Tag Archives: Legends of Australian Fantasy

The Magic Word by Jennifer Fallon

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

The Magic WordTitle: The Magic Word
Author: Jennifer Fallon
Series: Hythrun Chronicles #9
In: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Medieval fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: I mean… he may not even be aware of what’s going on.

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Synopsis

A fabulous story of what happens when certain worlds collide! Princess Adrina, Damin Wolfblade, the High Prince of Hythria, and Tarja, the Lord Defender seem to be experiencing a time loop … reliving the same day constantly. In the dungeons being held prisoner is a young man by the name of Dirk Provin from the world of Ranadon … he has an alarming message about the breakdown of the veil between their worlds. And when they set off to find the truth, they also find a crashed machine and Tide Lords … and a leipreachan. All they have to do to make everything right is find the ‘magic word’ …

Thoughts

Have you ever wondered what happens to the characters when you close the pages of a beloved book? I always imagine them living their happily ever afters, going on more adventures and just generally enjoying the life that they’ve been granted. But, what if it isn’t like that? The Magic Word is Fallon’s way of looking at what happens to the characters after you turn the last page of the book, after the author stops writing their story.

I loved the concept of this story, and even the way it was told, but some of the repetition throughout it got to be a little tedious. Although, I think that that was kind of the point of the storyline. I felt that it was a little boring just reading it, imagine living the same introduction to your day again and again and again!

This novella took me nowhere that I expected to go. And for that I’m grateful. It also made me think about all of the many, many literary characters I have loved over the years and question what could have become of them (in the imaginative sense).

 <- A Captain of the Gate Review The Enchanted Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins NZ

The Enchanted by Cecilia Dart-Thornton

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Overview
The Enchanted

Title: The Enchanted
Author: Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Series: Bitterbynde Companion
In: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Fae, Romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘I wish that your coming-of-age would befall tomorrow, Mistress Blythe,’ said Hawkmoor as they strolled.

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Synopsis

In the enchanted and magical world of Erith, danger comes to Kelmscott Hall as the trows seek to claim Mazarine’s baby. But it is Thrimby, the mysterious servant of the master of Kelmscott who will save them all from the most dangerous of bargains …

Thoughts

Stories that feature the fae are always something that I enjoy sinking my teeth into, and this three-part journey was one such beautifully constructed novella. I also really enjoyed that, for me at least, there were three distinct parts of this story, each with its own mini beginning, middle and end. It, would, theoretically make it easier to put the story down after each point of conflict passed. It didn’t. But, maybe for one less geeky it would.

Starting with Miss Blythe’s quiet brownie friend, her trials and romance are impacted by the presence of the fae throughout her battles against her guardian. The fact that she falls for the man’s son just seems to compound the difficulties that she is forced to face in an attempt to find her happily ever after. Yet, as with all stories, it is her position as an heiress that seems to get her (and her loved ones) in the most trouble. Alright, so some of the story line is a little predictable, but it still has this beauty and sweetness to it that made me fall in love within the first few pages.

After our sweet, and somewhat unassuming chief protagonist loses the man she loves, is forced into an unwanted confrontation with her guardian and leaves her temporary home, she has a whole new set of circumstances that become difficult to face. Again, the grey ones are lingering on the edges, but it is her strength and willingness to see justice that helps to carry her through the second trial of the novella. And, of course, when all seems lost, her love comes to the rescue. At the risk of his own demise.

It is in the third bit of this story that Dart-Thornton really plucks at my heart strings. There is an overarching feeling of the happy ending, everything seems right, and everyone is alive and healthy. And then a baby is due to arrive and the guardian again rears his ugly head. Now is the part of the story that really draws upon fae folklore, and it is the humorous, intriguing way in which this is dealt with that has stuck with me, even days after I finished this story.

I can’t recommend this novella enough – it combines folklore, love and tragedy in one neat package. And although some of it is a little predictable, it is still incredibly enjoyable.

 <- The Battle of Evernight ReviewThe Ill-Made Mute Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Legends of Australian Fantasy edited by Jack Dann and Jonathan Strahan

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Overview

Legends of Australian FantasyTitle: Legends of Australian Fantasy
Editors: Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan
Authors: Garth Nix, Trudi Canavan, Juliet Marillier, Isobelle Carmody, Kim Wilkins, Sean Williams, D.M. Cornish, Ian Irvine, John Birmingham, Jennifer Fallon & Cecilia Dart-Thornton
In: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Fantasy, Short story collections
Pace: Fast
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘And… and from the Charter, milady.’

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Synopsis

From two of the best editors working today … These are the legends of Australian fantasy – eleven of Australia’s best-loved and most widely read writers … Gathered together by equally legendary editors Jack Dann and Jonathan Strahan to produce an entirely original compilation … Celebrate the legends of Australian fantasy. Extraordinary voices … extraordinary worlds. Come to Erith, to a faerie tale with a sting, or to Obernewtyn, long before the Seeker was born. Revisit a dark pocket of history for the Magician’s Guild or get caught up in the confusion of an endlessly repeating day in the Citadel. Cross the wall, where Charter magic is all that lies between you and death. A trip with a graverobber can be gruesome, and it’s hard to share the fear of a woman who must kill her husband if her child is to rule … A mysterious tale plays out in Sevenwaters. Catch up with Ros and Adi as they prepare for the greatest change of all. Other twists in these fabulous tales bring us to demonic destiny and an alternate WWII.

Thoughts

I love pursuing Australian authors – after all, I would love to be one one day, and they are my people. So, discovering that there is a book that features not one, not two, but nine of these phenomenal people made me break out in a huge grin. And I wasn’t disappointed. Actually, the main disappointment came when I finished the last novella and had to find a new anthology to go and read.

The pace of each of these nine novellas was entirely unique and, in most cases, quite unexpected. The only tie that they had to one another was that they are all fantasy stories, and they tied into a series or world created by the author. Which, ultimately means that I have another seven series to go out and buy (I already owned two). Sometimes, this kind of variety doesn’t really work. The stories don’t flow well and it is really just feels haphazard in how they’re collected. But, the short author introduction at the beginning of each story and the rationale behind the story worked brilliantly and made it a cohesive whole.

If you want a taste of the brilliance that some of Australia’s finest fantasy authors have to offer, I’d definitely recommend that you buy this book. Or borrow it, whatever tickles your fantasy. It was a fantastic welcome to a few new worlds and I’ve got a couple of new books to add to my shelves now.

 <- The Enchanted Review To Hold the Bridge Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins Australia

The Spark by Sean Williams

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Legends of Australian Fantasy

Title: The Spark (A Romance in Four Acts)
Author: Sean Williams
Series: The Change Companion
In: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Easy reading, Fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: The house-boy rushed into the room with a glass of water, which she accepted with gratitude and sipped as the fit subsided.

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Synopsis

‘The Spark’ sits midway along the timeline of the ten linked fantasy novels in the Change series – the Books of the Change, the Books of the Cataclysm, and most recently the Broken Land. Inspired by the landscapes of Williams’ childhood rather than European or indigenous Australian mythologies, Sean had no conception when he set out on this journey that the places he revisited would become such an enduring obsession. The people who occupied them, also.

His young protagonists Ros and Adi were left somewhat hanging at the end of the Broken Land trilogy, as had Sal and Shilly years before them, because the conclusion to their story lay beyond the purview of a series for young readers. Williams always intended to return, to see their knot tied, but the deeper he dove into their story the less, perversely, it became about them, or even about the landscape that originally inspired their world.

Yet in a very real way, ‘The Spark’ is the capping stone on the entire series. All the characters Williams loved are present, in one form or another, and all the motifs too. Loss, the passage to adulthood, the nursing and healing of old wounds – for me, that’s always what these stories have been about.

And love, too,  with which all can be endured.

Thoughts

I can’t get this story out of my head. And not in that irritating, it won’t leave and details are niggling away at me way. But that holy crap. That was amazing. I need to get more of these books! I want to know more about Adi and Ross. This story is epic. So now I just have to wait until I have some spare money to buy more of Sean Williams’ books…

I don’t often feel crazy about four act storylines, and the romance aspect of stories often feels tedious when I’m reading the tale. After all, boy meets girl, they fall in love, there is a problem, everything is resolved is the most standard storyline. And even the best stories do tend to read like this. But, it’s all about the journey. And for Adi and Ross, it is about the hunt for one another and true love. Reigniting the spark that has burnt between them for years.

Words that could describe the happy, warm fuzzy feeling that this novella left me with are pretty much impossible to come by. There is that feeling of happy contentment that you get when you finish a really good story. And The Spark not only left me with that, but also made the other stories I tried to read afterwards feel completely inadequate. I’m sure the feeling will eventually fade away though.

<- Crown of RowanThe Corsers’ Hinge ->

Image source: Harper Collins Australia

Tribute to Hell by Ian Irvine

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Tribute to HellTitle: Tribute to Hell
Author: Ian Irvine
Series: The Tainted Realm #0.5
In: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Demons, Medieval fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘I’m dead either way.’

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Synopsis

“Tribute to Hell” is set in the Elder Days of a new fantasy world explored in detail in the trilogy, The Tainted Realm. To ensure Greave pays for his crime and redeems himself, his god, K′nacka, holds hostage Greave′s little sister. And Greave has to steal the Graven Casket for the god. Greave knew he had to do it, but he was not going to survive, and neither was his little sister …

Thoughts

There’s one problem with reading collections of novellas and short stories – I always want to buy the greater series and read it… and A Tribute to Hell definitely made me want to do this!

I love a story that goes nowhere near where I expected. Starting with Greave’s sins, I thought that this would be a story about one man finding redemption and escaping the God’s wrath. The addition of a nun was a great (if not typical) distraction, and the best friend a fantastic way to keep the sinner on track. Seems fairly typical, right? Nope. The nun was actually a sinner, the sinner a saviour and the best friend a great way to keep the story on track. Like I said, this story went nothing like I expected, and it was so captivating that I am waiting for the next payday to buy The Tainted Realm series.

There’s not much I can say about the storyline that won’t completely give away all of the fantastic twists and turns. But, ultimately, the battle between good and evil is far more complex than it initially seems. I love when stories investigate the grey areas of life – after all, nothing is purely evil or purely good in reality, so why should it be in the stories?

 <- The Corsers’ Hinge Review A Captain of the Gate Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins Australia

The Corsers’ Hinge by D.M. Cornish

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Legends of Australian FantasyTitle: The Corsers’ Hinge
Author: D.M. Cornish
Series: Monster Blood Tattoo #2.5
In: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Dark fantasy, Medieval fantasy
Pace: Slow
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: One Mister Emptor Settlepond; he owns a whole bunch o’ tallowbellies and is constantly seekin’ sturdy souls to work ’em on account of ‘im always openin’ more.

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Synopsis

Bunting Faukes has a debt and no way to repay it – times are tough for grave robbers. But a way out is presented in the person of Atticus Wells, a sleuth with strange eyes that see into everything.

Thoughts

There is something about D.M. Cornish’s writing that takes a lot longer for me to process. It’s a combination of the convoluted writing style, and the creation of a totally new world that seems to stump me, and, when I’m struggling to concentrate, I find it epically difficult and almost impossible to read at times.

Not that that means that I don’t like this novella… it’s just that it took me a really long time to read. And I generally like the shorter stories for the fact that they are an enjoyable afternoon spent. The different storylines and points of view that all connect is something that I have always enjoyed in a story. It’s great to see how the same thing can stem from multiple viewpoints and storylines.

I honestly don’t know whether I loved or hated this story. I suppose something in between. It was difficult to read, but still something that is stuck in my mind. A great story by a man with an incredible imagination, just one that I probably won’t be able to read again.

 <- The Spark Review Tribute to Hell Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins Australia

A Captain of the Gate by John Birmingham

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

A Captain of the GateTitle: A Captain of the Gate
Author: John Birmingham
Series: The Disappearance Companion
In: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Fantasy, History
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: McKinnon, a great man by any measure, flawed as are all men, celebrated and reviled, a creator-destroyer of the first order, lies beneath a simple tombstone because he demanded it to be so.

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Synopsis

A ′What if′ story of the Cold War … a small piece of alternate history of the period told via a biography of one of its players, Lieutenant Branch McKinnon, an adventurer in a different post-WWII world of American isolationism.

Thoughts

I just don’t know what I think about this short story. I liked the tone, I liked the way in which it was written, but I wasn’t really sure whether or not it was even a story until I got to the afterword. I just don’t know enough about the history of World War II or even the Allied Nations to actually pull apart this fictional historical biography.

Once I got to the end of A Captain of the Gate, I loved and completely understood the concept of what the point of these 60 pages was. The idea of rewriting a history for all the ‘what ifs’ was brilliant. And the use of a hero (or villain) of this war’s biography and personal history worked well too. But, as someone who knows next to nothing about historical events (I swear I slept through that class), much of the intricacies of this storyline completely flew over my head.

Maybe if I did some research, I would understand (and enjoy) this story better.

 <- Tribute to Hell Review The Magic Word Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

 

Crown of Rowan by Kim Wilkins

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

The Crown of RowanTitle: Crown of Rowan
Author: Kim Wilkins
Series: Blood and Gold #0.5
In: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Medieval fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Quietly, careful not to wake my sister, I return to the window.

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Synopsis

There are seven kings in Thrysland. My father is one of them, and my husband is another. In my belly, perhaps, I carry a third.

Rose is the beautiful unhappily married daughter of a king and she has a secret to keep, not just from her husband but from her sisters, fierce warrior Bluebell, and Ash, a seer in possession of great but unknown powers. But larger events are afoot in Thrysland. The country is plunged into war with merciless raiders; religious zealots are at work on Rose’s husband, King Wengest, and more than that, there is a dark and deep magic at work throughout the land that threatens them all…

Thoughts

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this novella since I first read it! I love the idea of four sisters set in pre-Christian Europe, and the very different roles that they all play in their lives and the safety of the kingdom. Rose (the main sister in this story) is so clear and striking in my mind’s eye, and I find myself returning to her story again and again. She is the epitome of what many women must have experienced in that era – married to a man she doesn’t love, whilst yearning for the one that she does.

Although this story is about Rose and her hidden love, and is based on pre-Christian Europe, I love the fantastical elements within it. The sendings and the secrets that are obviously hidden with each of these characters sent goosebumps up my spine. Especially, reading this late at night, by a small light, the world seemed so real and vivid. It’s always a good story (whether it is short or long) when it not only stays in your mind, but also features heavily in your dreams. I can’t wait to read (but, firstly buy) the first novel in this series, Daughters of the Storm!

 <- The Dark Road Review The Spark Review ->
Image source: Harlequin Books

The Dark Road by Isobelle Carmody

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

The Dark RoadTitle: The Dark Road
Author: Isobelle Carmody
Series: The Obernewtyn Chronicles #0.5
In: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian author, Dystopia, High fantasy, Science fiction
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: So she got out her blue mug.

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Synopsis

A one-eyed cat weaves its way through Hannah’s dreams, beckoning her up high mountains where she must walk the dark road. Her pilgrimage will take her through desert dunes, and deep into the strange recesses of long-hidden memories. Guided only by an old letter and her psychic intuition, Hannah’s journey will test her ageing limbs, as she carries the weight of her mother’s prophecy to her salvation, or peril …

Thoughts

Strictly speaking, it’s not necessary to read this short story before you read the Obernewtyn Chronicles. Actually, it’s not even necessary at any point throughout the reading of the series. but, if you are like me and can’t quite get enough of the series, then this is definitely worth a read. It tells the tale of the days when Cassandra was first foretelling the coming of the Seeker and how Hannah worked into this story. It’s a great background read.

The thing that I loved most of this short story was the voice that told it. Hannah’s daughter fills in so many missing gaps of the past age, yet it is her elderly acceptance of such a moment that is truly beautiful. The vivid descriptions of her journey and the sense of mystery throughout are so indicative of Carmody’s style of writing that it is impossible to stop reading this tale once you have started.

 <- The Red Queen Review Obernewtyn Review ->
Image source: Booktopia

To Hold the Bridge by Garth Nix

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

Hold the Bridge_CVRTitle: To Hold the Bridge
Author: Garth Nix
Series: The Old Kingdom #3.7
In: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan) & To Hold the Bridge (Garth Nix)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Fantasy, Necromancers
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia & Hot Key Books
Year: 2005
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘Go and meet my Seconds,’ she instructed.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Far to the north of the magical Old Kingdom, the Greenwash Bridge Company has been building a bridge for almost a hundred years. It is not an easy task, for many dangers threaten the bridge builders, from nomad raiders to Free Magic sorcerers. Despite the danger, Morghan wants nothing more than to join the Bridge Company as a cadet. But the company takes only the best, the most skillful Charter mages, and trains them hard, for the night might come when only a single young cadet must hold the bridge against many foes. Will Morghan be that cadet?

Thoughts

It’s always nice to revisit a fantasy world that you have loved over the years. One that you have visited again and again and again over the years. To Hold the Bridge was a great way to do this. The Old Kingdom series has been a favourite for years, and, although this novella doesn’t fit into the overall storyline, it does serve as a fantastic reminder of the years of joy that these stories have given me.

To Hold the Bridge is a great story about overcoming the past, and the tragedies of one’s childhood. Although Morghan has been dealt a hard hand in life, his desperation (and gumption) helps him to find a new future in which he finds contentment, and possibly even happiness. Yet, it isn’t until the final battle in this story (after all, what is a story without a final, epic battle) that he is able to realise that he has finally found a place to which he belongs. Revisiting the dead, Free Magic and the Charter was a great way to spend an afternoon, and it has certainly left me craving more tales of the Old Kingdom.

<- An Extract from the Journal of Idrach the Lesser Necromancer Review Goldenhand Review ->
Image source: Allen & Unwin