Isabelle Carmody

Normally I shudder when I read a review that begins with "a delightful tale," but I'll be darned if that wasn't the first thing I thought after finishing Carmody's story. Little Fur's half-elven, half-trollish perspective on humans and their creations was comical, yet also bypassed the mishmash of facades and charades that we erect, leaving our constructs in their naked horror and disruption of the natural world...or perhaps I'm reading too much into a children's book.

What an incredible find. I'd never even heard of Isobelle Carmody when I picked up this audiobook, and I just picked it up from the library shelf in a hurry, wanting anything that might get me through my bus rides until I had time to look properly.

I couldn't possibly have chosen better. This book is amazing. I seriously want to read more of Isobelle Carmody in future. She walks the tightrope between "realism" and fantasy and walks it brilliantly, creating hair-raising suspense. I was show more enthralled all the way through and the characters rang vividly true. And the narration was pretty good as well, giving very believable life to the words. show less

Isobelle Carmody is one of the best writers ever. It must be because she's Australian (a lot of my favorite authors are Australian).

But seriously, her writing is just so beautiful and gorgeous that it's hard to stop reading once you've really gotten into it. I admit, the first half of Night Gate is a bit hard to sink one's teeth into, but if you make it that far, you are definitely in for the rest of the ride.

Isobelle Carmody makes me -feel- everything she writes. In the beginning, Rage is show more in a miserable position, and I felt just miserable reading about it. When Rage and company encounter the sinister city of Fork, I could -feel- the menacing presence of such a city, and I can honestly say that it gave me chills. When Rage is screaming in pain and fury, I'm screaming right along with her, and when Rage is laughing in happiness, I can't help but join in.

Night Gate is a work of art. That's all I can say.

Third Time Reading:
You know it's a good book when you take up the tradition of reading it again every year. Once again, I admit that the first half or so is a bit tedious and hard to sink your teeth into... but it's just so beautiful.

Isobelle Carmody strikes me as a very wise and knowing woman. Her knowledge of the world and love and emotion and pain is heartbreakingly accurate.

This is a story that will stay with me forever, a story that I will ponder and contemplate, a story that I hug tightly after every reading. It's a quiet, beautiful little thing. show less

After a devastating war, and subsequent plagues and mutations, the ESP-gifted mutants, called Misfits, are hunted down and killed. Now, however, a group of young Misfits, mostly orphans, have found a haven in the remote fortress of Obernewtyn. Hiding from the powerful and ruthless Council, the Misfits use their talents to discourage visitors, and to pretend that the fortress is a mostly abandoned ruin. Elspeth, a strong farseeker, has become a guildmistress in the budding society of show more Obernewtyn. Her special relationship with the telepathic animals, and her sense of duty urge her to participate in a dangerous mission: a trip to the lowlands to rescue a very strong and probably doomed telepath, out of both humanitarian reasons, and to prevent accidental discovery of Obernewtyn.

I had some issues with this book. The narrator, Elspeth Gordie, is as unsympathetic as she was in the first book. At no point did I understand her or what makes her tick. We know what she does -- rescue people, mostly -- but we are almost never privy to her innermost thoughts. In fact, Elspeth is the least sympathetic "good" character in the entire novel (and there are quite a few - read "too many" - to keep track of).

Another irritating point is that Elspeth seems to manufacture mental talents whenever the plot calls for it. Does she need to pick a lock? Suppress pain? Farseek? Beastspeak? Coerce? Stun? Kill? No problem! Because she's the heroine. Don't ask questions.

In a similar vein, it seems like every second person is a Misfit - but not only a Misfit, a Misfit with mental powers! (Carmody manages to conveniently forget that, in the first book, most Misfits are physically mutated, not mentally mutated. Not only that, but also that Misfits are supposed to be quite unusual.

The most annoying part of the book? One word: Lidgebaby. (For those who have read the book, you know what I'm talking about. What a cop-out. For those who haven't, brace yourselves.)

Finally, the rising action is far, far too drawn out. By the end, any rational person will be screaming internally for the damn thing to just cut to the chase, already! How much more could the author have possibly put the narrator through?

All that having been said, Carmody must be given credit for the creation of a likeable cast of supporting characters. Elspeth's companions on the journey, the people she meets, the non-humans she meets - all are strongly imagined. The "guildmerge" is an interesting concept, and kudos for the groundwork for future alliances and interesting geographical/topographical information.

If Carmody continues to improve, then perhaps ASHLING (the third book in the series) will be a very good read. For now, though, the OBERNEWTYN CHRONICLES remain at merely satisfactory. show less