Travel Light by Naomi Mitchison, published originally in 1952, is frequently described as a lost classic, a book that should be a staple of the fantasy genre. And now that I’ve read it, it turns out that I am one more person who’s going to say that.
I first heard of it through This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, which is how I think a lot of people discovered Travel Light. One more reason for me to praise This is How You Lose the Time War.
Halla is a princess who was cast out into the wilderness by her stepmother. Fortunately, her nurse becomes a werebear and takes care of her until the winter. Then she becomes the ward of a dragon. Afterwards, she is given the blessing Odin to be a wanderer and travel light.
That is the _prologue_
After that, Halla takes on her own agency and her journey, at that point, becomes about her own decisions. Her first decision is to become a wanderer and see the world through eyes of bear and dragon and girl.
Travel Light is written like a fable or a fairy tale but it is never twee. It never offers simple answers. It deals with themes of death and loss, religion and politics, despair and hope. For such a short little book, there’s a lot going on. It is not a book about discovering who you are. It is a book about deciding who you are.
And, yes, Travel Light is a book that deserves more attention. It is accessible to children and meaningful to adults. It offers valuable thoughts on life and asks us to decide what the lessons are.
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