited to dive into the next, after a bit of a break!
June 27, 2019
So inventive! What an imagination she has ... it was a pleasure to read an installment set in a very different country than one is used to encountering in fantasy fiction (a South America colonized by the British very, very, early on, rather than the Spanish or Portuguese later). Compared to the last one I'd read (The Whispering Mountain) which seemed rather diffuse, the perspective was largely Dido's (and she made a worthy protagonist) with occasional forays elsewhere, but not too often, and I preferred this more focused approach.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
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February 25, 2025Dido is on her way back to England when her ship is diverted to New Cumbria, which as we all know was founded in Roman America in the sixth century. The Queen of New Cumbria requests assistance from Britain, who of course are her oldest allies, and so Dido and the ship's crew, including the wise and gentle steward Holystone, set off to meet her.
When I read The Wolves of Willoughby Chase I was under the impression that the alternate history had branched off in the 1800s and was mostly to do with giant wolves. How silly of me. In this book Aiken expands her worldview and what a world it is - one where the Roman British settled in the Americas in the 500s and where a version of the Arthurian legend plays itself out. Huge kudos to Joan tbh. She is simply doing whatever she wants and I applaud it.
When I read The Wolves of Willoughby Chase I was under the impression that the alternate history had branched off in the 1800s and was mostly to do with giant wolves. How silly of me. In this book Aiken expands her worldview and what a world it is - one where the Roman British settled in the Americas in the 500s and where a version of the Arthurian legend plays itself out. Huge kudos to Joan tbh. She is simply doing whatever she wants and I applaud it.
May 4, 2024
2.5 stars, rounded up.
A lot happens in this installment of the Wolves Chronicles series, but for much of the book, it feels like nothing is happening. Mainly because there is so much travel: by boat, by unusual train, by another boat, by mule. Also by way of underground mine car, by flying glider invention, and on the back of a snow leopard, for God's sake (though thankfully that travel, at least, was offstage).
There's also a 1,300-year-old queen and a male character who is called by at least three different names at various points during the story.
Anyway, not a favorite. Still love the series overall.
A lot happens in this installment of the Wolves Chronicles series, but for much of the book, it feels like nothing is happening. Mainly because there is so much travel: by boat, by unusual train, by another boat, by mule. Also by way of underground mine car, by flying glider invention, and on the back of a snow leopard, for God's sake (though thankfully that travel, at least, was offstage).
There's also a 1,300-year-old queen and a male character who is called by at least three different names at various points during the story.
Anyway, not a favorite. Still love the series overall.
October 7, 2018
It's a combination of King Arthur, an alternative Camelot set in an alternative Roman/British region located in South America, and the usual Dido Twite version of England.
The language often lost me being part Latin, part slang, and part Spanish (I think?)
Dido is still trying to get home to London, when the ship she's on is ordered to turn about and go help Queen Genievra whose lake (where her once and future husband Arthur is) has been stolen.
If you like Dido, and don't mind a lot of violent nonsense, it's a good story.
The language often lost me being part Latin, part slang, and part Spanish (I think?)
Dido is still trying to get home to London, when the ship she's on is ordered to turn about and go help Queen Genievra whose lake (where her once and future husband Arthur is) has been stolen.
If you like Dido, and don't mind a lot of violent nonsense, it's a good story.
Read
March 12, 2020Delighted to read another Dido Twite adventure. This one was a little insane, though. I'm beginning to think I made a mistake following the Goodreads order for the Wolves series (which arranges the events in the books chronologically rather than following the order written), because this one, written much later than Nightbirds, had a much more complicated and I think less satisfying plot. Perhaps it would be less jarring if I'd seen the style of the books evolve over time. Still, the first half, before it becomes mixed up in , is extremely enjoyable.
July 2, 2025
I think this is the 1st of the series that I hadn’t read as a child. Interesting how many people were killed off. It takes place in an imaginary country in South America that is ruled by Queen Guinevere of King Arthur fame. The Queen continues to live because she sacrifices young girls. Dido of course is on the chopping block but manages to escape and also manages to find another young lady and helps her escape. Arthur is found and is disgusted by Guinevere. An outlandish adventure story I’ll keep reading this series to the end.
September 7, 2023
I like Dido as a plucky main character, but did not enjoy the plot of this book. It’s set in an alternative “Roman America” put roughly in about the same place as Brazil, and I felt like it didn’t do that well without reverting to some stereotypes. I also wasn’t a fan of the fact that being enormously fat was one of the only features of the wicked queen, and there are also some pretty gross caniballistic parts of the plot.
July 24, 2019
DNF. This is where things start to get weird. The first three books maybe had teeny-tiny glimpses of some freaky stuff, but this is where all the withcrafty, nightmarish evil explodes in full force upon your unsuspecting imagination. Books 1-3 are REALLY good (so read those), but don't continue if you're not into horror movies and the like.
January 5, 2022
As the Wolves series progresses, there seems less emphasis on character development and more on plots, which get increasingly more convoluted and contrived, with too much "wackiness" for my liking. Still, few writers are as engaging and inventive as Ms. Aiken, and the globalization of Arthur in this fourth volume is a truly original take on the Matter of Britain.
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