Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody

[_ocelott_]

Series: The Obernewtyn Chronicles
Publisher: Tor, 1999
Genre: Fantasy
Sub-genre: Post-apocalyptic
Rating: 4 pints of blood

Comments

[aurillia]

"Mwa ha ha ha ha ha" *evil laugh

[_ocelott_]

So... no fisticuffs then?

Glad you liked the review. I always get a little nervous starting in on a book I know people love. I think I would have fallen harder for it if I'd read it as a YA, but even as a jaded adult Obernewtyn had me reading well past bedtime.

[aurillia]

Me too - and I especially try to avoid reading a book by a "Goodreads Author", those books that are either self-published or published by some tiny unheard-of publisher - I just don't want to read it and not like it, because I'd have to give an honest review and I don't want to come across as really mean, y'know? Because they're the kind of GR author who will check the reviews. I mean, Paulo Coelho is on GR too but he don't give a shit, he doesn't badger people or anything.

[betsybookwyrm]

I read it first when I was about 10 too, and it's the same for me. It is for many, I think. It's just a compelling book!

Elspeth is reserved to the point of pig-headedness! She doesn't like to show her thoughts and feelings. She's often not very self-confident, either. It takes her forever to believe how special she is and how momentous events are.

_ocelott_ - I second the recommendation of Green Monkey Dreams (but I hear it's out of print now?) - it's so very surreal, and if you enjoy the prose in Obernewtyn, you'll probably love the prose in this book too. Two of the stories ('Long Live the Giant' and 'Green Monkey Dreams') in particular I find absolutely fascinating and beautifully written, and I think I'll never forget them. I agree with aurillia - it really makes you think about several philosopical issues and questions, which you then see everywhere in her other books.

I'd also recommend The Gathering - a YA book studied in some high schools here (I did it in year 8). It's a really strong story, very moving, quite dark. And Scatterlings as

[betsybookwyrm]

I love these books! I've been recommending them to friends and family in North America for years, and I think I've taken two full sets of the series over there to give to cousins who couldn't find it... It's been one of my favourites since I first read it when I was 9 or 10, and was one of the books that really got me hooked on fantasy/sci-fi. It's the book that Aussie readers recommend to overseas readers, I think - kind of the literary equivalent of Tim Tams.

One of the things I love about the series is how it develops - every book adds more to the world, the plot, the characters (a little like the Harry Potter series). Some of the things that bug you about Elspeth will be further developed - she is perhaps slightly too super-human in some ways, but there is a reason for it, and she most certainly has her flaws (not that they're terrible ones). On re-reading the series recently, I realised that you can really tell that Obernewtyn is Isobelle Carmody's first book - not that it isn't wonderful, but it is actually rather simple

[aurillia]

Oh god yes, the wait was so painful! The Keeping Place came out when I was in year 11, or 16, and the next one, The Stone Key didn't come out till this year, when I'm 28! With a gap that big I need to reread the series before I read the latest book. I used to read them every year but haven't in a while, so things have slipped my mind.

I recommend them to everyone too Betsy - an LJ friend in Denmark recently read this book because of all my pestering, and enjoyed it. The books are hard to get hold of there though, and they only have the first three (in English, I think they're the North American edition).