Move over Nalo Hopkinson! Another great Caribbean-flavored work of
fantastic fiction arrives on the scene! Kingston, Jamaica-born Judith Woolcock Colombo
……uses her place of upbringing to provide the background for 'The
Fablesinger', her excellent first novel. Employing the style and structure of a
folktale, the story essentially follows the maturation and spiritual growth of a young
woman from a wealthy family. The setting, located on an un-named West Indian island, (no
doubt inspired by Jamaica), serves to represent the cultural zeitgeist of the entire
region. ...
(Read the entire
review in Linear Reflections )
... The way the author combines
reality and myth to depict an intricate and thrilling battle between light and darkness
has resonances both cosmic and also focused on one village on a Caribbean island. As
above---so below in this refreshing fantasy with its deliciously different setting and a
cast of people of color who come in all varieties. Enter 'The Fablesinger's' world of
magic and mystery and be enlightened and entertained.
- Amy Harlib, in Linear Reflections,
August 2001
"...engages the reader with its
primitive power and conviction. Hypnotic as a fairy tale, this story conveys much of the
power of a classical myth...the voice is strong and sure."
- Kirkus Reviews
"In this fine debut,
Jamaican-born Colombo artfully narrates a powerful Caribbean myth...Colombo's sensuous,
melodic voice...conjuring haunting 'visions of strange, beautiful slopes with lush
green grass, purple orchids, and quaint wooden villages nestled on their shoulders',
where 'large majestic...birds with amber eyes' lead dreamers 'over unfamiliar terrain
and through strange obstacles'."
- Publishers Weekly
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