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The Sacred Pool by L. Warren
Douglas 
The Sacred Pool
is a complicated combination of magic, philosophy and religion. The story opens
as the woman, Elen, is being pursued by superstitious villagers, convinced she
is a witch. Her death is witnessed by her two young children, Marie and
Pierrette, avoided by her husband, Gilles, and unwittingly assisted by her
former lover-turned-priest, Otho. As the children hide from the maddened
villagers, Pierrette and her sister receive aid from an unusual creature who
knows more about Pierrette than she does herself.
As the story progresses, it becomes clear that
Elen truly did possess magic of a very old type and Pierrette has inherited a
great deal of it. But the magic seems to be changing. Forced to impersonate a
boy to prevent her father’s olive grove from being taken over by the ruler of
the area, Pierrette becomes naturally more and more isolated from her family and
neighbors. Still a young child, her innate curiosity and intelligence lead her
to experiment with her mother’s herbs and powders. Alarmed, Gilles and Marie
take her to Father Otho, who agrees to teach her what he can. When her father
agrees to take her to the sacred pool of Ma, Pierrette learns even more about
her destiny, and possibly, the fate of the world.
Driven by a need to comprehend the visions
experienced at the sacred pool, Pierrette embarks on a quest to find the mage
Anselm. Exiled from ancient Minoa, Anselm’s fortress seems to occupy a
timeless space. Studying under Anselm’s tutelage, Pierrette’s knowledge
grows by leaps and bounds, yet still she senses how much more there is to learn.
When her sister Marie becomes demon-possessed after a traumatic experience,
Pierrette sets out to find a cure and answer the many nagging questions about a
magic that seems capricious and illogical.
Douglas’ work is well written and thought
provoking. He explores the theories of magic and religion and examines the
effects various types of beliefs have on the workings of magic. This is not an
action-packed, page-turner of a novel. Rather, it is something to be read slowly
and absorbed. The sacred pool of the title acts as a catalyst for Pierrette’s
search. The tale is interspersed with Otho’s observations, written long after
the action takes place. This gives the reader a different perspective of
Pierrette’s growth and the times she lives in. Douglas gives the reader much
to think about in this novel. Although I generally prefer a faster pace, Douglas
tries to fit so many abstract ideas into one story, I think anything quicker
would have soon become a confusing muddle. I understand that, like so many other
novels these days, The Sacred Pool is the first installment of a trilogy.
Fortunately, it is a very self-contained novel. Like a lot of life’s biggest
questions, some of those about destiny and magic remain unanswered, but most of
the plot is neatly wrapped up by the end of the story. I suspect that future
novels will continue to follow Pierrette’s path towards enlightenment and
self-discovery, but The Sacred Pool doesn’t contain any burning
questions or cliffhanger endings to compel the reader to continue this series.
Reviewed by Diane
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