Point of View

The narrative Point of View of the book switches from third-person and impersonal point of view to the third-person subjective as the narrative voice looks upon all of the characters and their actions, and then switches to describing their feelings and interior experience of the story. For example we start the story with the image of the sorcerer Alder as he disembarks from the boat (and we see this event from a 'God's eye view') and then the narrator reveals to us the inner apprehensions that the sorcerer is harbouring, and the mistrust of the sailors that he has just left.

This skilful interweaving of the different 'voices' (from impersonal to personal) is used by the author to allow the reader to see the story as a whole and also to interact in a personal way with the characters. As the author reveals the inner fears...