Path of Beasts -
the final book in Lian Tanner's brilliant, gripping, moving,
all-round-awesome-in-every-way Keepers trilogy - is
out this month.
And oh lordy, what an ending.*
*expect tears, and joy, and probably some snot, and sighs of satisfaction,
and the desire to dive in and read the whole series again from the very
beginning.
And who among you think that Arya Stark should get more screen-time because
she is clearly the best - the bravest, the smartest, the true-est, the most
interesting?
Everyone?
Thought so.
With that in mind, here is reading list for Arya fans:
'The squires, who were boys training to be knights, copied Sir Benedict's
moves with their wooden practice swords. So did Tommy with the small paring
knife she was meant to be using on the potatoes.'
Tommy might be just a kitchen girl, but she is brave and
fair-minded and loves swords. And what's more she has a talking cat on her side,
so you know things are going to get interesting. But when Sir Walter's special
sword is stolen, Tommy, the new Keeper of the Swords, is in serious
trouble...
Tommy is a feisty, brilliant heroine, and the Sword Girl books, by the
completely lovely Frances Watts, are
fabulous read-alone or read-aloud books for anyone who likes swordplay
and derring-do and girls being brave and ingenious. (Which is clearly everyone,
right? Thought so.) And Greg Rogers's illustrations
are totally charming. Best of all, when you've finished Book 1, you can move
straight on to Book 2: The Poison Plot.* We're
sure these books would have been huge favourites in the Winterfell library, for
Bran (and that other younger brother you never see) as well as Arya.
We
think Goldie and Arya would get on like a house on fire. At the very least, they
could probably both escape unscathed from a house on fire. Goldie certainly
knows how to use the threat of fire to her advantage... She also knows what
it's like to cut off your hair and pretend to be a boy, and to escape from a
cruel dictator. But for Goldie, the sword she wields is bit of a mixed
blessing...
Hermione is obviously incredibly brave, smart and loyal, but we're going to
give honorary sword-girl status to Neville Longbottom, because he overcame a lot
of obstacles, including under-confidence and body-image issues, to become a
brave and trusty warrior who knew how and when to wield his sword for maximum
effect.
With a Sword in My Hand by Jean-Claude van Rijckeghem
& Pat van Beirs, translated by John Nieuwenhuizen
Marguerite's father is desperate for a son. Instead he's stuck with a
feisty, stubborn, red-headed daughter who refuses to behave like a lady. Aw
yeah. Marguerite fights (and kisses) the boys, she rides like a hellion
and, like Arya, she has a fencing maestro to whip her sword skills into
shape.
This is an intense and unusual book based on the real life of Marguerite
van Male. The Medieval court comes to smelly, loud, beautiful life and
Marguerite is an unforgettable heroine.
Cool
and rational, rather than fiery and impetuous, Sabriel might drive Arya crazy.
But Arya would have to respect her bravery in the face of Death, her sense of
duty and honour, and the fact that Sabriel's sword is not even her most powerful
weapon... Not to mention the fact that Mogget, in the right mood, would be more
than a match for a direwolf.
---------------
And now, may we suggest you watch the Game of Thrones theme song as sung by
the actors who play Arya, Sansa and Bran.
* Pssst. Sekret news. There are two more Sword Girl books coming in
September when Tommy will be starring in Tournament Trouble and The
Siege Scare. Everyone pleased? Thought so.
On Saturday night at a sparkling Sydney event, the winners of the 2011
Aurealis Awards were announced. And we are delighted to reveal that today's
courier package contained two fabulously shiny items. LOOK! Aurealis Awards in
the wild!*
'The winners represent the best of Australian fantasy, horror and science
fiction writing in 2011 as judged by a panel of their peers. This year's
winners join the likes of Sara Douglass, Garth Nix, Isobelle Carmody, Trudi
Canavan, Shaun Tan and Sean Williams, all of whom are multiple Aurealis Award
winners.'
One hundred HURRAHS for Penni!
One hundred HURRAHS for Lian!
And if you slip on over to Adventures of a Bookonaut, Sean's wonderful summary of how the evening unfolded may have you thinking you were
actually there.
* Well, when we say 'in the wild' here, we may actually mean 'on the filing
cabinet.'
eating ham,
watching the cricket,
marvelling at how there is no one on the tram*,
reading, reading, reading,
hiding from 35-degree heat,
sheltering from massive hailstones**,
and gearing up for a year of very exciting things.
What things, you ask?***
Well, here are just a few key things you can expect more about in 2012.
1) Forget the NBN ****. 2012 is the year of the NGN: a New Garth Nix! Can you believe it? Can you bear to wait until April? Here are some key facts you need to know:
There are ten million princes in the galaxy, but only ONE can become emperor.
Our edition will have a special never-before-published, exclusive-as-all-get-out, awesome-beyond-the-bounds-of-the-known-universe Garth Nix short story.
2) Lili Wilkinson is bringing it in 2012.
What is she bringing? Well, apart from the home-made tonic water and the honey-and-ginger infused whisky, she is bringing A NEW BOOK IN APRIL. It's called Love-Shy. And here is everything you need to know: girl meets boy meets East Glendale Secondary College Gazette. 3) October will see the third and final volume in the Keepers series by Lian Tanner. Path of Beasts. It is, quite simply, a triumphant conclusion. If the series had to end (and quite frankly I would have been happy reading about Goldie and Toadspit until the crack of doom), then it had to end like this. More on this by-and-by - maybe even a sneak preview of an illustration or two QUITE SOON.
4) Two Words: Margo. Lanagan.
Two more words: Sea. Hearts.
Two further words: Read. It.
Two more further words: No. Really.
And that, friends, is all just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much goodness in the House this year. It's bursting out the doors; it is streaming out the windows; it will flow through this blog at least semi-regularly, because we just can't contain it.
BRING ON 2012!
***SPOILER ALERT***
Also, we will eat cake in 2012.
In fact, the cake eating has already begun. And how!
* Because everyone else is still on holiday. *sob*
** Oh Melbourne, don't ever change.
*** Those of you who aren't at the beach do, anyway.
**** What's that, you already have forgotten it? Sshhhh, we're trying to make a joke.
It doesn't feature any of Sebastian's beautiful
illustrations,
and is not at all fun; so why would you bother?
And don't these two books look rubbish side by side?
Soo whatever you do, don't go and buy City of Lies.
It contains no adventure to speak of. Goldie just sits around doing
nothing, and Toadspit and Bonnie are never in any danger at all. Broo goes on
vacation, and Morg spends the whole book feathering her nest.
What's that? Oh no
- there's certainly no Slommerkin stalking the corridors of the Museum.
I don't
know where you heard that.
*yawn*
Isn't it terribly tedious that City of Lies is in your local
bookshop right now?
Since March and the announcement of one very pretty shortlist, we in the House have been on tenterhooks.* But for a short time we were off tenterhooks, and free to gambol for joy, once the winners of the 2010 Aurealis Awards were announced:
HOWEVER, we had no sooner settled down to catch our breath and tidy our hair than there came another pretty shortlist, for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards! We are all on tenterhooks once more!
Guardian of the Dead is a Young Adult Fiction Finalist in the New Zealand Post Children'sBook Awards - only the most prestigious awards in all of New Zealand!
BUT DON'T STOP THERE!
Guardian of the Dead is also a finalist for the Australian Shadow Awards presented by the Australian Horror Writers Association
Huge congratulations, to Karen - and to Lian, Julia, Sue, Gaye, Nicki, Jonathan, Dan and Margo!
Woo hoo!!
*Editors bat their eyelashes becomingly in the direction of the shortlist*
1) The Keepers series has its own website! www.keepersbooks.com.au It's so pretty! There's interesting info about Lian Tanner, and the characters in Museum of Thieves, and there are heaps of extras and fun stuff.* There is a report that the quiz is so fiendish that the editor of the book may have not exactly completely passed it, as such.** We challenge you to do better!
2) Penguin books in Malaysia have produced beautiful print ads for their 'unputdownable' classics. Absolutely gorgeous, especially The Railway Children.
3) The Guardian is putting together a dedicated books site for young readers - and they've put out a call for actual real live young readers to help run it. Awesome.
4) We have already noted that Readings had the inspired idea of teaming Nicki Greenberg and Shaun Tan together as the inaugural artists in their Working Art Project. It seems that they are not the only ones who recognise that Nicki and Shaun are a match made in artistic heaven. The Wheeler Centre has paired them up for an event as well. Genius!
5)Maralinga - The Aṉangu Story by Yalata and Oak Valley communities, with Christobel Mattingley has been shortlisted for the Young People's History Prize in the NSW Premier's History Awards. We're so pleased and proud! Big congratulations to everyone involved in the making of the book!
*Very Nice Work, Sydney Onions! **Unconfirmed report!
We may have mentioned the House in which we work. Yes, the House we may have mentioned it.
We talk of it so often not only because we spend so much time here, but because we are fond of it. And calling it 'the House' is no idle boast. It really is a big old Victorian terrace house, long since divided into office space but retaining a rambling, ramshackle and, if we're completely honest, slightly run-down feeling.*
If anyone ever wrote a story about the Onions, the house itself would have to feature.
There's the Harry Potter cupboard under the stairs, the sinks that crop up all over the place, often in unexpected places (such as a cupboard, but not the one under the stairs), and the leftover signage from previous tenants. (Ecumenical Affairs Commission, anyone?) There is the satisfyingly wild square metre of earth and pretty weeds in the parking lot, the rickety old wooden fire escape and the very purple carpet.
And there is the odd fact that the bottom floor is always freezing - even in the very middle of a hot summer day when everyone upstairs is sweltering.
Perhaps somebody ought to set a mystery novel here. If only we knew any good writers...
Herewith, a list of other Houses that are characters in their own right. Misselthwaite Manor - The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett
When Mary Lennox first steps into the great hall of Misselthwaite, it is impossibly huge, cold and unfriendly and she is small, sallow and spoiled. A place of a thousand rooms and most of them shut-up and locked, Misselthwaite gradually comes to life with the garden, the servants, the master of the house, and all. The day Mary spends exploring the many rooms, finding the nest of mice and the little ivory elephants is one of my favourite passages in the book.
Kate and Sophie, our heroines, were adopted by Lil who runs a shabby old guesthouse that squats by the river in Lismore. Samarkand is a crumbling two-storey weatherboard on stumps, and sees a thin procession of odd guests, but there's something magical and otherworldly about it.
I first met Sophie in My Candlelight Novel, where she's twenty-one and has a baby called Hetty, with whom she lies indolently in various of Samarkand's many dim green balconied rooms, reading novel after novel. There's a sense that Sophie can stay sheltered in Samarkand dreaming and reminiscing and writing letters to her sister Kate forever; indeed, every year the house is isolated from the world, like a big ship, when the river floods. It sounds like just the thing - and it's a real place. Wonder if there are any vacancies? The Professor's House - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis
It is the start of World War II and the Pevensie children are evacuated to the country house of Professor Kirke (or Digory, as we are later, well... earlier really, to know him). It is big and old and easy to get lost in. And, of course, it contains a certain wardrobe... Who doesn't long for a house that's really properly big enough to play hide-and-seek? And who, on finding themselves actually IN such a house, hasn't checked the backs of the wardrobes? Just in case. Windermere - Mostly Sunny by Marion Roberts
Initially Sunny is not convinced it's a good idea to leave her childhood home (with the awesome kitchen shed out the back especially built for tall people) to move into the huge mansion on the river left to her family by Granny Carmelene. After all, there is the room full of scary portraits with following eyes. But Windermere proves to be a house with a lot of potential - and a turret bedroom worth fighting for. There is room to romp, and space to Be Sustainable. There is a grumpy gardener and there may even be a ghost... Manderley - Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier
None of us have read Rebecca since high school, but none of us forget (do we?) the house shrouded in Cornwall fog, with its creepy opulence, grand staircase (scene of many a drama, including the fabulous disastrous frock incident) and priceless-but-eminently-breakable ornaments. The whole place is as good as owned by the sinister and not-quite-human Mrs Danvers, with Maxim de Winter hiding in the firelit library or generally unavailable physically and emotionally, and the poor gauche newlywed narrator without a name or much of a backbone is pretty much uncomfortable and inept everywhere. Of course, Manderley is one big shrine to the impossibly glamorous Rebecca, who is somehow undiminished by any revelations; her ghost is never going anywhere...
Not quite a house but definitely a home - to the Keepers and a lot else besides, not all of it ... nice. Rather like the old Melbourne Museum before it moved to its clean and modern (and rather boring) current quarters, you never know what you might encounter around a dark and dusty corner: a preserved snake in a jar, a giant whale, a Brizzlehound**. The Museum of Dunt moves and breathes; its mood is unreliable; it likes to be sung to; and it's never the same two days in a row. It keeps the city safe, but it harbours dark and dangerous things. Venture past the Dirty Gate at your peril!
Green Gables - The Anne books (up until Anne's House of Dreams) by LM Montgomery We'll let LM Montgomery do this bit herself:
Anne wakened on the morning of her wedding day to find the sunshine winking in at the window of the little porch gable and a September breeze frolicking with her curtains.
"I'm so glad the sun will shine on me," she thought happily.
She recalled the first morning she had wakened in that little porch room, when the sunshine had crept in on her through the blossom- drift of the old Snow Queen. That had not been a happy wakening, for it brought with it the bitter disappointment of the preceding night. But since then the little room had been endeared and consecrated by years of happy childhood dreams and maiden visions. To it she had come back joyfully after all her absences; at its window she had knelt through that night of bitter agony when she believed Gilbert dying, and by it she had sat in speechless happiness the night of her betrothal. Many vigils of joy and some of sorrow had been kept there; and today she must leave it forever. Henceforth it would be hers no more; fifteen-year-old Dora was to inherit it when she had gone. Nor did Anne wish it otherwise; the little room was sacred to youth and girlhood--to the past that was to close today before the chapter of wifehood opened. -- from Anne's House of Dreams
And of course we couldn't mention houses in literature without thinking of the blackened ruins of Thornfield Hall or pining a little for Pemberley. Oh Pemberley.
Which literary houses do you love? Where do you long to live? And where would you not set foot if you were paid?
* This must be the reason we feel so comfortable lying on the floor here. Much of our best editorial thoughts are had while lying on the floor. **Okay so we never saw a Brizzlehound in the Melbourne Museum, not even in the dungeons with the stuffed items.
Goldie Roth lives in the city of Jewel, where impatience is a sin and boldness is a crime.
But Goldie is both bold and impatient.
Every child in Jewel wears a silver guardchain on their left wrist from the moment they learn to walk until their Separation Day. Whenever they are outside the house the guardchain links them to their parents, or to one of the Blessed Guardians. At night it is fastened to the bedhead, so that no one can break into the house and carry them off while their parents are sleeping. When Goldie's Separation Day is cancelled she does what no child in Jewel should ever dream of doing: she runs away. Desperate and alone, she takes refuge in the Museum of Dunt.
But the Museum is a scary and mysterious place.
Strange things stalk its corridors:
Strange people are its Keepers:
And only a thief can find their way through its shifting rooms. But Goldie has a talent for thieving, which is just as well because the treacherous Fugleman has his own plans for the museum and for Jewel, plans that threaten the lives of everyone Goldie loves. And it will take a very bold thief to stop him.
Okay, so if you aren't dying to get your hands on this book now, well, we wash our hands of you.
Goldie is a brilliant, brave and bold heroine. The world she lives in is so real you can smell it. And the plot? Dude, just read it.
And then you'll be able to read the next two books in the Keepers trilogy, which you will be pleased about. We promise. Cross our heart and hope to die; stick a needle in our eye; jam a dagger in our thigh; eat a horse manure pie.
How good is it? The editor of the book compulsively read bits aloud to her office mate during the editorial process.*
When the advances arrived it's possible that she may have carried one around the building showing it proudly to every available Onion, and then just sat and stroked it for several hours. Because it's not just good on the inside. Look look at the outside!
After Lian Tanner wrote this genius manuscript, Sebastian Ciaffaglione created the awesome cover artwork and the gorgeous character sketches, and Josh Durham of Design By Committee designed it up into a thing of great beauty. Very clever peoples, all.
In fact, we think it's so awesome we had it embiggened:*
And empostered:
And the clever Onions in the Mothership are making a website, which we will tell you all about when it is live.
Museum of Thieves, Book 1 in The Keepers trilogy is out in October. That is only two weeks from now, people.
*Not annoying at all for people trying to do their own work. Not at all.
** 'A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.' Jebediah Springfield, 1796
We design, edit, publish and generally wrangle books, authors and illustrators, and eat cake in a three-storey Victorian terrace with a view of St Patrick's Cathedral.
Every child in Jewel wears a silver guardchain on their left wrist from the moment they learn to walk until their Separation Day. Whenever they are outside the house the guardchain links them to their parents, or to one of the Blessed Guardians. At night it is fastened to the bedhead, so that no one can break into the house and carry them off while their parents are sleeping. When Goldie's Separation Day is cancelled she does what no child in Jewel should ever dream of doing: she runs away. Desperate and alone, she takes refuge in the Museum of Dunt.
And only a thief can find their way through its shifting rooms. But Goldie has a talent for thieving, which is just as well because the treacherous Fugleman has his own plans for the museum and for Jewel, plans that threaten the lives of everyone Goldie loves. And it will take a very bold thief to stop him.
