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Adantis #2
Ingledove
A gripping, fantastic battle against an evil creature
After rowing across the waters that cover what was once their home, a valley intentionally flooded during World War II, Ingledove and her older brother, Lang, visit their mother's remotely situated grave, where they find a mysterious inscription on her headstone: "A daughter of Adantis." Vaguely remembering hearing of Adantis when they were younger, the two siblings find themselves unwittingly entering into it, a magical place hidden deep in the Great Smoky Mountains. But they seem predestined to encounter something terrible as they continue what Lang thinks is just a good camping trip. A strange music hangs in the air, and eventually Lang is entranced by its source - at first sight, a beautiful woman. In fact, she is part serpent, an ancient creature of evil who is out to drain the life from Lang. Only with the help of a man called the Master of Witchmasters and only by venturing into enchanted tunnels will Ingledove be able to save her brother from death.
Mining the rich legends of the Cherokee Indians, Marly Youmans has crafted a decidedly American fantasy written in breathtaking prose.
After rowing across the waters that cover what was once their home, a valley intentionally flooded during World War II, Ingledove and her older brother, Lang, visit their mother's remotely situated grave, where they find a mysterious inscription on her headstone: "A daughter of Adantis." Vaguely remembering hearing of Adantis when they were younger, the two siblings find themselves unwittingly entering into it, a magical place hidden deep in the Great Smoky Mountains. But they seem predestined to encounter something terrible as they continue what Lang thinks is just a good camping trip. A strange music hangs in the air, and eventually Lang is entranced by its source - at first sight, a beautiful woman. In fact, she is part serpent, an ancient creature of evil who is out to drain the life from Lang. Only with the help of a man called the Master of Witchmasters and only by venturing into enchanted tunnels will Ingledove be able to save her brother from death.
Mining the rich legends of the Cherokee Indians, Marly Youmans has crafted a decidedly American fantasy written in breathtaking prose.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2005
86 people want to read
About the author
Marly Youmans
37 books120 followers"Youmans (pronounced like 'yeoman' with an 's' added) is the best-kept secret among contemporary American writers." --John Wilson, editor, Books and Culture
MAZE OF BLOOD (Mercer University Press, 2015.) Novel. Inspired by the life of Robert E. Howard. Profusely decorated by artist Clive Hicks-Jenkins. Literary / fantastic. "...A haunting tale of dark obsessions and transcendent creative fire, rendered brilliantly in Youmans' richly poetic prose." --Midori Snyder
GLIMMERGLASS (Mercer University Press, 2014) IndieFab BOTYA Finalist. Art by Clive Hicks-Jenkins. Novel. "It’s brilliantly well-written, shockingly raw, and transportingly—sometimes confusingly (but not in a bad way)—weird. Glimmerglass shimmers on the boundaries of the real and the unreal, of poetry and prose, of the ordinary and the fantastic. It’s down to the caprice of the individual reader, therefore, to decide exactly what sort of story it’s trying to tell. It’s difficult to overstate the emotional effect that Glimmerglass has had on me. This is a beautiful, complex, moving book. Marly Youmans’s prose flows like clear water, and every image is, as Cynthia observes, “full of meaning” (p. 39)." -Tom Atherton, "Strange Horizons"
A DEATH AT THE WHITE CAMELLIA ORPHANAGE (Mercer University Press, 2012) The Ferrol Sams Award for 2012; Silver Award in fiction, The ForeWord BOTYA Awards. Novel. "It is seldom that a novel from a small university press can compete with the offerings from the big houses in New York. A Death at the White Camellia Orphanage may be the best novel this reviewer has read this year. Its quality and story-telling remind one of The Adventures of Roderick Random, Great Expectation and The Grapes of Wrath among others. The winner of the 2012 "Ferrol Sams Award for Fiction," A Death has the potential to become a classic American picaresque novel. / One wishes, however, that this novel will not get shunted into the regional box and be seen only as a Southern novel. Its themes and the power of its language, the forceful flow of its storyline and its characters have earned the right to a broad national audience." 30 July 2012 ABOUT.COM Contemporary Literature, John M. Formy-Duval.
THALIAD (Montreal: Phoenicia Publishing, 2012.) Post-apocalyptic long poem combining elements of the novel and the epic. Art by Clive Hicks-Jenkins. In THALIAD, Marly Youmans has written a powerful and beautiful saga of seven children who escape a fiery apocalypse----though "written" is hardly the word to use, as this extraordinary account seems rather "channeled" or dreamed or imparted in a vision, told in heroic poetry of the highest calibre. Amazing, mesmerizing, filled with pithy wisdom, THALIAD is a work of genius which also seems particularly relevant to our own time. --novelist Lee Smith
THE FOLIATE HEAD (UK: Stanza Press, 2012.) Art by Clive Hicks-Jenkins. Collection of formal poetry.
THE THRONE OF PSYCHE (Mercer University Press, 2011.) Collection of formal poetry. "Youmans is a writer of rare ability whose works will one day be studied by serious students of poetry." Greg Langley, Books editor, The Baton Rouge Advocate, October 2, 2011
VAL/ORSON (P. S. Publishing, 2009.) Novel. "Book of the Year" for 2009 Books and Culture Magazine
INGLEDOVE (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005) Fantasy, y.a.
CLAIRE (Louisiana State University, 2003) Collection of poetry.
THE WOLF PIT (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001.) The Michael Shaara Award. Short list, Southern Book Award.
CATHERWOOD (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1996.)
LITTLE JORDAN (David R. Godine, Publisher, 1995.)
MAZE OF BLOOD (Mercer University Press, 2015.) Novel. Inspired by the life of Robert E. Howard. Profusely decorated by artist Clive Hicks-Jenkins. Literary / fantastic. "...A haunting tale of dark obsessions and transcendent creative fire, rendered brilliantly in Youmans' richly poetic prose." --Midori Snyder
GLIMMERGLASS (Mercer University Press, 2014) IndieFab BOTYA Finalist. Art by Clive Hicks-Jenkins. Novel. "It’s brilliantly well-written, shockingly raw, and transportingly—sometimes confusingly (but not in a bad way)—weird. Glimmerglass shimmers on the boundaries of the real and the unreal, of poetry and prose, of the ordinary and the fantastic. It’s down to the caprice of the individual reader, therefore, to decide exactly what sort of story it’s trying to tell. It’s difficult to overstate the emotional effect that Glimmerglass has had on me. This is a beautiful, complex, moving book. Marly Youmans’s prose flows like clear water, and every image is, as Cynthia observes, “full of meaning” (p. 39)." -Tom Atherton, "Strange Horizons"
A DEATH AT THE WHITE CAMELLIA ORPHANAGE (Mercer University Press, 2012) The Ferrol Sams Award for 2012; Silver Award in fiction, The ForeWord BOTYA Awards. Novel. "It is seldom that a novel from a small university press can compete with the offerings from the big houses in New York. A Death at the White Camellia Orphanage may be the best novel this reviewer has read this year. Its quality and story-telling remind one of The Adventures of Roderick Random, Great Expectation and The Grapes of Wrath among others. The winner of the 2012 "Ferrol Sams Award for Fiction," A Death has the potential to become a classic American picaresque novel. / One wishes, however, that this novel will not get shunted into the regional box and be seen only as a Southern novel. Its themes and the power of its language, the forceful flow of its storyline and its characters have earned the right to a broad national audience." 30 July 2012 ABOUT.COM Contemporary Literature, John M. Formy-Duval.
THALIAD (Montreal: Phoenicia Publishing, 2012.) Post-apocalyptic long poem combining elements of the novel and the epic. Art by Clive Hicks-Jenkins. In THALIAD, Marly Youmans has written a powerful and beautiful saga of seven children who escape a fiery apocalypse----though "written" is hardly the word to use, as this extraordinary account seems rather "channeled" or dreamed or imparted in a vision, told in heroic poetry of the highest calibre. Amazing, mesmerizing, filled with pithy wisdom, THALIAD is a work of genius which also seems particularly relevant to our own time. --novelist Lee Smith
THE FOLIATE HEAD (UK: Stanza Press, 2012.) Art by Clive Hicks-Jenkins. Collection of formal poetry.
THE THRONE OF PSYCHE (Mercer University Press, 2011.) Collection of formal poetry. "Youmans is a writer of rare ability whose works will one day be studied by serious students of poetry." Greg Langley, Books editor, The Baton Rouge Advocate, October 2, 2011
VAL/ORSON (P. S. Publishing, 2009.) Novel. "Book of the Year" for 2009 Books and Culture Magazine
INGLEDOVE (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005) Fantasy, y.a.
CLAIRE (Louisiana State University, 2003) Collection of poetry.
THE WOLF PIT (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001.) The Michael Shaara Award. Short list, Southern Book Award.
CATHERWOOD (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1996.)
LITTLE JORDAN (David R. Godine, Publisher, 1995.)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 11, 2010
This is a marvelous literary MG fantasy, set in Adantis, a hidden world in the Appalachians that is a blend of Old World Scots-Irish-English settlers and Cherokee. The setting is uniquely American, and told with beautiful descriptive prose. The characters are all brought completely to life with just a bit of description and dialog, and the relationship between Ingledove, a young girl who is wise beyond her years, and Jarrett, the Master of Witchmasters, was touching and bittersweet. This book really deserves to take its place as a classic of children's literature. Youmans's other book set in Adantis, The Curse of the Raven Mocker, is also good, but in my opinion, Ingledove is even better.
September 20, 2010
really liking her writing style. . .she has a wonderful mix of historic fable and fantasy, I really enjoyed this book a lot.
April 29, 2014
SOME BOOKS JUST RUB ME THE WRONG WAY
Want to read
December 5, 2015
*What a beautiful cover.
April 4, 2020
I'm not often a fan of "magical" or "supernatural" fiction. But ever since John Wilson turned me on to Marly Youmans, I've been captivated. And I found this book enchanting. And if I were to try summarizing it, it would just lose its power. Shape-shifting creatures, a luminous garden, healing fireflies, parsnip-tipped arrows, and a Master of Witchmasters. Thin is the veil in Adantis. There, light breaks through.
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August 4, 2022Youmans is a true poet and myth-maker. I love how she weaves American place and myth with transplanted myth (Celtic, classical, etc.). She reminds me of Le Guin a bit—both write like poets in both senses: their words are beautiful, enchanting, and world-making.
October 2, 2025
It's been a long time since I read this book so I'm not even sure if it would hold up the same if I read it now, but I felt the need to give it five stars because of the way I still think about this book. It's left a permanent impression on me.
May 13, 2023
I tried to read it at work the last few weekends I just couldn't get into it past page 15
March 7, 2016
disappointing. publisher, you mislead me with the pretty cover art you gave this book. the rule of the publisher wont pay for decent cover art unless they are planning to sell well let me down on this one.
January 29, 2009
The only interesting thing about this book is the glossary of new words the author created for this tale of fantasy.
May 6, 2012
A magical world, a fierce girl, and beautiful/strange writing. Who could ask for more?
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews