Red Hart Magic

 ~ 6th Novel in the Magic Series by Andre Norton

(Series aka) The Magic Sequence

red.hart.magic

 

Synopsis ~

Write-up from the front flap of the 1976 dustjacket ~

An exquisite miniature model of an old English inn triggers three strange and exciting adventures back into earlier centuries for Chris Fitton and his new stepsister Nan Mallory. Nan’s mother has recently married Chris’s father, and both children resent the problems and mixed-up relationships the marriage has forced upon them. Difficulties at Chris’s Aunt Elizabeth’s home, where they are temporarily living, and with classmates at school push Nan and Chris still further apart.
In this time-warp fantasy, noted writer Andre Norton has skillfully reconstructed three tumultuous periods of English history, during the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, in which earlier Nana and Chrises test their courage against great danger. Breakers of the law must be defeated, and in the end, the two young people emerge strong enough to solve their present-day problems, discovering that they can relate to each other as members of a true family.
Strong values from the past help shape the present in this distinguished story, which is further enhanced by Donna Diamond’s brilliant pen-and-ink drawings.

 

Write-up from the back of the 1979 paperback edition ~

What is the magic of the Red Hart Inn? An exquisite model of an old English inn that triggers three strange and exciting adventures back into earlier centuries for its two owners. Chris Fitton and his new stepsister Nan Mallory, both lonely and unhappy, must test their courage through three tumultuous periods of English history in this skillfully written timewarp fantasy. What they learn about themselves and each other enables them to live more fully in their own time.

 

Write-up from the back of the 2006 Tradepaper ~

When his father marries his mother, Chris Fitton and Nan Mallory - both twelve - are trust into a new life. While their parents are enjoying an extended honeymoon, Chris and Nan must live with Aunt Elizabeth, attend new schools, and worst of all, be evil to one another. They're certain that their future is bleak - until Chris's visit to the Salvation Army store. It is there that he finds the model of the Red Hart Inn, a structure that holds a strange allure for them both.
That night, Chris and Nan find themselves in the same dream - living inside the Red Hart Inn in seventeenth-century England. And when danger threatens, they must set aside their differences and find a way to work together - before it’s too late.... 

 

Write-up from a fan ~

This is the story of two 12-year-old stepsiblings Chris Fitton and Nan Mallory sent to live with their aunt while their parents are on a long honeymoon. Both are lonely and alienated. One day, Chris goes to a Salvation Army thrift store and finds a model of The Red Hart Inn. Both Chris and Nan have adventurous dreams as children in the time of Henry VIII. Chriss' father owns the Red Hart inn Nan's father is the largest landowner in the shire and they don't get along well. The past-time dream adventures help the children learn how to cope with problems in the modern world and school and their classmates. A good Read ~ PG

 

Reviews ~

Kirkus Reviews ~ Issue: Sept. 1st, 1976
When Nan's mother marries Chris' father the two resentful children are dumped on an aunt while the parents travel, and soon their mutual hostility is eroded by shared dreams (real ones, not daydreams) of historical adventure, all set centuries back in an old English inn of which Chris has just bought an "antique" model. Whether the dreamed episodes ever really occurred or those "other" Nuns or Chrises existed is wondered only in passing; what seems to matter is that, inspired by their bravery in these crises, Nan stands up to real-life shoplifting classmates at her new school and Chris to cheating bullies at his. Otherwise, there's not much connection between the night battles (with King Jamie's men, smuggling vigilantes or the local squire) and the present, city apartment reality--and not much point to any of it. 

 

Booklist Review ~ December 15, 1976
Neither Nan nor Chris wants to stay together while her mother and his father are off on a honeymoon. They resent their relocation to Aunt Elizabeth's apartment and the disruption of their lives; school bullies threaten Chris if he doesn't steal an exam, and Nan is troubled by classmates who want her to join their shoplifting schemes. Hoping to shut himself off, Chris buys an antique model of an old English inn, which begins to penetrate his dreams and, to their mutual surprise, Nan's as well. In the time-travel dreams, all of which center around the Rd Hart Inn, they are Chris and Nan but in different periods of history; and the roles they play help them face the difficulties of their contemporary lives and to emerge friends as well. The Fantasy transitions are weak, but each episode offers excitement, and the story is held together, if somewhat loosely, by the believable school day concerns.

 

Various reviews ~ For more info and other listings see Articles Over the Years

1977 in Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, March
1977 by M. Burns in Horn Book, April
1976 by J. Troutner in School Library Journal, November
1979 by Beth Allen in Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review, December, reprinted in: 2009 Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review: The Complete Series, Vol. I, No. 1-Vol. II, No. 13, January 1979-February 1980
2019 by Judith Tarr

 

Dedications and Acknowledgements ~

The writer wishes to express her appreciation to Ms. Marge Geddes, the present owner of “Red Hart Inn,” who very kindly permitted the use of one of her treasures for the background of this story. And she wishes to express her appreciation also to Ms. Marian Maeve O'Brien, in whose book Collectors’ Guide to Dollhouses and Dollhouse Miniatures, the writer first came across the photograph and story of the inn.

 

Bibliography of English Editions ~

  • (1976) Published by Crowell, HC, 0-690-01147-4, LCCN 76003539, $6.95, 176pg ~ cover and illustrated by Donna Diamond {Brown Cloth Boards}
  • (1977) Published by Hamish, HC, 0-241-89730-0, £3.25, 192pg ~ UK printing ~ cover and illustrated by Donna Diamond
  • (1979) Published by Nelson & Sons, HC, 0-170-05627-9, $3.50 Australian ~ cover and illustrated by Donna Diamond ~ Printed in Singapore by Koon Wah Printing Pte Ltd
  • (1979) Published by ACE/Tempo Books, PB, 0-441-71100-6, $1.95 - #71101-4 1982 $1.95 179pg 1st ACE printing - #71099-9 1982 $1.95 179pg 2nd print - #71099-9 1984 $2.25 179pg 3rd print - #71098-0 1985 $2.50 179pg 4th print - covers by Charles Mikolaycak ~ illustrated by Donna Diamond

Notice that with ACE printings the numbers go backwards. #71099 printed twice with different dates and prices.

  • (2006) Published by Starscape, TP, 0-765-35302-4, $5.95, 224pg ~ cover by Tristan Elwell
  • (2012) Published by Premier Digital Publishing, eISBN 978-1-937957-48-3, DM, $3.99, 150pg ~ cover by Kib Prestridge
  • (2014) Published by Open Road Media, eISBN 978-1-497656-60-4, DM, $3.99, 150pg ~ cover by Connie Gabbart

  • The Magic Sequence: Volume 2 (2018), Published by Open Road Media, DM, 978-1-504-05393-8, $19.99, 830pg ~ cover by unknown ~ Omnibus containing Dragon Magic (1972), Lavender-Green Magic (1974) & Red Hart Magic (1976)

 

Russian Omnibus Editions ~

  • (2002) Published in Moscow, by Eksmo, 5-040-09726-3, HC, 384pg ~ cover by Luis Royo ~ Russian title Магия лавандовой зелени [The Magic of Lavender Greens]

Contains:

    • "Lavender-Green Magic" as "The Magic of Lavender Greens" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 5-214
    • "Red Hart Magic" as "The Magic of the Red Deer" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 215-382

 

  • (2013) Published in Moscow by Eksmo, 9785699660315, HC, 864pgs ~ cover art by A. Dubovik ~ Russian title Магия [Magic] ~ Limited to 5000 copies

Contains:

    • "Steel Magic" as "The Magic of Steel" ~ translation by O. Kolesnikov, pp. 7-96
    • "Octagon Magic" as "The Magic of the Octagonal House" ~ translation by O. Kolesnikov, pp. 99-230
    • "Fur Magic" as "The Magic of Hairy" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 233-362
    • "Dragon Magic" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 365-532
    • "Lavender-Green Magic" as "The Magic of Lavender Greens" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 535-712
    • "Red Hart Magic" as "The Magic of the Red Deer" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 715-861

 

  • (2015) Published in Moscow by Eksmo, 9785699809639, PB, 416pgs ~ cover art by Lilkar, Petronilo G. Dangoy ~ Russian title Магия лавандовой зелени [The Magic of Lavender Greens] ~ Limited to 4000 copies

Contains:

    • "Lavender-Green Magic" as "The Magic of Lavender Greens" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 5-248
    • "Red Hart Magic" as "The Magic of the Red Deer" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 249-445

For information on editions currently available visit the Book Store

View the embedded image gallery online at:
https://andre-norton.com/works-of-a-master/series-of-a-master/the-magic-sequence/283-red-hart-magic#sigProId47b3e7cbe6

 

 

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