Fireworks and Darkness

Ostermark #1

by Natalie Jane Prior

Simeon Runciman’s is firework maker to the royal court of Ostermark, a difficult man with a dangerous past. His son, Casimir, has always known part of the truth about him. But when Simeon’s enemy, the sinister magician, Circastes, reappears in their lives intent of revenge, Casimir is caught up in a deadly web of murder, deceit and magic. Forced to fight for his own survival, Casimir must also confront the harsh truth of who his father is, and what he as done, as well as the real nature of the magic that he wields.

Genres: Fantasy

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Prior was born in 1963 in Brisbane, Australia, where she also currently lives with her husband and daughter. Her first fiction book, 'The Amazing Adventures of Amabel', was published in 1990 and her internationally successful children's fantasy series, 'Lily Quench', has been published in more than twenty countries. Prior's work has been a finalist at the Children's Book Council of Australia Awards as well as being honoured and named as notable. Her work, 'Fireworks and Darkness', won the 2003 Davitt Awards for best young-adult novel and her work, 'Lily Quench and the Lighthouse of Skellig Mor' won the 2003 Aurealis Award for best children's short fiction. She has also been nominated for an Aurealis Award on three other occasions for best short fiction, long fiction and young-adult novel.

Reviews

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophisticated, really well-written, and different. If this had been written by any other author, Casimir would have met a girl his own age (a conveniently pretty one) who would join him in helping to save his father, and they'd probably travel out of Starberg and have an action-packed adventure, and they would of course, rescue Simeon at the very end, and Simeon and Casamir would have a heartfelt reunion in which Simeon would say something along the lines of 'That's my boy, I love you, I'm so proud of you', and he'd marry Ruth, and Casamir would change his mind and be happy about it and start up a romance of his own with the pretty girl who'd gone adventuring with him, and buy a dog, and he and his father would run a doughnut shop or something. - And what I like about this book is that none of those things happen! It feels to me as if, when written, it wasn't specifically aimed at a young adult market - I think Natalie Jane Prior just wrote it, and then her publishers thought it was appropriate enough, due to its shorter length and young protagonist, for a young adult audience. So there's no sense of 'talking down' or simplifying, and none of the tropes typically found in a lot of YA fantasy are present. And did I mention that it's really well-written?
I also love the world she's created (she uses it again in The Star Locket), a sort of 18th century Russia or Denmark - I love the names: Starberg, Osterdale, Strasland, Skelling - and the rich sense of history makes it feel solid and genuine. I hope Natalie Jane Prior writes more!

[Hollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. The first twenty pages or so were a little hard to get through but when the pace and story picked up, I couldn't put it down. The descriptions were beautiful and made me feel like I was there. Following Cassius and his story and everything he went through, I'm glad I finished this book. The uncle Joachim and Princess Christina were characters that I would have loved to know more about and what drove them to be the person they are. Overall, this was a really amazing book.

[Tracy Smyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Great characters & a great storyline

[Flick Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little read. Loved the story and really connected with the characters. Something I never would have found without my blind date with a book. So glad I did.

[Matthew Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantasy book set in a world on the cusp of an industrial revolution. This was a little hard to parse at first because the main character is not "the one" and doesn't really go on a hero's journey, nor does he fall in love with a princess. Instead teenaged Casimir finds himself at the centre of a family drama that involves his father's past sins and a larger plot that intersects with it all.

The magic in this world is interesting because it is limited and costly. The wizard shifts the balance of the world to suite their ends but it means that for anything good they do, an equal and opposite bad thing must happen.

The challenges for Casimir are not like the typical fantasy hero. It's not about learning to wield magic so he can defeat his foes, instead it's about understanding the people involved in the plot and choosing to swallow his pride - along with some luck and clever thinking.

I liked the unusual take on a fantasy story once I reflected on it even if while I was reading it, I felt unsatisfied due to my expectations of the more mainstream fantasy formula. There was plenty of action, mystery and suspense and ultimately a sense of having encountered real characters in a lived-in fantasy world.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite liked this.

[Cathal Reynolds · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book isn't very gripping. I've read heaps of good reviews, but I guess it isn't my kind of book. It's too slow for me.