Good, but not as good as "Island of the Blue Dolphins"

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	• Serpent Never Sleeps Scott O'Dell Fawcett, 1988 - 192 pages average customer review:based on 10 reviews view larger image
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Sorry, Scott O'Dell, this one was a slight flop

I found this book mildly interesting, and for me that's a waste of time. I read books that will give me a wild, deep, thoughtful, or sensitive ride. This book did none of that. I appreciated the part where Serena threw away her magical ring, realising it was wrong to be at peace knowing SHE would be safe, while her poor companions could die. I read a different edition of the book, I don't know if it had the same illustrations, but I read a hardcover edition and there was a picture of Pocahontas for the second section that make her look UGLY, contradicting the amazing beauty the book talks about. The romance that developed between Serena and Thomas was rather undeveloped. I appreciated the insight about John Rolfe being torn because Pocahontas wasn't a believer, but I wish he had waited until she was.
The other thing was, WHEN DID SERENA GET MARRIED? I read kinda fast at the end b/c I was bored, but i caught Tom asking her and she said no, then later on, she says she'd never seen a man so happy, referring to John Rolfe when he married Pocahontas, except her Tom. ....

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I expected better. . .

from the author of "The Island of Blue Dolphins." I found "The Serpent Never Sleeps" to be a rather weak novel with a sketchy plot and poor charcter development. Nothing in the book seems to be developed! Characters come and go for no reason such as Serena's brother who disappears after a couple of pages. Other characters are never developed such as Emma Swinton. Is she the accused murderer and why does she want Humility so badly? We are never told! Also Anthony Foxcroft was such a weak character that his death carries no emotional impact. The main character, Serena, does things for no rational reason. Why did she learn the Indian language? Why does she believe that only she can save Jamestown? Why she does these things is never explained- she just does them. The result is a novel with a plot that is paper thin and very sketchy. "The Serpent Never Sleeps" is not one of O'Dell's finer works.

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Good, but not as good as "Island of the Blue Dolphins"

Scott O'Dell was a great writer of historical novels for young readers. "Island of the Blue Dolphins" is still one of my favorites from childhood. I recently picked up "The Serpent Never Sleeps" to see what he did with colonial Virginia, and I was somewhat disappointed. In a historical novel, there is really no place for magic that works; Serena's magic ring just jarred my sense of disbelief something fierce. If it had been an all-out fantasy, I would have enjoyed it more. But the journey to Virginia is told with real gusto, as is their shipwreck in the Bahamas. The arrival in Jamestown is fraught with danger and the threat of starvation, and only Serena (who knows Pocahontas) can save them. A decent adventure, just not O'Dell's best.

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reviews: page 1, 2

Serena Lynn, age seventeen, turns down an appointment to serve England's King, James I, at court in order to follow her beloved Anthony Foxcroft across the sea to the newly founded colony of Jamestown. But their ship, loaded with much-needed supplies, founders in a hurricane, wrecking Serena and Anthony in Bermuda. By the time they make their way to Jamestown, the colony is in ruins, the people half-starved. Now Serena must go to the Indian princess Pocahontas to plead for the life of the colony -- and of the man she loves!

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