Heverly

When he learns that his father, the king of Heverly, is dying, Prince Eli and the fairy he loves face a series of deadly threats from a wicked sorceress in an effort to save the king.

From Publishers Weekly

Creepily realistic, the photographic tableaux that illustrate this otherwise mundane tale are hard to resist. Hollywood special effects whiz Yagher here creates a miniature world peopled by elves, witches and fantastical creatures, and his expertise offers a particularly cinematic fillip. The story follows the well-worn quest track. Prince Eli abandons his homeland of Heverly with his ladylove, a servant's daughter of whom the king disapproves. But when Eli receives word that his father has become "gravely ill," he returns to help save the kingdom from his scheming uncle, hopping a ride on a dragonfly messenger-cum-helicopter (with a secret identity). The miniature characters, photographed against realistic settings of the forest, mountainous terrain and campfires take on nearly a three-dimensional quality, as the heroes battle flying spiders, a three-headed golden serpent--and the treacherous uncle. Ultimately, Eli realizes that the power to save his father and his kingdom lies within himself. Despite the trite plot and stilted dialogue ("You have always taught me that death is nothing to fear"), the nonstop action generates genuine excitement. The star attractions are Yagher's expressive characters and highly detailed, beautifully lit scenes--from a magical underwater ice cavern to the grim Valley of the Skulls. Ages 7-10. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-A special-effects maestro associated with the "Chucky" and "Freddy Krueger" films shows outstanding visual chops in this picture-story debut, but he needs a writer. With a skilled mixture of photography and digital manipulation, Yagher pits a pair of finely sculpted good elves against several baddies, including bat-winged spiders and a three-headed monster serpent. The tiny, strong-featured figurines are all exquisitely detailed, wonderfully heroic or icky as appropriate, and posed melodramatically within either outdoor or realistically constructed interior settings. Children may be mesmerized by the art-but not by the accompanying story. It is a perfunctory quest tale involving a diminutive prince overcoming such obstacles as a scheming uncle and the aforementioned snake, with the help of a talking dragonfly that turns out to be the reincarnation of his mother, all to win his dying father's approval to marry the servant's daughter with whom he's fallen in love. Dark Crystal fans may be willing to give this a try, but it's more a technical exercise in creating atmospheric effects with photography than an integrated literary and visual experience.John Peters, New York Public LibraryCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Kevin Yagher has been providing high-end special makeup effects to the entertainment industry for over 15 years. His creations have been featured in films such as Mission Impossible II, Face/Off, and Sleepy Hollow, which he also coproduced and authored. He lives in Hollywood, California.

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