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Voyage of the Basset
The Raven Queen
Gwen and Devin Thornworth, two twelve-year-old twins, have been picked up by the magical ship Basset, and taken away to the halls of the fairies and the domain of the Raven Queen. Original.
185 pages, Paperback
First published October 12, 1999
163 people want to read
About the author
Terri Windling
120 books712 followersTerri Windling is an American editor, artist, essayist, and the author of books for both children and adults. Windling has won nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and her anthology The Armless Maiden, a fiction collection for adult survivors of child abuse, appeared on the shortlist for the James Tiptree, Jr. Award. She was also honored with SFWA's Soltice Award in 2010, a lifetime achievement award for "significant contributions to the speculative fiction field as a writer, editor, artist, educator, and mentor". Windling's work has been translated into French, German, Spanish, Italian, Czech, Lithuanian, Turkish, Russian, Japanese, and Korean.
In the American publishing field, Windling is one of the primary creative forces behind the mythic fiction resurgence that began in the early 1980s—first through her work as an innovative editor for the Ace and Tor Books fantasy lines; secondly as the creator of the Fairy Tales series of novels (featuring reinterpretations of classic fairy tale themes by Jane Yolen, Steven Brust, Pamela Dean, Patricia C. Wrede, Charles de Lint, and others); and thirdly as the editor of over thirty anthologies of magical fiction. She is also recognized as one of the founders of the urban fantasy genre, having published and promoted the first novels of Charles de Lint, Emma Bull, and other pioneers of the form.
With Ellen Datlow, Windling edited 16 volumes of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (1986–2003), an anthology series that reached beyond the boundaries of genre fantasy to incorporate magic realism, surrealism, poetry, and other forms of magical literature. Datlow and Windling also edited the Snow White, Blood Red series of literary fairy tales for adult readers, as well as many anthologies of myth & fairy tale inspired fiction for younger readers (such as The Green Man, The Faery Reel, and The Wolf at the Door). Windling also created and edited the Borderland series for teenage readers.
As an author, Windling's fiction includes The Wood Wife (winner of the Mythopoeic Award for Novel of the Year) and several children's books: The Raven Queen, The Changeling, A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale, The Winter Child, and The Faeries of Spring Cottage. Her essays on myth, folklore, magical literature and art have been widely published in newsstand magazines, academic journals, art books, and anthologies. She was a contributor to The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales, edited by Jack Zipes.
As an artist, Windling specializes in work inspired by myth, folklore, and fairy tales. Her art has been exhibited across the US, as well as in the UK and France.
Windling is the founder of the Endicott Studio, an organization dedicated to myth-inspired arts, and co-editor (with Midori Snyder) of The Journal of Mythic Arts. She also sits on the board of the Mythic Imagination Institute. A former New Yorker, Windling spend many years in Tucson, Arizona, and now lives in Devon, England. She is married to dramatist Howard Gayton, co-director of the Ophaboom Theatre Company.
In the American publishing field, Windling is one of the primary creative forces behind the mythic fiction resurgence that began in the early 1980s—first through her work as an innovative editor for the Ace and Tor Books fantasy lines; secondly as the creator of the Fairy Tales series of novels (featuring reinterpretations of classic fairy tale themes by Jane Yolen, Steven Brust, Pamela Dean, Patricia C. Wrede, Charles de Lint, and others); and thirdly as the editor of over thirty anthologies of magical fiction. She is also recognized as one of the founders of the urban fantasy genre, having published and promoted the first novels of Charles de Lint, Emma Bull, and other pioneers of the form.
With Ellen Datlow, Windling edited 16 volumes of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (1986–2003), an anthology series that reached beyond the boundaries of genre fantasy to incorporate magic realism, surrealism, poetry, and other forms of magical literature. Datlow and Windling also edited the Snow White, Blood Red series of literary fairy tales for adult readers, as well as many anthologies of myth & fairy tale inspired fiction for younger readers (such as The Green Man, The Faery Reel, and The Wolf at the Door). Windling also created and edited the Borderland series for teenage readers.
As an author, Windling's fiction includes The Wood Wife (winner of the Mythopoeic Award for Novel of the Year) and several children's books: The Raven Queen, The Changeling, A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale, The Winter Child, and The Faeries of Spring Cottage. Her essays on myth, folklore, magical literature and art have been widely published in newsstand magazines, academic journals, art books, and anthologies. She was a contributor to The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales, edited by Jack Zipes.
As an artist, Windling specializes in work inspired by myth, folklore, and fairy tales. Her art has been exhibited across the US, as well as in the UK and France.
Windling is the founder of the Endicott Studio, an organization dedicated to myth-inspired arts, and co-editor (with Midori Snyder) of The Journal of Mythic Arts. She also sits on the board of the Mythic Imagination Institute. A former New Yorker, Windling spend many years in Tucson, Arizona, and now lives in Devon, England. She is married to dramatist Howard Gayton, co-director of the Ophaboom Theatre Company.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 7, 2022
4 stars - English Ebook
Review follows later.
Review follows later.
August 6, 2016
Years ago I bought the coffee table book "The Voyage of the Basset" because I loved the art of James Christiansen. I also appreciated the motto of the book "credendo vides" (believing is seeing) and the adventures in the land of myth and fable. I had no idea that a series of chapter books were released at about the same time, featuring the Basset and her crew. They are out of print now, but available from used book sellers.
I have enjoyed other books by Terri Windling, so it was a safe bet that the combination of her writing with the Basset storyline would be something right up my alley. The story takes place in Victorian Britain. Gwen and Devin Thornworth are twins, and their parents are both artists involved in the Pre-Raphelite movement. Gwen is always dreaming of adventures and fairies and has a talent for drawing and painting. Devin is considered "the practical one" by the family. He is the one that makes sure the bills get paid, and comes up with solutions to problems in the chaotically (but lovingly) run household. Gwen receives an opportunity to take a trip on the Basset, to deliver a painting to the Fairy Queen Titania. She wants it to be her special adventure, but her boring, practical, twin ends up coming along as well. They have an adventure in which they learn that being practical is not such a bad thing - not only that, but it is possible to be both practical AND artistic.
I really liked this book - so wonderful to visit the world James Christiansen created, and the transition of narrator voices from Mr. Christiansen to Ms. Windling is pretty seamless. The plot is pretty predictable, but for me (in this kind of story) that is not a negative thing.
Although this is number 2 in the series, the book stands on its own (though it helps if you are familiar with Christiansen's "Voyage of the Basset" book). Recommended for people who still enjoy fairy tales.
I have enjoyed other books by Terri Windling, so it was a safe bet that the combination of her writing with the Basset storyline would be something right up my alley. The story takes place in Victorian Britain. Gwen and Devin Thornworth are twins, and their parents are both artists involved in the Pre-Raphelite movement. Gwen is always dreaming of adventures and fairies and has a talent for drawing and painting. Devin is considered "the practical one" by the family. He is the one that makes sure the bills get paid, and comes up with solutions to problems in the chaotically (but lovingly) run household. Gwen receives an opportunity to take a trip on the Basset, to deliver a painting to the Fairy Queen Titania. She wants it to be her special adventure, but her boring, practical, twin ends up coming along as well. They have an adventure in which they learn that being practical is not such a bad thing - not only that, but it is possible to be both practical AND artistic.
I really liked this book - so wonderful to visit the world James Christiansen created, and the transition of narrator voices from Mr. Christiansen to Ms. Windling is pretty seamless. The plot is pretty predictable, but for me (in this kind of story) that is not a negative thing.
Although this is number 2 in the series, the book stands on its own (though it helps if you are familiar with Christiansen's "Voyage of the Basset" book). Recommended for people who still enjoy fairy tales.
March 13, 2019
This book has a strange way about it. It has the message of life is unpredictable and will sometimes have logic prevail or have imagination prevail. The Twin have the normal dynamic and it works well but it seemed kinda fast without explanation for most things though that may be the point
January 18, 2008
Based on characters from LDS artist James Christensen's book.
September 30, 2014
Once again an intriguing tale in this mythical other world, with a new set of characters and exploring a different side, a darker side, of the land.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews