Song of the Gargoyle

by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

When mysterious men in black abduct his father, the court jester of Austerneve, thirteen-year-old Tymmon flees into the forest, where he acquires a strange animal companion and plots to rescue his father

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adventure, Historical, Childrens

232 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1991

About the author

Zilpha Keatley Snyder was an American author of books for children and young adults. Three of Snyder's works were named Newbery Honor books: The Egypt Game, The Headless Cupid and The Witches of Worm. She was most famous for writing adventure stories and fantasies.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never met anyone else who has heard of this book, but it has been one of my favorites since childhood. I first read the library copy, and when I determined to get my own, I had to special-order it from the bookstore because none of the Barnes and Nobles in the area carried it. (Gosh, remember the days before Amazon.com was ubiquitous?)

It has all of the hallmarks of ZKS's YA books -- relatable and believable young characters, a fast-paced plot with subtle foreshadowing leading to a last-act twist which suddenly raises the stakes much higher than you expected, and ambiguously magical or supernatural elements. Even more, though, it is a subtle deconstruction of medieval romances, showing that the nobility are often far from noble, and that plucky young lads setting off to seek their fortunes had better be quick-witted and have some kind of marketable skill unless they want to be shooed away as beggars. (An enormous, fierce-looking dog doesn't hurt.) Tymmon's decision at the end regarding his future shows that he has gained wisdom in a way that many protagonists of similarly-plotted stories do not, that the glamorous role is not necessarily the best, and that a court jester may be a wise adviser. Even better, the narrative is clear that the adults of the world are very much aware of these truths that Tymmon is just discovering.

[Melanti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kindle freebie that I grabbed since I recognized it as a Mythopoeic Award nominee.

It's not terrible, but there's several narrative threads that are dropped or aren't done justice. Even the final climactic scene is skipped.

The ending, what little ending there was, such as it was, felt too contrived - as if the author just wanted to wrap it up before it got too long, and just tied it up in as few of pages as possible.

[Jim Sibigtroth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this fantasy/adventure. When mysterious armor-clad knights break into 13 year old Tymmon’s room in the dead of night and take his father away, Tymmon escapes into a dark frightening forest where he meets a very unusual new friend. Troff is a gargoyle that is magically alive and can speak to Tymmon as well as sing. The knights who took Tymmon’s father have offered a reward for his capture. Will Tymmon be able to avoid capture and find his father?

I loved the engaging writing and steady excitement. The ending was satisfying though a little abrupt. It felt like there might be another book to continue the story of Tymmon and his faithful friend Troff.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first Song of the Gargoyle was a bit too slow for me, but it became clear later on that this is a story more about the journey than the destination. Even though his father's abduction provides Tymmon's main motivation after survival, the story progression is marked more by Tymmon maturing and coming to better understand Komus. In this respect it reminds me surprisingly of Lloyd Alexander's Taran Wanderer, which was much less action-oriented than the rest of its series and really zeroed in on Taran's personal growth.

Song of the Gargoyle may be a very slow burn at times, but the payoff is satisfying and makes some loose ends fall neatly into place.

[Holli Keel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book, and I always enjoy Zilpha Keatley Snyder. However, the book ends abruptly with no real climax. You have to find out what happens in a short synopsis from the epilogue.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best, most simple, and most heart-warming stories I have ever read!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter is reading this for school, so thought I'd follow along (as usual) so we can talk about it!

The language and writing style in this book reflected the medieval time period, which made it a little difficult for my 6th grader: she's not a huge reader, though. I found the language and vernacular quite enjoyable, however, and with a little help and goading, the kid made it through.

I enjoyed the story quite a bit. The main character was believable, had some complexity, and was positive. There was just enough foreshadowing, without too much. For a kid's book, it was a good little page turner!

[Julia Hendon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because of my love for The Egypt Game. The Singing Gargoyle seemed like a less complex and engaging story, although that may be in part because I'm reading it as an adult. The MC, Tymmon, starts out as a rather cocky and irritating young teen but he becomes more likable as he deals first with his father's kidnapping and then his travails as he tries to survive on his own, eventually becoming responsible for two much younger orphaned children and a mysterious beast that may or may not be a gargoyle.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tymmon's father is the court jester of Austerneve. One night his father is kidnapped, and the kidnappers are looking for Tymmon. Tymmon gets away and hides in the forest where he meets a huge dog (that he thinks is a gargoyle). He and the dog have quite a few adventures and are eventually joined by two orphans. Finally, Tymmon decides he must find his father and try to rescue him. So the company heads back for Austerneve.

This is a cute book that kept me reading. I was kind of disappointed that at the end the big battle against Unterikke is skipped over.

[Sofia O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Song of the Gargoyle is a really fascinating book. It is historical fiction but it seemed more of a fairy tail like story. The way it was written seemed like it was published a very long time ago when there were actually castles being used in Europe, but it wasn’t. As I was reading it, I realized it followed The Hero’s Journey that we learned about in english and history. The story about Tymmon and Troff was really interesting even though I expected the ending.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying medieval coming-of-age book for the young reader. Should the jester's son swear to avenge his father on a dagger (the tool of a mighty knight that he longs to become) or on a jester's cap (the tool of the father he is ashamed of)? A mysterious gargoyle (or is it only a large dog?) gives help along the way on this quest.

[Duane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young man finds himself escaping from knights who want him and his father. Along the way, he finds the company of a enchanted dog who not only protects him, but shows him the strengths he never knew he had. A delightful story about mideval times and places.

[Kitty Tomlinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Medieval tale of Tymmon, the son of an influential jester, who runs into the forest after his father is kidnapped. Here he meets a dog-like creature, Groff, that he assumes is a gargoyle. Together he and Groff rescue his father. Enjoyable tale. Nice look at life in this time period.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did enjoy it - I usually enjoy books by this author. But there were times I wished for a greater sense of the world Tymmon lives in, since it isn't quite ours. And I would have liked to have seen the confrontation at the end but the book just skips right past it, which I found jarring.

[Leslie Jem · Rating 5 out of 5]

fabulous for anyone who likes young adult historical novels; this one would also appeal to fantasy readers

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was set in medieval times, another era I love. I really felt like I was back in those times, and there was a fantasy element too.

[Illianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

fabulous book

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful little book. Just re-read it for the first time in ages. I had forgotten how much I liked it.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

The living gargoyle at the heart of this story is a fierce hunter, a loyal friend, and a rescuer to many.

[Carlie Holdredge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the story and the characters but I thought she ended it too soon and without telling things that should have happen to get to the ending.

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this. Good solid YA fantasy. Highly recommended.

[Karla Huebner]

My housemate left this on the dining room table, and as I recalled having read books by this author when I was around eleven (although I did not actually recall anything about them), I thought it might be a pleasant change of pace.
As an adult reader, I found the writing style competent and evocative, but the actual story to be unexpectedly unengaging despite the subject matter of a thirteen-year-old medieval boy obliged to flee and live in an alarming forest in the company of what he believes to be a live gargoyle. Basically, it is a quest story (he needs to find and rescue his kidnapped father, and also learn more about his father and himself), which is a classic setup. I think that overall I wanted more adventures and dialog. The question is, would that have been what I wanted had I read this as an eleven-year-old? Maybe not. It's possible I would have been entirely content. But I'm not sure.