Year King

by Penelope Farmer

An eighteen-year-old English boy must face a dangerous confrontation with his twin to resolve their lifelong crisis of identity.

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Penelope Jane Farmer is an English fiction writer well known for children's fantasy novels. Her best-known novel is Charlotte Sometimes (1969), a boarding-school story that features a multiple time slip.

Reviews

[SmokingMirror]

I withhold star ratings not because the book is unworthy but because I want to give it two stars, and that only indicates my enjoyment level, not the skill and artistry of the book. To some extent it is a situation of me having expectations of the book that were not met. Based on the title, and from some of the author's other books, I thought the mythical element would predominate. Although there are similarities to other Welsh myth based stories (The Owl Service) the naturalistic plot was not something I wanted to involve myself in. A well-written coming of age novel is how I would describe the book, with emphasis on adolescent sexual jealousy and confusion. I wish I could give a heartier recommendation, but I'm afraid that because the book is quite evidently set in the 1970s it may not have appeal for readers in this century.

[Rebekah]

I wanted to like it, as I have other books by Penelope Farmer. There were moments of beauty and interest, but the slow build didn't yield a climax worthy of the wait.