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The Farseekers

(The Obernewtyn Chronicles #2)

Isobelle Carmody (Goodreads Author)

4.14 · Rating details · 7,057 ratings · 229 reviews

A Children's Book Council of Australia Honor Book

In this powerful sequel to Obernewtyn, young Elspeth Gordie-possessed of extraordinary mental powers-has united with others Misfits for refuge on the remote mountain keep of Obernewtyn. Yet the threat from the totalitarian Council to their safety is ever present. Their only defense is to work hard to develop their mental ...more

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Paperback, 320 pages

Published June 16th 2003 by Starscape (first published 1990)

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Start your review of The Farseekers (The Obernewtyn Chronicles, #2)

Nov 09, 2015 Mel rated it it was amazing

Continuing in my quest of re-reading all the books before the final book is in my hands (ahahaha why did I start this so late?!)

*happy sigh*

I love this world so much! I never really understand people who aren't re-readers. Each to their own of course, but reading an old favourite is like coming home. Even when you can see the first steps of a horrible future event clicking into place. Even when you just want to wrap up all the characters in a warm blanket and keep them all warm and safe.

With ...more

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Aug 10, 2010 Bree T rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: australian, post-apocalyptic, series, saving-the-world, fantasy-sci-fi, young-adult, aww2012

It’s been two years since Elspeth and Rushton successfully ousted Alexi and Madam Varga from Obernewtyn and Rushton took his rightful place as the Master. Since then it’s been a peaceful place to live, with the ‘Misfits’ embracing their differences, even establishing ‘guilds’ where they can join and better hone their particular talents. It has become a refuge for others just like them and due to their location they’ve been relatively unbothered by the Council. Elspeth uses her position as It’s been two years since Elspeth and Rushton successfully ousted Alexi and Madam Varga from Obernewtyn and Rushton took his rightful place as the Master. Since then it’s been a peaceful place to live, with the ‘Misfits’ embracing their differences, even establishing ‘guilds’ where they can join and better hone their particular talents. It has become a refuge for others just like them and due to their location they’ve been relatively unbothered by the Council. Elspeth uses her position as mistress of the Farseeker guild to propose a joint expedition with the Technoguild – the Technoguild has picked up on a powerful talent and the Technoguild believe they have discovered a location with Beforetime artifacts and possibly books they could learn from. The mission will be dangerous, as it means leaving the safety of Obernewtyn and Rushton is reluctant to let Elspeth go.

He is outvoted though and the expedition is approved and plans made and set in place. Rushton has his own mission, intending to use someone to infiltrate the Council and establish a base nearby so that they may gather their own intelligence which will come in handy if they are to protect themselves. The unlikely band of information gatherers set off but their expedition is derailed almost immediately. They hear of plans of the Council to visit Obernewtyn early and split up to send people back to Obernewtyn to warn Rushton while the rest continue on in a detoured fashion to find and rescue the powerful Talent and attempt to discover what they can about the Beforetime.

Elspeth has always wondered why animals often call her “Innle” or “the Seeker”, thinking it was some harmless nickname regarding a mythical creature. Alone and almost at the point of death after a firestorm, she will learn that the weaponmachines from the Beforetime have not been destroyed and it will be her role to find them and destroy them before her opposite can and use them in order to create something even more devastating than the Great White.

I have to apologise, because that might be the most inadequate summary of a book in history. In re-reading these books for Giraffe Days Obernewtyn Read-a-long, I am discovering so many new things about a series I’ve already been reading for fifteen plus years! However I’ve never read The Farseekers with the benefit of having read so many later books in the series before and I was immediately awed by just how many things are set in motion in this book that don’t come to fruition for several books. So much is happening here it’s almost impossible to talk about it all – and all of this is happening in a book that is just 312 pages!

In the beginning we learn that it’s been some time since the end of the previous novel and that things at Obernewtyn are now very different to how they were in the first novel. Rushton’s idea of a refuge for Misfits is coming to fruition and even though he’s staked his claim with the Council, they assume that after the spring thaw, people will make their way out to investigate what is going on and make sure nothing untoward is taking place. Elspeth is content for now, she’s Mistress of the farseeker guild (although really she could’ve led just about any of the guilds, given her broad range of talent) and when the Technoguild inform her that they’ve registered a powerful talent at the furthest range they can seek, she proposes a joint expedition to rescue this Talent and also to grant the Technoguild access to the beforetime relics they believe are in the same area. Rushton is reluctant, for reasons fairly obvious to the reader (even reading it first time around) but Elspeth is quite willfully ignorant, believing it’s because he doesn’t wish to lose a guild mistress and therefore upset the balance at Obernewtyn.

The very small seeds of a future relationship were sowed between them in Obernewtyn but the book ended without any development. Elspeth’s solitary lifestyle and also her increasing knowledge of her Quest and the role she must play makes her further reluctant to really establish too many ties with people – especially a romantic bonding. Isobelle Carmody has a rather awesome ability to create ways in which they exchange a couple of moments and then don’t see each other for at least half of the book. This is frustrating, but necessary to keeping both the story lines intact and also their relationship on the back burner. It is important but it is by far not the most important thing happening here – that is always the Quest and the various paths in which Elspeth must take in order to successfully undertake it.

Re-reading this I was just amazed at how many things made more sense from later books now that I’d refreshed my memory with this one. Although I’ve waited lengthy times for books to be released, I’ve never actually undertaken a total re-reading from start to finish which I probably should have done before The Stone Key (book 5) and probably also before The Sending (book 6). There is so much going on that it’s easy to forget who one person was that Elspeth met three books ago and what they said to her, but suddenly it crops up again. There are people introduced here that seem inconsequential, there are things that happen that seem relatively unimportant at a first read. But I’ve realised that they are so important, everything here is written with such care to detail. There is nothing superfluous in these books at all. I’m even more impressed now – this book was written over twenty years ago and little seeds laid here are now being fully realised, all this time later. ...more

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Sep 27, 2007 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: australian-women-writers, 2012, fantasy, apocalyptic-or-post-apocalyptic, ya, re-read, misfits

This review contains some spoilers of the first book.

It has been two years since the climactic events of the first book, Obernewtyn , occurred. Elspeth is about seventeen years old and still recovering from the burns to her feet and legs, not helped by the aching cold of the mountains in winter - the same mountains and weather that keep Obernewtyn, now a safe refuge for misfits with unique powers, safe. Under the new master of Obernewtyn, Rushton Seraphim, the Misfits - as the ruling Council ...more

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Mar 25, 2017 Karen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Overall, this was a pretty good book, however the first chapter (with one of those random *2 years later* time jumps since the first book) was rather strange and confusing. Also it really jumped straight into a bunch of new terminology and systems without really explaining too much, which was frustrating. Seeing "Guilden", "Guildmerge" and similar terms pop up about 50 times in the first chapter with no explanation...
Anyway, getting beyond that: I liked the new character introductions, ...more

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Jan 01, 2019 Em The Reading Challenge Challenge marked it as didnotfinish · review of another edition

Shelves: loveozya

DNF at 15%

Nope. Can't do it. Everything I disliked about the first book continues in this one and I just do not have the patience to wade through the bad writing and the boring plot to see if it gets better later on. If I'd read this when my sister gave them to me when I was 14, maybe I'd have liked it. But 10 years later, I cannot stand this.

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Oct 22, 2017 Salimbol rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

3.5 stars

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Dec 22, 2017 Daniela (Lightweaver) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: re-reads

Help

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Oct 15, 2011 Alexandra rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2011, re-read

Well, it's better than Obernewtyn, for sure.

*Spoilers for Obernewtyn, the first book*

Continuing my re-read of the Obernewtyn chronicles, I devoured most of this one in a night. Interestingly, it's set some time after Obernewtyn ends, and therefore we don't get most of the fight against Alexi and Madame Vega, nor Rushton's work at being made legal owner of the place. Possibly because Elspeth is out of it for a while thanks to the burns to her legs? Anyway, we open here rather abruptly to discover Well, it's better than Obernewtyn, for sure.

*Spoilers for Obernewtyn, the first book*

Continuing my re-read of the Obernewtyn chronicles, I devoured most of this one in a night. Interestingly, it's set some time after Obernewtyn ends, and therefore we don't get most of the fight against Alexi and Madame Vega, nor Rushton's work at being made legal owner of the place. Possibly because Elspeth is out of it for a while thanks to the burns to her legs? Anyway, we open here rather abruptly to discover that Rushton is in charge, and the Misfits have formed themselves rather (too) neatly into Guilds according to their mind powers. This was one thing that bugged me about the book - they all seemed to have come into their powers rather quickly, and easily, whereas I had the impression from the first book that many of them were uncomfortable and certainly not that good at using them because of the fear of being discovered. Perhaps Carmody imagines that once released from that fear, most young people would flourish in experimentation... and when I put it like that, perhaps she is not far wrong.

Anyway, the bulk of Farseekers is not actually set at Obernewtyn, but in the lowlands, as Elspeth and some others set out on a joint mission to find a library and a strong Talent they've sensed. Of course, things do not go easily, and they encounter most of the villains foreshadowed in Obernewtyn - Council, Herders, and the Druid himself - in various ways and with various consequences that I shan't spoil. It is a more convincing narrative than the first book; while there are still happy coincidences and useful chance-meetings, well, that's really the stock in trade of a fantasy, in some ways; and here it's done more smoothly and with less jarring "oh hai, yr conveniently who i need" moments.

Characters are more interesting and well developed in this second novel, too. Elspeth is a bit more complicated and nuanced, conflicted between the desire for safety and an impatience with staying put. The characters she goes travelling with show hints of personality and individuality; the most developed and interesting are the animals, and particularly the arrogant stallion Gahltha. He's way cool. Rushton continues to be gruff and remote but still appealing (to me, anyway!). The new people our Misfits meet on their travels are probably the most interesting characters aside from Elspeth, and although one of them gets a bit preachy and info-dumpy that's hardly his fault, and I liked him for his rash-yet-considered ways.

Finally, the world is built up just that bit more in this novel, mostly thanks to the travels of our heroes. We learn more about the current society - which is complex enough to be not all bad, but simple enough that the reader knows (well, this one did) that they really wouldn't want to live there. There's more about the Beforetimes, too, and I seem to remember that it took me until this book to be absolutely sure that Carmody was envisioning this as OUR world after some sort of human-caused apocalypse. Which is a bit embarrassing frankly. Anyway - more Beforetimes things, and stories too. This sort of idea isn't unique, but I like how Carmody runs with it. ...more

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Sep 03, 2010 Ksenia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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 ...more

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Mar 07, 2015 soph rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

So the adventurers continues, Elspeth travels to the low lands on the back of a prophecy only to come out the other side with the weight of the knowledge that she must one day take on a dark journey that will take her away from all that she loves. No one fully understands the true potential of Elspeths powers, some comes close. The pace and action of this book keeps me riveted.. isobelle paints such a large slow picture but it unfolds at a very digestible not boring pace. Hints and alluding to ...more

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Nov 24, 2010 Lauren rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

I'd really like to give this one 4.5 stars. I tend to be quite sceptical as I read books, assuming that the author is leading me into a long boring part of a story where no real action or surprising plot twists can be had. I love it when an author proves me wrong.
The action in this book is really rather good. Definitely engaging and absolutely capable of keeping me wanting to read more.
I must say, that by the end of the book I was getting a bit sick of all the obstacles. I tend to get impatient ...more

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Oct 29, 2008 Leila rated it liked it

This isn't quite as good as the first in the series (mostly due to repetitive word use--see: "guild" and "guildmerge"). But, once you get past the beginning, it's a pretty lively story. I enjoyed the growing equality of humans with animals, though I wonder--are all animals equally smart? How do they feel about eating them, then? There are ethical questions that should be mentioned that never are. Also, I feel like Carmody often singles out one random character to die in each book. Most of the ...more

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Sep 13, 2009 Yune rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

This one jumps ahead a bit from where Obernewtyn ended. The Misfits have organized into Guilds, according to their particular gifts, and each has its own agenda. A cooperative venture forms between the Tecknoguild, who seeks a library that may reveal more about the Beforetimers' machines, and the Farseekers -- led by Elspeth -- who are trying to track down a powerful Misfit.

I still like the level of grittiness of this world, and the characters who are meant to be endearing always are, but I ...more

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Feb 04, 2009 Colin rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, youngadultlit, speculativefiction, disabilitystudies, series

My re-read continues. I felt like the writing was slightly better in this one, but still not stellar. I think the main problem is that overall it's pretty formulaic fantasy writing. Y'know: good vs. evil. Carmody's characterization isn't earth-shattering by any means. But I love all the feisty friendly disabled folks, and the premise is what gets me on these, still. I have to say, i WAS kind of disappointed that Elspeth gets magically cured in this one. I forgot that part. On to the next one!

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Feb 11, 2016 Elizabeth rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library, science-fiction

This was quite a good sequel, though it definitely felt like an in-between book. Lots of world & character building but not a lot of plot progression. Really loved the scene where they found the Old-time library, as well as the part where Elspeth is found by the birds. The story just keeps on getting more interesting.

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Jan 27, 2019 Ju Transcendancing rated it really liked it

Shelves: pub-2003, fantasy, awesome-female-protagonist, found-family, aurealis-award-2018, awwc-2019, my-library, epic-fantasy, review-copy, friendship

This was another book that I liked, but like the first book in the series, I suspect I needed to come to it much younger than I did. There was still a lot to appreciate but it was too neat and ordered and came together too easily. Entertaining with great characters though.

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Nov 23, 2016 Misha Husnain Ali rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I enjoyed this one a lot more than the first, which is likely because the first book sets up a lot of things and has very little action in favor of exposition about the world. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

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Nov 14, 2015 Mere rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Coming into your stride. Finding out what your quest is.

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Dec 16, 2015 Jade rated it really liked it

I just wish she would fall in love with Rushton!!!

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Aug 18, 2015 Cari rated it it was amazing

I LOVED book 2!! Amazing ending, excited to read book 3!!

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Jan 02, 2012 Josh rated it it was amazing

Re-read in preparation for release of The Red Queen.

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May 31, 2012 Maggie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone who likes adventure!

Just as good as the first! Glad I saw it on Choupette's book list:o) On to number 3...

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Jul 09, 2018 Story rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: not-sure-where-this-is-going, dystopian

This book was pretty good, but I'm not really sure where it's going. I know that eventually Elspeth is (view spoiler) ...more

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May 09, 2017 B. R. Kyle (Ambiguous Pieces) rated it really liked it

Shelves: australian-authors, dystopian-apocalyptic, awwc, young-adult

Things I Liked:
~Interesting Plot: I liked how the characters and the plot intertwined together and I loved how multiple people and animals were undertaking their own personal journeys and character development and how all of that connected together in the end.

~The Harsh Reality of War: Isobelle Carmody didn’t shy away from the greater ramifications of what the Misfits are trying to accomplish and what the Council will be willing to do in order to stop them. There’s going to be civil war, one way ...more

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Jun 13, 2018 Liv Dunford rated it really liked it · review of another edition

So this is the second of a seven book series, and i'm LOVING them so far. From where Obernewtyn left off, there were so many paths that Carmody could've taken in terms of storylines, and the plot of this book was not like anything I expected. And it was awesome. So many new characters were introduced that I already love - Kella, Jik, Darga, Dragon and Brydda - and towards the middle of the book I felt as if they'd been there since Elspeth's first journey at Obernewtyn. The mystery of Henry Druid ...more

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Mar 19, 2017 Kylie Purdie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-reads

It's been over 20 years since I read the Obernewtyn Chronicles and I'm loving the fact that Carmody's writing well and truly stands the test of time.
I found The Farseekers had a quicker pace to it than Obernewtyn. Elspeth and a group of other misfits from Obernewtyn set off to complete a couple of missions. Things of course do not go to plan and they find themselves having to deal with some uncertain situations. Within this, Carmody allows her characters to grow and show themselves in a ...more

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Nov 27, 2018 Jax rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, dystopian

I'm of a similar mind in rating this as I was to the first book.
Overall, the story is inexplicably enjoyable; but there are still pacing issues and inconsistencies in the plot and the hazy timeline doesn't get any less hazy.

In Farseekers, Elspeth is part of an expedition to find a mysterious misfit, however, I found that quite often members of the travelling party were simply forgotten about.

Also, taking into account the original publication date, and that these books are targeted at younger ...more

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May 04, 2017 Mersini rated it liked it

Shelves: owned, australian, fantasy

Not a bad sequel. I read Obernewtyn long enough ago that I couldn't quite remember what happened, but thankfully The Farseekers sums it up well enough that I didn't have to reread it.

The plot of this book seemed thin. Not to say that it wasn't entertaining or interesting, but it certainly seemed like a lot of padding. I got the feeling that Carmody was moving characters around, and taking the opportunity to introduce new characters before she could move on and tell the story she really wanted ...more

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Jun 02, 2017 Susan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction, young-adult, series, fantasy

After re-reading my review of Obernewtyn, I find that I don't have much new or different to say about this book, second in the series that now has seven books, with publication dates ranging from 1987 to 2015. I still enjoyed the setting and the story; I still like Elspeth and her "misfit" friends; I still worry about what will happen to people with powers like hers; and my main complaint is still the simplicity of the good vs evil dichotomy.

I did find the episode with the bird a bit ...more

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Dec 15, 2017 Amanda Wells rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I think if I had read these books when I was in highschool, they would have been all I thought about. The characters, the world - just great.

I'm often nervous to read something that was written more than ten years ago for young adults, as sometimes authors attempt to connect to 'the youth' by saying some borderline offensive things that do not last the test of time. That's not the case so far here.

I also appreciate that the major plotlines of the story haven't been brushed aside to make room for ...more

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What's the Name o...: Fantasy series before 2000's. Main character is a girl. Can communicate telepathically with a horse. [s]	6	70	Sep 01, 2014 03:16AM

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About Isobelle Carmody

Isobelle Carmody

1,496 followers

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

Other books in the series

The Obernewtyn Chronicles (7 books)

Books by Isobelle Carmody

Obernewtyn (The Obernewtyn Chronicles, #1)

The Keeping Place (The Obernewtyn Chronicles, #4)

The Stone Key (The Obernewtyn Chronicles, #5)

The Sending (The Obernewtyn Chronicles, #6)

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Quotes from The Farseekers

“The worst predijudice is unknowing. We think we treat others as equals, but, in our deepest heart, we regard ourselves as superior. In part, this is because we are, in ways, powerful. But that does not make the race of humans (funanga) better than that of the dog or equine.” — 23 likes

“Life has always been a matter of putting one's feet down carefully” — 18 likes

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