The Weka-Feather Cloak, reviewed by Paul MacLeod

Eat your heart out, Harry Potter! The publishers of Leo Madigan’s latest book, Bethlehem Books, say The Weka-Feather Cloak is their answer to “you-know-what”. And it is.

But it’s a very different brew. The principal character is also a young boy, Danny Mago (“The Maggot” to his school-mates), but where Harry would be more at home in Mordor, Danny is a 21st century Frodo.

For like The Lord of the Rings, Madigan’s book is a fantasy, and, like Tolkien, Madigan uses fantasy as a mirror to reflect reality - in this case also, reality as seen with the eyes of Catholic faith.

But, unlike Tolkien’s Middle Earth, Danny’s world is the very ordinary, prosaic world of Lower Hutt, in New Zealand - Madigan’s (and, by sheer coincidence, my) home town. Except that Heaven keeps intruding, providing unexpected twists to a fast-moving story peopled with characters ranging from the saintly to the thoroughly evil.

It has adventure, moments of horror, a quest for an age-old and mysterious treasure and sublime passages which convey eternal truths in a manner which youngsters will enjoy - and which will enlighten many readers who are older in years.

Just one example. To a person who remarked that the death of a dear old Maori nun was tragic, Danny replies: “It wasn’t tragic in the least. It was as natural as switching off the lights in the theatre before the curtain goes up.”

The book starts with a plane crash and yo-yos between New Zealand today, medieval Florence and 1st century Armenia, with angels, helicopters and a disused elevator (infested with demons) reminiscent of C.S. Lewis’ wardrobe.

In other words, a thoroughly fun read in which the faith of Danny and others comes across as so natural as to demand acceptance. Just the book to put Harry Potter back in the outer darkness.

© Paul MacLeod

Theotokos Catholic Books - Book Reviews Section - www.theotokos.org.uk