Garner uses a concentrated, poetic style, moving deftly from scene to scene and world to world. The dialogue is terse, with few explanations; and sometimes the reader must draw inferences to fill in the gaps. Gamer effectively uses concrete words to emphasize dualities in his story, especially light and shadow.

Much of the novel's power lies in the myths which Garner integrates into the story. The epigraph, "Childe Rowland to the Dark Tower came—," suggests the Scottish ballad, in which Childe Rowland, guided by Merlin, enters elfland to rescue his older sister, Burd Ellen, who has been abducted by fairies.

Roland Watson, in our story, enters Elidor to rescue his sister Helen and his brothers. The Mound of Vandwy, in which they are imprisoned, is analogous to the Dark Tower of Childe Rowland.

The four treasures of Elidor and the names of the four castles...