The Illyrian Adventure- Lloyd Alexander

The work of Lloyd Alexander, particularly his Prydain Chronicles, contains some of the very earliest books I can remember being crazy about. I think he remains just as relevant today as he did when I was younger. Suffice to say, I consider myself to be a fan.

So, imagine my surprise when, while browsing the shelves at the glorious Myopic Books, I stumbled on to an Alexander book I'd never seen or heard of. Vesper Holly, a blazing torch grasped in her hand, stares wryly out out you as a city burns behind her? Did she set the fire? Is she running away from it? I couldn't tell, but I was suddenly overcome with the need to find out, for I (despite what you may have heard as sound advice to the contrary) do not hesitate to judge a book by its cover.

My curiosity piqued, I turned to the first page. I was hooked immediately, and I'm going to let Alexander do the talking for me. The following is the opening paragraph in its entirety:
Miss Vesper Holly has the digestive talents of a goat and the mind of a chess master. She is familiar with half a dozen different languages and can swear fluently in all of them. She understands the use of a slide rule but prefers doing calculations in her head. She does not hesitate to risk life and limb- mine as well as her own. No doubt she has other qualities yet undiscovered. I hope not.

Needless to say, that's all I needed to read.

The book is narrated by Vesper's uncle Brinton Garret, who she insists on calling Brinnie, and is set in 1876 . The story opens in Philadelphia as Brinnie and his wife travel to meet Vesper. Her father (an old friend and colleague of Brinnie's) has recently passed away, and he named Brinnie as Vesper's legal guardian in his room.

Soon thereafter, Vesper has strong-armed poor Brinnie into an expedition to the fictional country of Illyria (which may have some basis in fact upon a tiny bit of further research) where they will research one of her late father's last adventures, the existence of a mystical army from the bybgone days of Illyrian history.

Apparently Illyria (located on the Adriatic Sea, apparently near where Albania or Montenegro is today) has been torn by internal conflict between the rulingVentans and the native Illyrians who have been oppressed and discriminated against for centuries.

Vesper and Brinnie arrive just as tensions boil over. Despite the support of the kind and generous Ventan king Osman, they are plunged into political intrigues and revolutions and noone is sure who to trust. Danger lurks around every corner, and it is up to Vesper to try and heal the rift caused by centuries of infighting and mistrust.

Can even the mighty Vesper Holly pullt his off? Read and find out. If Indiana Jones was smarter, younger, and a girl, then he would be Vesper Holly. Personally, I can't wait to seek out her further adventures