Previous SFF Author: Karin Lowachee
Helen Lowe is a new children/young adult author from New Zealand. Thornspell is her first novel. She also has sold the series listed below. For more information, visit Helen Lowe’s website. Read the first chapter of Thornspell at the Thornspell website.
Rebecca, who lives in New Zealand, recently met with NZ author Helen Lowe to discuss the release of Ms. Lowe’s second novel The Heir of Night (first novel in her series The Wall of Night). Read Rebecca’s reviews of The Heir of Night and Helen Lowe’s children’s novel, Thornspell.
REBECCA: What was the first glimmer of inspiration that you had that eventually led to The Wall of Night? To be more specific,
As much as I love reading fairytales, there’s always the sense that I’m only getting half of the story. There’s never any character development, explanations on where those magical artifacts come from, or why the bad guys act so villainous beyond the fairly rudimentary: “they’re evil.” In fairytales, things just happen, with little or no back-story.
Which is why I’ve always appreciated authors who consider the missing pieces to any fairytale and fill them accordingly with their own ideas. Donna Jo Napoli has built her career on this technique,
Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Helen Lowe | Children, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe
If Night falls, all falls.
Helen Lowe’s début novel Thornspell was a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story from the Prince’s point of view. The Wall of Night trilogy is a more traditional epic fantasy, though it contains a dash of science fiction and a unique setting that sets it apart from the usual swords-and-sorcery fare.
Set in the world of Haarth, the titular Wall of Night refers to a mountain range that is garrisoned by the warlike Derai clans.
Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4.5 | Helen Lowe | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Gathering of the Lost by Helen Lowe
Every Avalanche Begins with One Stone Falling…
The Gathering of the Lost is the second installment in Helen Lowe’s THE WALL OF NIGHT quartet, the first being The Heir of Night, in which we were first introduced to the story’s protagonist: Malian, the rightful heir to the House of Night, the first of the Nine Houses that garrison the mountain range known as the Wall. Malian’s people,
Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Helen Lowe | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Daughter of Blood by Helen Lowe
Daughter of Blood (2016), is the third book in Helen Lowe‘s four-book WALL OF NIGHT series, preceded by The Heir of Night and The Gathering of the Lost. It’s been a while since I read the last book, so it took a few chapters to untangle the far-reaching web of characters and plotlines, but soon I was back on track and re-immersing myself into the world of Haarth.
Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4.5 | Helen Lowe | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Previous SFF Author: Karin Lowachee
Thanks for the kind words, Marion! Coming as they are from a professional writer, they are much appreciated!
Wonderful review, Sandy.
The "body count" bothered me a bit less because being dead seemed more like an inconvenience than anything else... unlike…
Detailed, thoughtful review, Bill. I'm going to read it for two reasons. First, Karen Russell wrote it, and second, it…
this sounds like a fun one