Obernewtyn (The Obernewtyn Chronicles, #1)

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Obernewtyn (The Obernewtyn Chronicles #1)

by Isobelle Carmody (Goodreads Author)

3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 · rating details · 4,668 ratings · 390 reviews

In a world struggling back from the brink of apocalypse, life is harsh. And for Elspeth Gordie, it is also dangerous. That's because Elspeth has a secret: she is a Misfit, born with mysterious mental abilities that she must keep hidden under threat of death. And her worries only multiply when she is exiled to the mountain compound known as Obernewtyn, where—for all her tal...more

Paperback, 245 pages

Published December 9th 2008 by Random House Books for Young Readers (first published 1987)

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May 30, 2013 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sf-fantasy, post-apocalyptic-dystopia, kids-and-teens, weird-dreams

Despite its flaws, I really enjoyed Obernewtyn. Most of the characters were interesting enough; but not all were developed that well. The main character, Elspeth Gordie, seemed realistic enough; an emotionally distant child suffering the pain of losing her parents, spending her childhood in a variety of orphanages and possessing powers she has to keep secret. I also enjoyed her misfit friends, Matthew and Dameon, the enigmatic Rushton, and the mind-speaking animals. I wish some of the characters...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Mai rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Mai by: I forgot.

Shelves: sf-fantasy, ya, apocalyptic, speculative-fiction, disappointment, series-finished

I want to like this book. I really do. I was interested in the world Carmody was building, especially after the first few pages.

Then I kept on reading. The book is short, primarily because there's so little of substance. Normally, I love the first book in a fantasy series because there is so much world building. Here, Carmody has it's setting, but she doesn't do anything to make that world feel alive. The story takes place mostly in the countryside and the mountains. There is little description...more I want to like this book. I really do. I was interested in the world Carmody was building, especially after the first few pages.

Then I kept on reading. The book is short, primarily because there's so little of substance. Normally, I love the first book in a fantasy series because there is so much world building. Here, Carmody has it's setting, but she doesn't do anything to make that world feel alive. The story takes place mostly in the countryside and the mountains. There is little description of the scenery, of everyday life.

The story is written in first person, but I never get any real sense of who Elspeth is. First person narratives give us an intimate look into the narrator's life and mind. Done well, the narrator's voice can carry an entire novel or series. Done wrong and the narrator comes of as a robot. This particular novel falls into the "narrator sounds like a robot" category.

Then, there the biggest problem: this book is 90% telling and 10% showing. In fact, if it weren't for this problem, the previous two problems wouldn't be so prominent. The narrator tells us he or she is searching for something, is feeling anxious, is crying because of so and so, is angry because of so and so, is friends with so and so.

A fine example is near the climax, when the narrator learns the truth about another character. She attempts to cheer him up by basically telling him he will have his friends' support. And that's it.

From my summary, you expect a dialogue, lots of emotion, and feeling that the two have connected despite their differences. What you actually get is the narrator telling us she told him to cheer up because he's still got his friends. Then we get a one line response from the other character who basically say, in a round about way, "Yeah, you're right". Then the focus goes back to the climax.

In fact, there's a lot of phony dialogue where you can tell it's all to advance the plot because people just don't tell that way. One of the heroine's friends joins her in Obernewtyn, and after some bland rebuttals, falls into three+ pages where she basically tells the heroine everything that has happened since the heroine left. The heroine doesn't say a word throughout.

Or the part where the heroine hides and the villains come out and conveniently lay out all the clues and background info about their supper secret plot, each other, and the secrets of Obernewtyn.

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In short, the entire novel reads like a book version of bad and generic rpg game where the writers have set up a world with potential and characters who have interesting backgrounds, only for the whole thing to fall flat because the writers can't be bothered to spend more then a page on a scene and show instead of tell.

This book is short for a reason. On the plus side, the cover is nice and I like the title. (less)

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Jun 11, 2012 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fan of fantasy, post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction

Shelves: fantasy, apocalyptic-or-post-apocalyptic, ya, favourite, re-read, 2012

This month, June, marks the start of the Obernewtyn Chronicles Reading Marathon! Each month we are reading a book in the series, though predictably the release date for the final book, The Red Queen, has been pushed back to next year - no surprises there. I decided to go ahead with the read-along anyway, because it has literally been YEARS since I last read them and there's so much going on that I had forgotten about, I've been itching to start from the beginning again.

Forgive my daggy 1993 seco...more

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Sep 28, 2011 melissa1lbr rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

I tried really hard to get into this book, but I felt no connection with the main character. The story might have been very good, but I kept getting distracted and bored because of the descriptions of scenery and setting. Setting can be very important, but I just couldn't get into the book because it got in the way. I'd like to try it again sometime, since I ended up skimming the ending.

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May 09, 2012 Ania rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: australia

First off, some purchasing tips.

1) If you are going to get this book (and you should!) you should prolly get the edition called "The Seeker: The Obernewtyn Chronicles" because it combines Book 1 and Book 2 of the series into one low price edition, which will save you money, and you'll have the second one on hand once you finish the first engrossing book.

2) If you are going to get each book separately and are bad with faces, get the edition with the girl's face and cat. It will help you visualize...more

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Oct 18, 2010 Aaron Vincent rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystocalypse

Originally Posted on Guy Gone Geek.

After following Will and his mates in their escape to the White Mountains, I decided to continue my dystopian adventure with Elspeth's exile to another mountain, Obernewtyn. The concept of these books may have parallelism but the stories in their entirety are completely different.

For one, White Mountains is a science-fiction while Obernewtyn, although has elements of sci-fi, leans more towards epic fantasy. And while the mountain Will trekked to promises refuge...more Originally Posted on Guy Gone Geek.

After following Will and his mates in their escape to the White Mountains, I decided to continue my dystopian adventure with Elspeth's exile to another mountain, Obernewtyn. The concept of these books may have parallelism but the stories in their entirety are completely different.

For one, White Mountains is a science-fiction while Obernewtyn, although has elements of sci-fi, leans more towards epic fantasy. And while the mountain Will trekked to promises refuge, Elspeth's mountain is a prison.

Years after a nuclear holocaust known as the Great White that almost annihilate Earth's population, mutations, both physical and mental, among the survivors became an occasional phenomena. Those who are discovered to have mutations at birth were burnt and those whose abilities had become evident until older were condemned as Misfits and sent to harsh Council farms.

Elspeth Gordie was discovered to possess mental abilities. She was sent to the mysterious mountain compound of Obernewtyn. At Obernewtyn, she met a handful of Misfits and discovered, to her great horror, that there are people searching for the weapon that caused the Great White.

What I don't like about epic fantasy books is the common pattern to spend copious pages describing the imagined world before the real action begins. Obernewtyn (thankfully!) doesn't follow that pattern. There is just a two-page introduction describing the basics and then we get to see more of Carmody's imagined world as the story progress. It's not a beautiful world, mind you.

Our heroine, Elspeth Gordie, is a wonderfully crafted. She's not the type of heroine that is completely out of her shell at the end of the book. Her growth as a character is subtle, thus leaving room for more in the sequels. It's a 7 part series and it would be extremely dull if she reached her extremes at the first one.

Maruman, the cat who had been the key for Elspeth to discover her abilities and became her companion, is also an interesting one. Coming from someone who hates cats as much as John Green hates unicorns, that's saying something. He is cranky and really enigmatic. It's obvious that he'll play an important role in Elspeth's journey and I love to see how that will play out. Those readers who hoped that there is more to Buttercup than meets the eye in Hunger Games will be satisfied with Maruman.

One thing that I didn't like is the sloppy characterization of the villains, Alexi, Ariel and Madame Vega. I know they are just distraction and the real villain is the Herder Faction, a ruthless religious organization that leads the burning of mutants, but Carmody could have still created believable villains. Honestly, they are more of three stooges. You'd not fear them nor hate them, you'll laugh at them and I believe they aren't meant to be funny. But that's just the villain-lover in me nitpicking.

This series has a lot of potentials. With characters gifted with the ability of mind coercion, it is bound to have "WOW" moments and mind-blowing pivotal twists. And I pray to Lud(their version of God) that I'm right.(less)

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Jan 16, 2009 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the author's first book, written in her twenties, and it has some flaws. But the story and characters have had a powerful hold on my imagination since I first read it in my twenties, and I found it just as compelling and suspenseful this time around. I'm so excited that the rest of the series is going to be made available in America! For years you could only get the first 3 books.

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May 25, 2013 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: series, obernewtyn, chronicles, post-apocalyptic, world, young, adult, fantasy

I picked up this book because of the rave reviews on the back by some of my favorite authors. I should have kept my expectations lower, because the book was not as wonderful as stated. The plot was almost clich�� but looking at the publish date gave me more perspective. I kept reading hoping it would get better, but it never quite did. While I understand the main character was a very wary creature, I hated how long it took for her to even have sustained interactions with other characters. Howeve...more

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Jun 10, 2013 David Sarkies rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Nobody - read something else

Recommended to David by: Isabel

Shelves: fantasy

I read this book a long time ago when an old friend of mine gave it to me and told me that it is good. She also told me that she had won it in a competition and she was able to chose the prize that she had won so she selected this book because the author had the same name as her (though it was spelt differently). The funny thing is that she has gone on to write sequals to this book, and all I can say was that I did not find this book all that engrossing, even though it was a science-fiction boo...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Rachel Brown rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, science-fiction, psychic-kids, australia

I have often had this book recommended to me as a small classic of YA sf in the subcategories of post-apocalyptic, psychic kids, and Australian. It was written in 1987, when there wasn't quite such a glut of psychic kid and post-apocalyptic YA as accumulated later on. But it was still unimpressive.

As is explained in prologue of infodump, after a nuclear war, mutations and science were banned. Mutants can be executed or exiled if caught.

Teenage Elspeth is a telepathic mutant who can read minds,...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Lauren Simmons rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3 out of 5 stars I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it.

Perhaps because this was the beginning of a series, I didn’t get to see the change in Elspeth that I had been waiting for. I totally understood why she was so flat and rather emotionless at the beginning and even when she had just arrived at Obernewtyn. When she had started to make friends though, Carmody still didn’t talk much about Elspeth opening up to them. She might have mentioned it in one or two lines but it didn’t delve into any furt...more 3 out of 5 stars I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it.

Perhaps because this was the beginning of a series, I didn’t get to see the change in Elspeth that I had been waiting for. I totally understood why she was so flat and rather emotionless at the beginning and even when she had just arrived at Obernewtyn. When she had started to make friends though, Carmody still didn’t talk much about Elspeth opening up to them. She might have mentioned it in one or two lines but it didn’t delve into any further explanation so I didn’t get any sort of grasp on Elspeth’s character development. One or two times she did snap though. She lashed out at Rushton with a witty/angry comment which I thought was a good start but it really wasn’t enough for me.

Another thing that bothered me about this book was that Elspeth didn’t do anything to release her powers. Yes, she didn’t know she had super awesome abilities, but besides when she almost got caught by the machine there was really no build up to her getting her powers. She got caught in the last few pages of the book and when Rushton was in trouble BAM she suddenly had them. I personally would have liked maybe one or two other incidents prior to that where she had used her superior powers to knock someone out or really toy with someone like Ariel. Not just pick locks and occasional probe Cameo to see if she could get some information. I do understand that in that world, that was a lot of power. It just felt like not enough for how amazing her powers are supposed to be.

The last thing I has a problem with was Elspeth friendship with Rushton. I feel like he should have showed up a little bit more in the book since at the end he was such an important character. Yes, he was hiding and trying to keep other’s safe, but to go to such a great length to save her at the end of the book when they had only recently become even slightly friendly seems unlikely to me. Even with all of the animals and some other people having dreams that she is extremely important. Perhaps this also has to do with the fact it is a series and more is to be elaborated on in following books. I personally don’t have the motivation to read the next 6 books in this series.

The book wasn’t all bad though. I did think the pacing was planned out extremely well and almost always you were kept on your toes and unsure about what other things were going to happen. The idea surrounding this book is what originally made me want to read it. I feel like this could truly happen. One power dies and quickly another one rises from the dust to take over. A scape-goat is found and people are punished for what they cannot control. It is an amazing idea in my opinion. It also was a fairly easy read. Despite several large flaws, in my opinion, it wasn’t a hard book to read and I did want to keep reading it to see what would happen because of how suspenseful Carmody kept the atmosphere around Obernewtyn.

If I ever do have time and nothing else to read I’ll be more than willing to get this series and read it. Until then though, it’ll will stay only at the back of my mind.
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Oct 05, 2012 Britt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, australian, dystopia

I have to admit that in comparison to the rest of this series this book is underwhelming. However I think its a requirement because carmody needs to set up a whole new world, with its various dictatorships, factions, opinions etc. I love this book because its the prelim for the rest of the series that I fell in love with at 13.

Obernewtyn is centered around elspeth, a misfit with vast powers including beast speaking (self explanatory), coersion (making somebody do something by essentially hackin...more

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May 08, 2012 Jillwilson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Obernewtyn came recommended by a friend’s Year 9 son. Had to read any book recommended by a 15 year old boy that wasn’t about football. Obernewtyn is a fantasy novel about a world that has been radically changed by some kind of “Great White” man-made disaster which has caused some climactic changes as well as a new way of living. Abhorrence of old customs, such as reading books and use of herbs and medicine is prevalent along with fear of non-conformity. It is an easy and interesting introductio...more Obernewtyn came recommended by a friend’s Year 9 son. Had to read any book recommended by a 15 year old boy that wasn’t about football. Obernewtyn is a fantasy novel about a world that has been radically changed by some kind of “Great White” man-made disaster which has caused some climactic changes as well as a new way of living. Abhorrence of old customs, such as reading books and use of herbs and medicine is prevalent along with fear of non-conformity. It is an easy and interesting introduction into what has become a series, with a strong female character as the lead.

The girl, Elspeth, is orphaned. (This is an age-old trope – amongst many writers, Enid Blyton used to do this to her characters. Detective writers often make their heroes or anti-heroes solitary creatures.) The absence of parents frees up the teenager, enabling them to take more risks and to be exposed to greater danger than they might in a family. They are forced to be more independent, and thrown on their own resources. The gender of the main character is relevant because I’ve been thinking about this factor after reading an article about The Hunger Games, where the main character is eulogised for being a powerful female role model. I haven’t read that series but a friend scoffed and said that the girl in that series was just a boy in girl’s clothing (and I’m not sure what this really means now that I think of it). (In the article, Hunger Games girl Katniss was compared favourably with Twilight girl Bella.) The girl in Obernewton is resourceful and strong and is a good role model for young girls. She shows leadership and courage as well as vulnerability. Her character is somewhat under-developed – this is the first of a series after all.

The novel was written in 1987 – so the Great White must surely allude to a nuclear winter of some description. It would have had a more powerful pull then – although the writing about man-induced climate change has other resonances now. It’s not The Road – but it’s a YA novel – so we can forgive that. I’ll read more of the series at some stage.
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Apr 30, 2012 Jan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, teenbooks

I really enjoyed this engaging fantasy, the first book in the Obernewtyn Chronicles. The series has a post apocalyptic setting and depicts a world long after its destruction by a global nuclear holocaust.

The narrator, Elspeth Gordie, is a young girl with mental powers caused by mutation. There are others with various mental powers in this society, known as Misfits. They are condemned by the governing authority known as the Council, and the religious authority, the Herder Faction. Elspeth tries t...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book directly after a rather disappointing read by another, normally very good, author, and it filled the gap which was missing from the previous story.

I really enjoyed this book, flaws and all, and found the narrative compelling. The main character, Elspeth Gordie, a ‘Misfit’ who has developed paranormal mindpowers in a post-apocalyptic world is a smart and likeable girl. I could understand her reluctance in opening up to people around her when arriving in Obernewtyn, as a life in t...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Shweta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-science-fiction, end-of-the-world-stories

Ever since I discovered dystopian genre I have been on a hunt for more books . I was reminded of this book, when I saw it appearing in many IMM posts and was surprised to see that this series hasn't been read by many of the YA book bloggers I know.It was one of the first dystopian /science fiction I read . I think I was gifted 2 books in this series and have old edition covers on my book. It's good that these have been getting better publicity with the new covers.The first in the series 'Obernew...more Ever since I discovered dystopian genre I have been on a hunt for more books . I was reminded of this book, when I saw it appearing in many IMM posts and was surprised to see that this series hasn't been read by many of the YA book bloggers I know.It was one of the first dystopian /science fiction I read . I think I was gifted 2 books in this series and have old edition covers on my book. It's good that these have been getting better publicity with the new covers.The first in the series 'Obernewtyn' lays a great foundation for a story which has still managed to keep me excited.

Obernewtyn begins after the world as we know has been destroyed and the people who survived have made new rules and have started believing in a new God. Post apocalyptic world painted by Carmody ,scares the reader as it very vividly described. The nuclear holocaust which was the cause for all the destruction and the effect it left on the land and humans is always shrouded in so much gloom that it got me thinking , what if'' ? What if the nuclear holocaust happened . How many would survive? Will we, human kind be able to tolerate the after effects of such an event ?

Our protagonist Elspeth ,shows us the way of life she and her kind of people have been reduced to. She lives in a orphan home for kids of people who are burnt by the Council . I thought there couldn't have been a better narrator because she reports the happenings of her world and her views with a honesty which tugs the reader heart. Her special power is some thing which I thought was really cool considering the time when this book was written. Now that we have seen all kinds of super powers in Paranormal and fantasy and dystopian he power or Talent as it's called may not be anything new but I thought it brought a some thing extra to the story. Her world was scary , gloomy eerily silent at times but it had the desired effect.

As it is the first book , the focus is more on setting the plot for action to follow. I thought the character development was slightly neglected. But only slightly. It was more than compensated by the plot which if you are ready to believe me is GOOD.Having read the next few books , I know that it only gets better so I would be justified in telling you that you should read this book and the next to judge whether you need to continue the series.

Before you make snap judgement about any part of the book after reading a few pages , remember that Carmody wrote it 1980s . But the series as has been progressively going up hill with great twists and adventures.I think it is a great start to a very addictive series.

Source : Personal Copy
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Dec 10, 2011 Erin Stuhlsatz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sff, ya

I have been trying to think of this book ever since I read the Hunger Games. They're pretty similar: girl is in dystopian oppressive society, is singled out from her peers and sent to some difficult place. Girl eventually becomes reluctantly involved in revolution against said oppression. You know, etc. Actually, on second thought it's a little closer to Divergent: Elspeth is definitely special in a dangerous way, and there's also a surly older guy who eventually becomes more than a friend...

I l...more

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Feb 18, 2011 Valen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I started Obernewtyn, I could not get into it, but for some reason I kept picking the book back up and reading a few paragraphs or a page or two. Maybe it was because I spent money on the book and I didn’t want my money to go to waste or maybe because I knew that the book was going to be good. I choose the latter, because this book was good. Obernewtyn by the brilliant, yet sadly unrealized Isobelle Carmody is a true tale. Though it gets a little dull sometimes, it is so unique and fresh an...more

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Dec 25, 2010 P.M. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The holocaust of the Great White has devastated the land of the Beforetimes. A fanatical group of survivors and their descendants have created Councils and Herder priests to root out and burn any mutants at birth. Now they have found out that mutancies sometimes appear later and label these people as Misfits. Elspeth Gordie is an orphan who saw her parents executed as Seditioners. Now she and her older brother Jes live in an orphan home where Elspeth fears discovery of her mental abilities. Maru...more

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Sep 03, 2010 Ksenia rated it 4 of 5 stars

So I got the first one from the library and towards the end of the first book I knew this was something interesting. But it wasn’t until the second book (at the end of the second book no less) when I knew I had something fascinating in my hands. The moment that really got me was when the horse Gahltha pledges his loyalty to Elspeth and promises to help her and never leave her side (there’s a reason why of course) but I was so moved by this previously-arrogant horse and his devotion, that my hear...more

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Jan 06, 2010 Jillian -always aspiring- rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: out-of-the-box-ideas

This is a fantasy that reminds me of books by Tamora Pierce or Tanith Lee -- featuring a heroine who finds herself in some kind of danger relating to outside forces and who doesn't yet understand all her strengths. Elspeth is one such heroine -- a Misfit who is in danger at all times because of the odd quirks she has shown that may be signs of the powers she may or may not possess. (Never mind that the world has been in total devastation ever since a cataclysmic event called the Great White occu...more

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Sep 06, 2009 Yune rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I started reading this around 2 am, when I couldn't fall asleep. This didn't help matters -- I finished it in the same sitting, then spent some time navigating my local library's interlibrary loan catalog, then nearby bookstore inventories, trying to hunt down the rest of the series.

I avoided this for a while because I somehow got the author mixed up with another one I didn't feel like reading. But the jacket flap mentioned Andre Norton and Marion Zimmer Bradley and Lloyd Alexander, and it was a...more

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Aug 16, 2009 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Beth by: Alyssa

A post-apocalyptic novel published originally in Australia and only more recently in the United States, this is the first in a series.
In a society recovering from a nuclear holocaust, misfits or mutants are either burned to death or sent to Obernewtyn, a mysterious facility in the mountains from which no one has ever returned. Elspeth is a girl with strong mental abilities which she has so far kept hidden. When she is exposed and sent to Obernewtyn she finds others like herself and is horified...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Christine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

How has this book been around since the eighties, and I missed it?!?

Obernewtyn is a quick, fun read. Not light, because its post-apocalyptic setting frequently calls into question the wisdom of modern humankind, but not so preachingly heavy that the reader can't enjoy the characters and story. The main character, Elspeth, is sympathetic and appealing, a young fugitive with a dangerous secret. Her friend Maruman defies the stereotypes of Oh Help Not Another Telepathic Cat... He is half wild, not...more

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Feb 02, 2011 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: isobelle-carmody, fantasy, sci-fi, australian-author

This book has
1) Awesome animal characters
2) Intriguing mystery
3) Thought provoking mesh between sci-fi and fantasy
4) A likable heroine
5) Brilliantly written
6) A well thought out world
7) No plot-hinging whinny cry-baby romance

With all of those factors how could I not love this book? It's exactly the kind of book that you want to curl up and read on a rainy day. I feel warm inside just thinking about it. Will definitely be reading the others is the series ASAP.

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Jul 17, 2012 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fantasy-sci-fi

It seems that this book is set after a widespread nuclear fallout called the "Great White," which I think is quite interesting since the book has a historical fantasy feel to it. After the Great White, people that had special abilities were deemed Misfits, and either burned to prevent the Great White from occurring again (which the fanatic populace thought was a punishment from their god, Lud), or sent to work farms to provide something very close to slave labor. Carmody does an excellent job of...more It seems that this book is set after a widespread nuclear fallout called the "Great White," which I think is quite interesting since the book has a historical fantasy feel to it. After the Great White, people that had special abilities were deemed Misfits, and either burned to prevent the Great White from occurring again (which the fanatic populace thought was a punishment from their god, Lud), or sent to work farms to provide something very close to slave labor. Carmody does an excellent job of portraying the fear and paranoia of being noticed and possibly labeled different. Everyone is to be regarded with suspicion--you never know who might be an informer, and you definitely do not want to be associated with a Misfit.

The main character, Elspeth, is secretly a Misfit and currently resides in an orphanage with her older brother, though his presence holds little comfort since he embraced the fanatical teachings that led to their parents being burned for sedition. Elspeth has no choice but to isolate herself, as most people do in the culture of suspicion and fear created by those in power, and is close to abandoning her hope of freedom to live as she chooses and finding someone she can trust.

I very much enjoy this story and will continue with the series, but there are a few things that kept me from giving this book four stars. Carmody wants to show that some character have back-country accents, so their dialogue contains alternate spellings that are difficult to decipher sometimes. And with some words, Carmody has substituted her own word, replacing it completely. Only context clues from MULTIPLE lines of dialogue helped me figure out exactly what was being said in a few cases. It was annoying and repeatedly took me out of the story because I had to stumble through a main character's conversations.

I read this book combined with the second of the series, Farseeker, in a book called The Seeker that combined the first two volumes. When I got to the page signaling the beginning of the next book, I was surprised. I thought, "Really, that was it?" Not that I hadn't enjoyed what I read, but it seemed really short. There was a climatic scene, but I didn't feel it was a big enough deal to say that was the main plot point of the book. It just felt like a weird place to end, and I see why they put the first two books together.

TL;DR--Despite the criticisms I've outlined, I still like this story and the main character, and would recommend it to someone else that would like a subtle meld of historical fantasy with post-apocalyptic fantasy.(less)

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Mar 11, 2012 Caitlin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

Obernewtyn is the start of a spectacular series that always leaves the reader hungry for more. it is written incredibly beautifully and the plot twists and turns at all the right places. i admit, when i first read obernewtyn, i was a little bored because the plot just wasn't interesting enough for me. the beginning information is crucial, because it describes the basis for the entire series and provides the reason for its post apocolyptic setting. it describes elspeth as an orphan in a ruined wo...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Kirstie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal, pure-awesome, strong-female-characters, young-adult

Obernewtyn is the tale of Elspeth Gordie, an orphan with mutant powers she must keep a secret from everyone around her. In a post-apocalyptic world full of adults grappling for power where anyone different could be burned simply for what makes them different, how is a young woman to survive?

And then of course there's a prophecy (because what's a fantasy novel without a prophecy?).

Fair disclosure, I'm a long-time fan of this series re-reading it for my Australian speculative fiction authors chall ...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Madalena rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Quando comecei a ler este livro as expectativas eram altas pois já tinha lido algumas críticas em relação ao mesmo e eram praticamente todas boas. Porém a minha opinião deste livro não é das melhores.
Gostei da história, acho que tinha ali promessa de muito. Mas desiludiram-me certos pormenores, confesso. Achei a escrita pouco descritiva quando o deveria ser mais. Dou um exemplo... quenado "entro" numa história, á medida que vou lendo gosto de imaginar como são os personagens, gosto de tentar vis...more

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Oct 21, 2011 Alexandra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: re-read, read-in-2011

I first read this and the next three a number of years ago; I am re-reading them at the moment, in one hit (probably) because the sixth and final book is FINALLY! being published.

I remembered a fair bit about this story - bits and pieces of Elspeth's story, like the cat, and Ariel, and aspects of life at Obernewtyn. I had forgotten - or didn't notice the first time - that the quality is quite patchy. There are some bits that really ought to have been picked up by an editor, like the fact that E...more I first read this and the next three a number of years ago; I am re-reading them at the moment, in one hit (probably) because the sixth and final book is FINALLY! being published.

I remembered a fair bit about this story - bits and pieces of Elspeth's story, like the cat, and Ariel, and aspects of life at Obernewtyn. I had forgotten - or didn't notice the first time - that the quality is quite patchy. There are some bits that really ought to have been picked up by an editor, like the fact that Elspeth uses Ariel's name without ever being told it (and with no indication that she had got it telepathically either). Some of the scenes are very rushed, and others are just oh-so-convenient. It reminded me, actually, of Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone. I understand that bits of this were first written when Carmody was in high school, so perhaps this was her debut, which means I'll give it some leeway. Because it really is a fascinating story, underneath it all. A world recovering from the Great White, which has poisoned significant portions of the land and caused various mutations; now-forbidden knowledge that perhaps humanity caused the Great White with very amazing weaponmachines; the society which has developed over hundreds of years initially to ensure survival and now, of course, ensuring that the social structure and power hierarchy is maintained. And in to the mix a secretive and fairly unpleasant religious group called the Herders (following the god Lud, which I presume is a corruption of Lord? and being Herders is a bastardising of the idea of priests as shepherds?), and then a group of Misfits with mental powers... and there's a lot of potential for enthralling storytelling.

Elspeth, the main character and narrator, has her moments of awesomeness and her moments of not. She does develop nicely in terms of her sociability, over the course of the novel, and the conflict she feels over who to trust sometimes works and then at other times seems to melt away far too fast. Of the other characters, I always liked Rushton, the gruff farm overseer; the other Misfits Elspeth encounters are hardly developed at all, but have their flashes of brilliance.

If I were reading this for the first time today, I'm not sure I would continue reading it, which is a surprise to me and a sad one. I am going to keep reading, of course, because I know that the plot becomes ever more tricksy... and the incurable romantic in me remembers some of the emotional conniptions from the later books and desperately needs resolution. (less)

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About Isobelle Carmody

Isobelle Carmody began the first novel of her highly acclaimed Obernewtyn Chronicles while she was still in high school. The series has established her at the forefront of fantasy writing in Australia.

In addition to her young-adult novels, such as the Obernewtyn Chronicles and Alyzon Whitestarr, Isobelle's published works include several middle-grade fantasies. Her still-unfinished Gateway Trilogy...more

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Books by Isobelle Carmody

The Farseekers (The Obernewtyn Chronicles, #2)

The Keeping Place (The Obernewtyn Chronicles, #4)

The Stone Key (The Obernewtyn Chronicles, #5)

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“Sometimes I am afraid for people like you who have to know things. Your kind will dig and hunt and worry at it until one day you will find what is hidden, waiting for you.” — 10 people liked it

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Obernewtyn (The Obernewtyn Chronicles #1)

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