Peadar O’Guilin, The Call, David Fickling Books, 1 Sept 2016, 334pp., $19.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781910989203
In The Call, the author places Ireland literally in a fog that has isolated it from the rest of the world ever since the fairy people – the Sidhe – rose up against their cruel banishment to the Grey Land long ago. Now, having reduced Ireland to a state with few defences, the Sidhe attack those in the prime of their youth via the call – a kind of kidnapping that lasts only minutes from the perspective of those left to wait for the disappeared to return, but a full day suffered by the victim in the monstrous Grey Land. Few survive, and these survivors are rarely unscathed when they return to earth.
Nessa is one of those young people determined to survive as the alternative is euthanasia. She lives with her peers in a college where survival skills are all that is important. Unlike the rest, she has an extra disadvantage – polio has wracked her legs. Nessa must be, if not stronger, then certainly more determined, disciplined and resourceful than anyone else, to have a chance to live beyond her call.
O’Guilin has set up a terrific premise for this thrilling story, and quickly backs up with an ensemble of sterling characters. Nessa and her best friend, Megan, are gutsy and strong – Megan recklessly so; Nessa supremely disciplined. The other characters are also well drawn, from the outwardly charming but dangerous, Conor, to sweet Anto, who proves stronger than he seems. There are also teachers, many of whom are survivors of the call and damaged by it, some physically, most spiritually as well, but several are champion role models of survival.
As each is called without notice, leaving nothing but their clothes behind, we get a horrifying glimpse into the Grey Land. Monsters, sometimes in beautiful guise, are there to chase and kill or damage these youths. Each of the company has the skills and character to make the fight a contest if given half a chance. Each also has particular strengths, just as each is subjected to the vicissitudes of circumstance and fortune. Some have the chance to help others; most are left to their own devices. As each survivor returns and tells their story, a picture builds of changes in the rumblings from the Grey Land, and a growing danger set to come to a head.
A pleasing mix of Hunger Games and Potteresque tropes, The Call has a charm and excitement all its own. The background of Irish fairy lore opens lots of opportunities for intriguing detail, and the horrors of the Grey Land are convincingly realised. Although the pace is kept up throughout, we still get a strong sense of individual characters, all placed in enduring peril.
Whilst there is some romance amongst the characters, they don’t have much time for such normality. Same sex attraction is included in an understated way, and a sexual threat is used as an effective menace in the plot, but not with any explicit expression. The horror here is all in the Grey Lands.
Reviewed by Marita Thomson
