The Tears of the Salamander (by Peter Dickinson)

Alfredo divides his time between his father's bakery, where he has a talent for controlling the oven fires, and the Cathedral, where his talent for singing brings him tremendous joy. But when a fire kills his family, his uncle Giorgio takes him away from everything he loves to live in the family's ancient home on the volcanic Mt. Etna in Sicily.

There he finds that his family has, for generations, had the task of controlling the fires of the mountain, and his uncle plans for him to inherit the job. But his uncle's plans may be deeper, and more sinister, than he is letting on, and involve danger not only for Alfredo, but also for the mute servant and her brain-damaged son who live with them.

The story isn't the story here. It's a perfectly serviceable story, of course, and in the hands of a lesser writer that's all it would be. But this soaringly lyrical combination of music, fire, and magic rises off the page like an aria.

Alfredo is a most appealing hero. Though a choirboy, he possesses both the talents and the anger of his forebears, who master the most elemental of forces. He's a deeply loving, empathetic, and emotional boy whose powers of deduction are formidable. And though he tries hard to love his strange uncle, when he discovers the truth, his vengeance is both methodical and terrible. With so much fantasy these days seeming to follow the same formula, this dark and brilliant novel is a breathtaking surprise.

Author: Peter Dickinson
Publisher: Random House
Publication date: September 7, 2003
Number of pages: 197
Hardcover price: $16.95