Review: The Hammer by Vance Neudorf

Review by Jill Williamson

 

Corvan is about to turn fifteen but doubts that will do him any good. He’s picked on at school for being short and for being best friends with a girl, Kate. His father tells him that his grandfather was supposed to return by now and tell Corvan about his past and future, yet Grandfather has never returned. Corvan’s father promises that before his fifteenth birthday, he’ll try to explain.

 

But Corvan’s father gets a job offer that takes him away. Restless, Corvan walks out to the stone circle behind his house to try and catch the lizard he’s seen wandering out there. This is no ordinary lizard. It’s three feet tall and can tie knots. Instead of finding the lizard that night, Corvan finds a hammer in a hole at the center of the stone circle. As Corvan studies it, he discovers the hammer has power. His friend Kate is drawn to it as well. She takes it home with her after visiting one day. When Corvan realizes that Kate is missing, he knows right away that she has gone into the hole in the center of the stone circle and taken the hammer with her.

 

Corvan must face his fears if he is to rescue Kate. He fills his backpack with necessities and enters the hole in the stone circle. He travels through an underground labyrinth and into a strange world that is waiting for the Cor-Van to come and lead them. But is Corvan really the Cor-Van? Or has there been some big misunderstanding?

 

This story was very creative. I enjoyed the premise of a world within a world, like in Journey to the Center of the Earth. The idea that Corvan may be this prophesied savior-ruler the people of the Cor have been waiting for was intriguing. And Corvan learned that leadership is about truth, not power, and that lies only generate more lies. I’d really like to know what happens next, as this book ended in a way that is totally set up for a sequel. The pacing was a bit slow for me, though, and I got confused in parts about what was going on. I hope the second book is more action packed.

 

Age Range: 12 and up

Genre: Fantasy

Part of a Series: Yes. The ending is left open for a sequel

Pages: 304

Publisher: Novel Concept Books

Released: 2008