Gwenaella lives in France at a time when unicorns and
mermaids are believed to exist, but she's never seen any.
She's in a convent school being taught by nuns so that she
will marry a rich merchant someday. But she has a secret
admirer, Guillame, a mere scholar. Then her brother is
taken ill and her father summons her home to help nurse
him, telling her that it is a mermaid's curse. Gwen knows
that a unicorn can cure any illness, so she bravely sets
out to the nearby forest where they are rumoured to live,
and puts herself in the debt of a sorceress as well as the
unicorns.
THE GARDEN AT THE ROOF OF THE WORLD is home to the Tree of
Life and the sorceress tells Gwen that fruit from that tree
is needed to help restore the eldest unicorn. This will be
a dangerous journey but a unicorn mare will travel with her
and other girls will be selected as companions. Adele is
one such girl; the illegitimate daughter of a baron, she
lives by her wits and flees the city dressed as a pilgrim
when the baron's enemies send soldiers after her. Elise is
wealthy but there is a rumour that the ladies of Poitiers
are unchaste, and she is rejected as a possible bride. The
only way she can think of to prove her virtue is to touch a
unicorn in front of witnesses. But sneaking out is a bad
idea, as some knights feel they can demand anything of a
girl dressed as a peasant, and her quest is almost ended
before it begins.
I found this detailed, sometimes amusing tale is
reminiscent of Pilgrim's Progress as the three girls meet
and travel with one accord. Demons, wolves, ogres and
bandits lurk in the woods and the unicorn mare is not
enough to protect them; they have to protect themselves. A
city, even one such as Paris with paved streets, is equally
dangerous to girls. The mermaid's curse returns to haunt
Gwen when she takes ship. The travels take them to cities
such as Antioch and across India, giving them the chance to
meet people of other cultures in contrast to the Crusades
in progress, and some young men decide to take up their
quest.
Fantasy fans will enjoy this mix of European and Sanskrit
folk tales with rich invention and travel lore. The author
WBJ Williams lives in Boston and enjoys history and
anthropology, and in THE GARDEN AT THE ROOF OF THE WORLD
has created a mystic and stirring blend of thirteenth-
century cultures.
To save her brother's life Gwenaella risks her own in a
magical forest to seek a unicorn's healing magic. But the
remedy comes with an exorbitant price. She must commit to a
perilous journey through Europe, the Middle East, and India,
to the high mountains of Tibet, to seek the hidden Garden at
the Roof of the World and pluck a fruit that would restore
the father of all unicorns to health. Joined by a few
trusted followers called by the unicorns' magic, she will
face many dangers on her epic journey. To succeed, Gwenaella
must find a balance between faith, friendship, and love and
discover the true meaning of sacrifice.
The Garden at the Roof of the World is a stunning debut
fantasy epic in a rigorously historical 13th century
setting, with vivid characters and a thrilling, romantic
story that spans cultures and continents.
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