From the first sentence of Raven’s End it is clear we are in Dreamworld. Subtitled A Tale of the Canadian Rockies, Ben Gadd’s first novel is a long and fanciful flight from his previous non-fiction works on that region of the country. The story is set in the “limestone mountains along the eastern front of the Canadian Rockies,” but the protagonist and his fellow creatures would not be out of place in Animal Farm, Watership Down, or Alice in Wonderland.

A raven named Colin falls from the sky, the force of his tumble wiping out any memories of his origins. The reader then follows the anthropomorphic adventures of the mythical Colin and friends through the seasons, including a winter in Banff National Park and a series of snowstorms and avalanches. They meet Zygadena, the Evil One. They nest and life goes on “full blast.”

Colin is a trickster figure – of sorts. This is a familiar position for a raven, who functions as a cultural mediator between humans and animals in many native religions. Here his loss of identity allows him to move through many worlds. But Colin’s tale is ultimately more of a rite-of-passage from innocence through knowledge to immortality.

Having said this, I confess I’m somewhat baffled by Raven’s End. My 17-year-old daughter is convinced it is written for the 11- to 12-year-old audience, or for adults trying to find the “child within.” The ravens speak in formal, somewhat stilted, sentences – “What did I leave out, Zack?” Molly asked. “Human,” he said. “Oh, yes. Humans, the worst of all.” – making it hard to peg a target audience.

Will fans of the above-mentioned books be pleased with Raven’s End? I don’t know. But from now on, the skies over Alberta, from Waterton to Banff, will never be the same.