What do you think?
Rate this book
Borrobil
On Beltane Eve - the most magic night of the year - Donald and Jean meet Borrobil in the dark wood. An exciting fantasy.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1944
2 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
William Croft Dickinson
36 books6 followersWilliam Croft Dickinson (1897 ~ 1963) was an English historian and writer. He was one of the foremost experts in the history of early modern Scotland (his first scholarly work appeared in The Scottish Historical Review in 1922) and the author of both fiction for children and ghost stories for adults.
Dickinson's first volume of supernatural stories, The Sweet Singers, and Three Other Remarkable Occurrents, was published by Oliver and Boyd in 1953. The four stories that book contained (The Sweet Singers, Can These Stones Speak?, The Eve of St. Botulph, and Return at Dusk) were later republished, along with nine other tales, in Dark Encounters, by Harvill Press in 1963. A second edition of Dark Encounters, with identical contents aside from the addition of an introduction by Susan Dickinson, the author's daughter, was published by John Goodchild in 1984 (see the image below). Written in the tradition of M.R. James, his stories have been referred to as Ghost Stories of a Scottish Antiquary.
Dickinson's first volume of supernatural stories, The Sweet Singers, and Three Other Remarkable Occurrents, was published by Oliver and Boyd in 1953. The four stories that book contained (The Sweet Singers, Can These Stones Speak?, The Eve of St. Botulph, and Return at Dusk) were later republished, along with nine other tales, in Dark Encounters, by Harvill Press in 1963. A second edition of Dark Encounters, with identical contents aside from the addition of an introduction by Susan Dickinson, the author's daughter, was published by John Goodchild in 1984 (see the image below). Written in the tradition of M.R. James, his stories have been referred to as Ghost Stories of a Scottish Antiquary.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 21, 2007
I read this as a child, a battered, yellowed copy that belonged to my parents. It is a mark of how I loved this book that I still have that copy today. It was magical and not in that Enid Blyton, sanitised kind of way. I loved the smattering of pagan images intwined with the simple storyline and it set me upon the road which lead to C S Lewis, Tolkein, Pratchett and Adams. I doubt anyone will be able to find this book, but if you do, and you have kids, read it to them and watch their eyes go wide and the imaginations soar.
April 3, 2021
Love this book, every now and then it’s nice to pick up a children’s book and dive headfirst into a magical world. And this book does just that, taking you on a journey through a magical land, with interesting characters and fantastical beasts. I found it very hard to put down, wanting to just carry on from one chapter to the next, and could easily have polished it off in one afternoon! Highly recommend for a pleasant fantastical read that takes you back to childhood.
July 13, 2020
2.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary
Two young children decide to explore a dark forest on Beltane Eve, and get far more than they bargained for when they find themselves in the past.
Review
I’m reading a book by Seth Dickinson, and for no good reason, his name reminded me of this book by William Croft Dickinson that I read first as a child, and once or twice since then. Other than being fantasy books by men named Dickinson, they have little in common.
Despite having read Borrobil a few times, I didn’t recall it well. In part, that’s because it’s a fairly standard children-through-portal story, though several years in advance of the Narnia books that really brought the idea into vogue. It’s a nice story – and nice for its time in that the girl and boy are fairly equal partners in the adventure – if relatively low in cohesion and tension.
The main problem I found on this read through was that it’s not a coherent story so much as as a collection of tall tales – as told by good wizard Borrobil – strung together on a thread of low-key (but often fatal) adventure. Borrobil tells a lot of stories and sings a lot of songs. They don’t all have much in common, but they’re fun.
One thing I found appealing was that, although clearly a children’s book, it’s modestly substantial, at 170 pages of small text, and it’s not been bowdlerized, at least as far as death is concerned. The children are never in much danger, but people do die violently left and right (okay, occasionally), without so much as a second glance. I don’t think you’d see that these days. Whether that’s good or bad is up for debate, but it does remind me that my childhood was different from that of today’s children.
All in all, a pleasant, modest entry in the genre; a nice read, but not worth putting a lot of effort into seeking out.
Summary
Two young children decide to explore a dark forest on Beltane Eve, and get far more than they bargained for when they find themselves in the past.
Review
I’m reading a book by Seth Dickinson, and for no good reason, his name reminded me of this book by William Croft Dickinson that I read first as a child, and once or twice since then. Other than being fantasy books by men named Dickinson, they have little in common.
Despite having read Borrobil a few times, I didn’t recall it well. In part, that’s because it’s a fairly standard children-through-portal story, though several years in advance of the Narnia books that really brought the idea into vogue. It’s a nice story – and nice for its time in that the girl and boy are fairly equal partners in the adventure – if relatively low in cohesion and tension.
The main problem I found on this read through was that it’s not a coherent story so much as as a collection of tall tales – as told by good wizard Borrobil – strung together on a thread of low-key (but often fatal) adventure. Borrobil tells a lot of stories and sings a lot of songs. They don’t all have much in common, but they’re fun.
One thing I found appealing was that, although clearly a children’s book, it’s modestly substantial, at 170 pages of small text, and it’s not been bowdlerized, at least as far as death is concerned. The children are never in much danger, but people do die violently left and right (okay, occasionally), without so much as a second glance. I don’t think you’d see that these days. Whether that’s good or bad is up for debate, but it does remind me that my childhood was different from that of today’s children.
All in all, a pleasant, modest entry in the genre; a nice read, but not worth putting a lot of effort into seeking out.
July 8, 2016
An old favourite of mine, which has retained its charm for me ... If you like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe books by C.S.Lewis, then you'll probably like this (so long as you don't make too many comparisons that are not in this book's favour). It is what it is ... it has engaging characters and Celtic folklore aplenty.
Why isn't this book in print? I think you'd have to search for an old copy.
Why isn't this book in print? I think you'd have to search for an old copy.
November 19, 2018
An excellent children's story rich in Celtic mythology and recommended for fans of the Narnia books.
March 1, 2015
I read this book as a child and parts of it have stuck with me since - the three heads of corn, three biscuits, the dragon, summer and winter - so when I saw it in a charity shop I had to buy it again. It was the same familiar cover, and I dived right in.
It's still as enjoyable a yarn as it was when I first read it, though the latter half of the book I didn't remember at all. Two children, the midwinter equinox, the fight of nature for the light and dark of summer and winter, magic, dragons, kings and puppies, knights on horseback. What more would a youngster need to enthrall and entertain for a while. Childhood rediscovered!
It's still as enjoyable a yarn as it was when I first read it, though the latter half of the book I didn't remember at all. Two children, the midwinter equinox, the fight of nature for the light and dark of summer and winter, magic, dragons, kings and puppies, knights on horseback. What more would a youngster need to enthrall and entertain for a while. Childhood rediscovered!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews