Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody
Elspeth has dreams that come true. She can read thoughts, even the thoughts of animals, especially the strange cat Maruman. These gifts make her a Misfit, marked for death in her world.
Isobelle Carmody’s post-apocalyptic fantasy Obernewtyn, published in 1987, follows Elspeth from the “orphanage farm,” where she and her brother Jes were sent after the execution of their parents for sedition, to the strange mountain compound of Obernewtyn, a place of mystery, power and great danger.
In this world a strict government and a stricter religious order called The Herders control the population after a catastrophe, the Great White, nearly destroyed all life. It appears from the toxicity of the soil and the mention of whole sectors that are “badlands” that the event might have been thermonuclear. Anything from the Beforetimes, like books, is ... Read More
More fantasies by Isobelle Carmody
Gateway Trilogy — (2000-2003) Young adult. The last book will be called Firecat’s Dream. Publisher: Rage Winnoway’s mother has been asleep since she had a terrible accident. In a quest to find healing magick, Rage and her animal friends travel through a strange gateway to Valley, a land of mythical beasts, talking dogs and streets that change shape. But Valley is no paradise. Harsh guardians rule a sinister black city, and fugitive witch folk work forbidden magick. Rage desperately wants to go home, but the one person who can help her, a wizard, has disappeared. Her only guides are the treacherous firecat and an enchanted hourglass.




Little Fur — (2006-2008) Ages 9-12. Publisher: Who is Little Fur? Why, she’s a half elf, half troll, as tall as a three-year-old human child, with slanted green eyes, wild red hair that brambles about her pointed ears, and bare, broad, four-toed feet. Little Fur loves and tends to the Old Ones, the seven ancient trees that protect her home, a small, magical wilderness nestled magically in a park in the midst of a large, bustling human city. When she learns that evil forces are out to destroy her beloved trees, the intrepid halfling must embark on an ambitious and dangerous journey into the human world and down into an ancient cut in the earth, in search of a way to save not only the Old Ones, but the Earth Spirit itself.




Legendsong — (released in Australia 1996- ) Publisher: After the death of her parents and her beloved instructor, Wind, Glynn devotes herself to the care of her sick twin sister, feeling her own life to be unimportant. One night, during a midnight swim, she is swept across the Void to the troubled watery world of Keltor, through a portal created to summon the mythical Unraveller. What is the mysterious connection between Glynn’s world and Keltor? And why does the man who rescued her from the waves bear an eerie resemblance to Wind?




Kingdom of the Lost — (2013-2014) Publisher: In this captivating first book, brothers Zluty and Bily live happily in their little house in the desert. Every year Zluty journeys to the great forest while Bily stays to tend their desert home. And every year Zluty returns with exciting tales of his adventures. But then a devastating red wind sweeps across the land destroying everything in its path. And each brother must fight for his survival. A magical new series for younger readers from the award-winning author of Little Fur.


STAND ALONE NOVELS:
Scatterlings — (1991) Publisher: Merlin awakes from a terrifying accident not knowing who, or where she is. All she knows for certain, is that this is not her world… Bewildered and alone, Merlin sets out through an alien landscape to try and discover the truth about herself — as terrifying as it may be!
The Gathering — (1993) Young Adult. Publisher: When 15-year-old Nathaniel and his mother move to Cheshunt, the boy immediately senses something wrong with the town. As he finds out more about the town’s dark past, Nathaniel knows he’s not imagining things. He soon finds himself involved with a small group of friends determined to defeat an age-old evil presence that has held the town in its grasp for decades.
Green Monkey Dreams — (1995) Publisher: A stunning collection of 14 short stories, full of provocative ideas and haunting images. I ride this day upon the Worldroad, alone, except for Courage, who rides on the pommel of my saddle fluffing his feathers. I did not dream of journeying thus as a child… This is the unforgettable world of Isobelle Carmody, presented in 14 stories written over a period of 13 years. Within it readers will find roads of paradox on which an angel might be a torturer, or a princess might reject a prince to save a rooster. These are paths traveled by seekers of the difficult deepest truths never found on straight roads; here a boy searches for his true name, a group of pilgrims is led by a song on an ancient journey, and a beast discovers hope. Enter this world and you will never again be sure where reality ends and imagination begins, for sometimes the greatest truths can only be told through imagination. From one of Australia’s finest writers of fantasy comes a stunning collection of stories full of provocative ideas and haunting images.
Greylands — (1997) Publisher: A silent, lonely place, devoid of colour and scent — this is the Greylands. Jack and Ellen have lost their mother and their grief-stricken dad isn’t coping. In the sad and confusing aftermath of her death, Jack tries to understand more about his mother and the mysteries behind her death. One wakeful night, Jack enters a place made up of colourless reflections of his own world. Trapped inside this lonely land he meets Alicia, a strange girl with a secret, and the tragic laughing beast. Will Jack work out how to escape before the terrifying wolves find him? Or is he destined to live in the Greylands forever?
The Landlord — (2000) Publisher: When a mysterious entrepreneur, known simply as ‘the Landlord’, takes over a derelict theatre, Abel and his strange, brilliant friend, Egon, are fascinated by its transformation into an ‘Ultimate Entertainment Centre’. As Abel begins to notice that more sinister changes are happening around town as well, Egon sees nothing but the flickering glamour of the virtual reality game the Landlord has distributed to every home. A surreal tale set in a frightening future, by multi-award winning author Isobelle Carmody, with evocative illustrations by Ken Carmody.
Dreamwalker — (2001) Publisher: Ken’s ambition was to be a comic-book artist, one of a team that made the drawings come to life, that made the stories real. His greatest creation was the sorceress, whose deadly hungers visited sleepers and fed upon them. But one day he woke from a dream and found himself in the world of the sorceress, a world where one of his own characters, the beautiful Alyssa, claimed to have imagined him. Who was the dreamer and who was the dream?
Alyzon Whitestarr — (2009) Ages 9-12. Publisher: Are Alyzon’s new abilities a blessing… or a curse? Alyzon Whitestarr doesn’t take after her musically talented father or her nocturnal, artistic mother. In fact, she’s the most normal member of a very eccentric family… until the day that an accident leaves her more unique than she ever could have dreamed. Suddenly colors are more vibrant to Alyzon; her memory is flawless; but strangest of all is Alyzon’s sense of smell. Her best friend smells of a comforting sea breeze. She registers her father’s contentment as the sweet scent of caramelized sugar. But why does the cutest guy in school smell so rancid? With Alyzon’s extrasensory perception comes intrigue and danger, as she becomes aware of the dark secrets and hidden ambitions that threaten her family. In the end, being different might be less of a blessing than a curse…
Metro Winds — (2012) Publisher: An engrossing collection of sensual, otherworldly stories from the author of the acclaimed Obernewtyn Chronicles. In these stories, anything is possible. A young man fulfills a dying wish. A girl discovers her destiny in the dark tunnels of the Metro. Another seeks her lost sister in a park where winter lasts forever. A writer pursues an ending to his story. A mother works magic to summon a true princess for her son. A lost man goes in search of his shadow. This is a world of desire and transformation, the real and the not real, from a queen of modern fantasy.