Which Witch?

Eva Ibbotsen (author)

Macmillan Books, UK: 1979, 1996; 186pp

ISBN: 0330489089

Genres: adventure, fantasy

Issues: differences, identity, relationships

"As soon as he was born, Mr and Mrs Canker knew that their baby was not like other people's children. For one thing he was born with a full set of teeth and would lie in his pram for hours, chewing huge mutton bones to shreds or snapping at the noses of old ladies fool enough to kiss him."

Thus begins this delightful fantasy about the adventures of Arriman Canker, a wizard of dark and dreadful powers.

When Arriman the Awful, Wizard of the North, decides to get married, he holds a competition amongst the local witches to decide which of them is of sufficiently dark power to be his wife. After all, it is his duty to continue the dark line in order that the powers of evil may flourish throughout the land. And if he can't find a successor, then he must marry and continue the family line that way.

The only problem, as he rapidly discovers, is that the witches of Todcaster are not a particularly attractive group. Nor, it turns out, are they particularly powerful. Somehow their spells don't quite work, or they can't quite remember them. And as for Belladonna - well, dark witches just don't talk about her sort. After all, beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes are all very well but everyone knows that only white witches do wimpy things like heal animals and make the plants grow.

Despite this discouraging attitude, Belladonna - who really tries very hard to do dark and evil things - decides to enter the competition, having fallen in love with Arriman at first sight. And it seems that with the help of a young worm called Rover that Belladonna might just pull it off. Since she met young Terence, Rover's owner, Belladonna has been able to do the most remarkably evil things. Arriman's servants can see that Belladonna is just the woman for Arriman and together they work to ensure her victory in the competition. All goes well until the unexpected arrival of a very beautiful and decidedly evil enchantress who has an exceedingly sinister reputation. All her previous husbands have died or disappeared and she wears a very strange necklace of human teeth. Does the kind Belladonna have a chance against such evil?

Another wonderful fantasy from Eva Ibbotsen, with a cast of quirky characters and plenty of magical adventures.