Isabelle Carmody

Obernewtyn (Volume 1 of The Obernewtyn Chronicles) marks first US publication for award-winning Australian children's writer Isobelle Carmody.

Obernewtyn is set in a post-holocaust world, several centuries after a nuclear disaster known as the Great White. Only a few remote farming communities escaped the radiation and its aftermath. To protect the survivors from radiation-induced mutations, the communities' ruling body, the Council, decreed that all beasts and children not born normal show more should be burned. Over time, it became clear that mutation could be mental as well as physical, producing a range of strange, enhanced psychic abilities. Those with such abilities were condemned as Misfits, and imprisoned in brutal work camps.

Carmody has a gift for constructing convincing characters and settings with a minimum of detail, and her vision of post-holocaust society, with its fear-driven repression and quasi-religious rationalization of terrible cruelty, is entirely believable. The turns and reversals of the plot create a building tension that keeps the reader eagerly turning pages. I was reminded, a little, of Andre Norton's early work; there's a similar feeling of mystery to Carmody's world, a similar sense of unfolding imagination.

If the novel has a flaw, it's that Carmody's spare, detached narrative style -- which allows her to evoke the harshness of the post-holocaust world without cliché, and describe the heart-rending situations of the orphans without pathos -- also has the effect of distancing the first-person point of view she has chosen. Elspeth is a chilly, self-contained heroine, a quality that's entirely believable in the miserable setting of the orphanage, but works less well once Elspeth reaches Obernewtyn, where, under the influence of new friendships and growing trust, her emotional walls should surely start to crumble. But even under the duress of grief and loss, Elspeth remains emotionally removed, robbing her tragedies and triumphs - and, ultimately, the novel itself - of some of their impact. show less

For a first book its a great book, a very real world is created with very real characters and a story that moved along at a good pace. The story was clever in that it did not tell you everything, allowed you not to be sure about who was good and who was bad. Too often you can predict where everything is going way too easy and this story held back and allowed me to speculate, which was nice.

The other good thing is that the characters are flawed and I like that.

I am looking forward to show more reading the next book in the series. show less

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It is a futuristic fantasy that bordered on science fiction.

This very young adult book, aimed at girls in their early teens, deals with the young girl learning about herself, alone, in a hostile post-apocalyptic world.

The main character is different and she knows it. She has dangerous powers which have developed as part of her body’s survival response to its environment. These powers are considered dangerous therefore she is in mortal danger if they show more are discovered. I love that her best friend is a cat, one that she can communicate with, as, especially in my youth, the unconditional love of your domesticated in companions is often the only type of love you feel comfortable trusting.

I think most disturbing thing about this book is that it is obviously set on a parallel version of this earth, hundreds of years after a nuclear war. The sanctuary she finds herself in is not what it seems and it looks like those in power may be moving to make the same mistakes again.

Isobelle Carmody’s portrayal of a young girl living a fear most of us have at some time in their lives is grounding. I love how she deals with a world none of us want to see through the eyes of a young woman finding her place in a world turned upside down. 4/5 stars. show less

In the future people have to live in domes as the climate has become unpredictable. Will lives in Fyshwick an outer suburb of Canberra with his father. Life for Will is tough, his Uncle's passing does not sit easy with him as feels something seems off. What is worse no one is listening to him, not his Dad, his mother or therapist. His mother is more concerned about wanting Will to move to Sydney to follow a career path that is advantageous to her political ambitions. Will is feeling pulled show more in a multitude of directions. Talking to his friend Ender, rock climbing and taking pictures help Will relax. The nagging doubts about his Uncle's death set Will off to try and discover what happened. What Will does not expect is that his Uncle's death is part of a bigger conspiracy that will impact everyone around him.

Each of the characters are nuanced, distinctive and come to the page fully formed. Will is a wonderful confused mess, trying to balance the expectations of parents and is own dreams. Ender is a treat, she is feisty, opinionated but a fragility. The challenges that Ender faces really heightens the tension in the story.

Carmody is able to create a world with complex governance and social structures that as a reader you easily inhabit. You feel like this a world you intimately know as Carmody is so good at crafting a strong sense of place. Not only that, the mystery to be unravelled is deftly laid out, allowing you to pull the pieces together. The added bonus was as someone who has lived in Canberra there were little mentions like the Green Shed, which made me smile. This simply just a great from a master story teller. show less