Victor Kelleher

A young boy Quen is tasked by his mother to journey into the great forest Thual, to save the Ten Villages from the domination of the pitiless Mollag.

I re-read this book after decades. Kelleher's fantasy worlds stand up, because the protagonists make choices that aren't always the best ones, and deal with the consequences. This story particularly is about changing one's frame of mind. Although the Forest of Thual is vast and the merciless Mollag are always hunting Quen, through several trying show more episodes (I had forgotten some details such as the Alan Garner -like Tunnel of Black Water, a squirmy and uncomfortable underground section), his journey is as much an inner one. He learns the nature of the forest, atones for killing within it and eventually achieves his goal of meeting the Wise Ones. That meeting leads to further choices and a powerful -- too powerful -- acquisition of the Eye of Desire. show less

I enjoyed Victor Kelleher's childrens' fiction and so picked up this collection of adult short stories. It is divided into two main sections: The Traveller, stories of two continents and Micky Darlin'. The Traveller stories were mostly set in Africa, with a few in Australia or New Zealand. The tales were about melancholy rootlessness, disconnection, isolation and race relations. The Micky Darlin' set was a coming-of-age sequence set in England in a poor Irish neighbourhood after World War 2. show more They detail Micky's squabbling extended family; their fights with each other and God.

I found the Traveller tales interesting for their African content but quite bleak. The Micky Darlin' tales were a bit hard to get into (not an exciting genre for me) but were well-written (and short) enough to engage me. Overall the writing was good but I prefer Kelleher's more imaginative stories. show less

A fascinating post-post-apocolyptic YA book (before YA was even a thing) set in Sydney, Australia. "Taronga" follows the journey of Ben (a young man who has a psychic connections to animals) as he attempts to find his place in the new world. Ben eventually makes his way to the old Taronga Park Zoo, where his connection with Ellie, an aboriginal girl, and the animals, give him hope in his otherwise bleak existence.

I really enjoyed the book and loved the retro eighties feel - the cover of my show more book is a "Ken Done" illustration, and if you took the path taken by Ben from the Blue Mountains, through Windsor and into Sydney these days, there'd be very little bush and loads of outer suburban housing - ain't progress grand! show less

This is a fast-paced fantasy, that despite being originally published in 1979, should appeal to today's young readers. It probably deserves 4 stars, but Quen, the main character, had a tendency to make some rather foolish mistakes that got on my nerves somewhat. However, this does add to the drama, and how Quen overcomes both his flaws and the terrible enemy his people are facing, makes an exciting story.