Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding Fantasty/Mystery/Science Fiction Blend
Review: A dream book for fans who love multiple genres, particularly those in the fantastic/speculative section of the spectrum. "Obernewtyn" is a detailed, fully constructed 'imaginary' world with its own culture, biophysical characteristics, and social idiosyncracies like a great Fantasy novel but clearly descended from 'our' own world by means of an immense global catacylsm and the subsequent decay and rebuilding of civilization, comfortably co-existing as a Science Fiction standout. Long after the 'Great White' that destroyed the previous planetary civilization, some people are being born with special powers that usually manifest years into life. Called Misfits, they were once all killed off, but in the timeframe of the novel, "all but the most horribly afflicted" are being rounded up and used as glorified slave labor, resulting in Misfits generally trying to keep their natures hidden. It is to an 'orphanage' for such individuals - the titular Obernewtyn - that the novel's main heroine Elspeth is sent, and the dark, mysterious and foreboding nature of the place conjures up images of another genre - a subtle, older-styled horror movie or novel. Add to this plentiful drama, and Elspeth and her allies - including a highly intelligent cat named Maruman who Elspeth can communicate with telepathically - and you have a first-rate novel, descriptively written with flair and equally driven by characters and concept. Superb first volume of a saga, with welcome suspense and originality.
Rating: 
Summary: WHERE'S MAD MAX?
Review: Elspeth Gordie has grown up in a world much different than ours. After a nuclear war called "The Great White" which made much of the world unliveable, only the most remote areas were spared. As refugees poured in from the radioactive areas, these people banded into a powerful confederation called The Council and slaughtered any contaminated humans. Even those killings weren't enough, for later, babies were born mutated, and to overcome the revulsion of killing the infants, a religious order was founded, The Herder Faction. As happens in human history, religion is used to hide atrocities and horror. The Herders over time make people believe that The Great White and all its horrors were punishements visited down by God, or as the call him, Lud. They forbid all the technology and customs of the old world. Any who oppose them are branded Seditioners and burned. A new problem has arisen in that there are secret mutants walking among them. Ones whose powers do not show themselves. Elspeth Gordie is one such hidden mutant. She has extremely powerful telepathy, allowing her to read minds,to even control other people if she wills it, and even talk to animals. She has to conceal them though, especially since her brother is trying to fit into the Herders. They are already seen as suspicious since their parents were put to death for Sedition. A problem arises with the arrival of Madame Vega. She is a keeper at Obernewtyn, a remote mountain facility where supposedly hidden mutants, or Misfits, can be cured. The scary part about it is that noone ever returns from Obernewtyn. In a dumb mistake, Elspeth reveals her powers, and is forced to go there. It is there that she will learn the truth about the past. She will also learn how to save the future. I enjoyed this book. The setting was pretty imaginative and the characters were excellent. It's pretty timely for our world too. I mean you can't help seeing Islamic Jihadists in the repressive and terroristic ways of the Herders. The world of Obernewtyn is a world not allowed to go forward because they reject their past. When religion becomes a tool of fear, you know the culture is in trouble. It also reminded me of the Spanish Inquistion and atmosphere of the Salem Witch Trials. All religions have known their savageries.
Rating:
Summary: WHERE'S MAD MAX?
Review: Elspeth Gordie has grown up in a world much different than ours. After a nuclear war called "The Great White" which made much of the world unliveable, only the most remote areas were spared. As refugees poured in from the radioactive areas, these people banded into a powerful confederation called The Council and slaughtered any contaminated humans. Even those killings weren't enough, for later, babies were born mutated, and to overcome the revulsion of killing the infants, a religious order was founded, The Herder Faction. As happens in human history, religion is used to hide atrocities and horror. The Herders over time make people believe that The Great White and all its horrors were punishements visited down by God, or as the call him, Lud. They forbid all the technology and customs of the old world. Any who oppose them are branded Seditioners and burned. A new problem has arisen in that there are secret mutants walking among them. Ones whose powers do not show themselves. Elspeth Gordie is one such hidden mutant. She has extremely powerful telepathy, allowing her to read minds,to even control other people if she wills it, and even talk to animals. She has to conceal them though, especially since her brother is trying to fit into the Herders. They are already seen as suspicious since their parents were put to death for Sedition. A problem arises with the arrival of Madame Vega. She is a keeper at Obernewtyn, a remote mountain facility where supposedly hidden mutants, or Misfits, can be cured. The scary part about it is that noone ever returns from Obernewtyn. In a dumb mistake, Elspeth reveals her powers, and is forced to go there. It is there that she will learn the truth about the past. She will also learn how to save the future. I enjoyed this book. The setting was pretty imaginative and the characters were excellent. It's pretty timely for our world too. I mean you can't help seeing Islamic Jihadists in the repressive and terroristic ways of the Herders. The world of Obernewtyn is a world not allowed to go forward because they reject their past. When religion becomes a tool of fear, you know the culture is in trouble. It also reminded me of the Spanish Inquistion and atmosphere of the Salem Witch Trials. All religions have known their savageries.
Rating: 
Summary: Far from spectacular
Review: Having read all the glowing reviews on Amazon, I decided to purchase Isobelle Carmody's OBERNEWTYN. As I read it, I was surprised that I did not find it to be as wonderful as everyone had said. Carmody's prose is anemic; events that should have been played out for the reader to "see" are instead summarized quickly by the narrator. The characterizations leave a lot to be desired; of all the characters, only about two (I would say Matthew and Rushton) are three-dimensional. The reader never really gets to know the narrator, Elspeth Gordie. Even at the end of the book, the extent of her powers remains a mystery, and equally mysterious are any emotions or personal feelings she may or may not have. The plot is hardly a plot at all. After Elspeth is deposited at Obernewtyn, the story meanders along without any real goal until the very end. Personally, I prefer a little more structure in my reading. While the rising action is exciting, the climax is disappointing. (I will not spoil the ending for those who do intend to read it.) To be fair to the author, it feels like someone did a heavy-handed editing job on this novel. The narrator knows the names of people and things without ever introducing them to the audience (so to speak); there are small inconsistencies that I believe an author of Carmody's stature would not miss (is it "breakfast" or "firstmeal"?); the entire last half of the book feels like it has parts missing. I did give the book three stars, because I admit I did finish it (which I would not have, had it been really awful). The premise of OBERNEWTYN is intriguing, and the society that Carmody creates is truly fascinating. All in all, I enjoyed this book a little,...
Rating:
Summary: Obernewtyn - entery into another world
Review: I love this book! i read it first a couple of years ago and... WOW!
since then i've read it thw whole series twice over and they are my favourite books!
these are suitable books for the whole family, though the language might baffle some of the younger audiances!
this is a great book and i highly recomend it to all readers!
Rating:
Summary: Steady postapocalyptic mystery
Review: Isobelle Carmody's "Obernewtyn," now reprinted for kids and young adults by Starscape Books, is a pretty good post-apocalypse fantasy, with a pretty good heroine and a good, suspenseful plot. It's not a typical fantasy, but it should definitely be given a look. After the Great White (nuclear holocaust), the Beforetime civilization was pretty much destroyed -- the people remaining lost most of their knowledge of the past, and genetic mutations altered the minds and bodies of animals and humans alike. The human mutants are known as Misfits, and if they're found, they are burned by the Council on the assumption that they are possessed by demons. One such girl is Elspeth Gordie, a girl who has kept her psychic abilities secret for a long time. But a future-seeing cat pal of hers sees the future -- that she will be found out and taken to the ountains. His prediction comes true. Elspeth, instead of being burned, is taken to the mountain prison of Obernewtyn. Misfits there are kept as laborers, and the mysterious Master of Obernewtyn is supposedly trying to find a cure for them. But Elspeth soon learns that all is not as it seems -- the Misfits are being used by someone at Obernewtyn to find out the nuclear secrets of the past. Not bad -- not bad at all. Isobelle Carmody puts a lot of work into making her world believable and sort of simple -- she doesn't overburden us with too many weird developments, like many postapocalypse fantasies do. Very realistically, "Beforetime" is viewed sort of the way we view ancient Rome, as a noisy, mean, fascinatingly mysterious place; it's very cool when she has Elspeth flipping through a manual for computers that don't exist anymore. Telepathic talking animals and ever-increasing psychic abilities add an extra edge to the book, though one that is thankfully never overused. Elspeth is a good heroine in the sense that she reacts very much the way you'd expect her to, since she is an orphaned girl with no real friends until she lands in Obernewtyn. That doesn't mean that she's always likeable, but she's always believable. The supporting characters tend to be a bit flatter, as the good guys tend to run together a little. The less sympathetic characters like Rushton, Jes, and the real Master are more three-dimensional, they have a little more bite to them. Carmody's plotting still lacks somewhat -- her prose is pretty standard, nothing mind-blowing here. And the middle of the book sags a bit as Elspeth lives her first months at Obernewtyn. For a long time, nothing really seems to happen except people snap at her. But she does give a drearily hopeless atmosphere to Obernewtyn, and does one of the best jobs of "talking animals" ever. (No cutesiness here!) This book is fine for teens and kids; I advise buying the juvenile edition of this book, because the cover art is much better. While "Obernewtyn" is not perfect, it's a good darker fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: An original Plot-Line
Review: Isobelle Carmody's book 'Obernewtyn' is one that has a very interesting and original plot-line, but could have been written better. The result of seeing the story from powerful farseeker Elspeth Gordie's eyes, you miss the chance to see what the other characters are thinking or planning. The book could have been longer and more exciting if we could have seen more of what went on outside of Elspeth's knowledge. It also seemed to move along very quickly, making it seem she was only in Obernewtyn for a few months before wanting to escape. At the end, I found myself wondering about a few things, as some questions had been left unaswered and I had to go back and re-read a few parts before I understood what it meant. All in all, it was an original and well-thought out idea, and the book wasn't the worst I've ever read, just saying that it's not the best either. I suggest you read it. Who knows, you may even like it! I did, I just thought there could've been a few things to change. Good work though Isobelle, I look forward to reading the other Obernewtyn Chronicals.
Rating:
Summary: Immersion, thy name is...
Review: Looking for a new series? This one's excellent. It deals with the child Elspeth Gordie (or Innle) and her movement towards her ultimate destiny, as yet unforseen: the destruction of the weaponmachines that caused the Great White, the nuclear holocaust that has wiped out much of the population of the world, turned much of the Land into a blackened, tainted ruin and allowed the rise of the tyrannical Council and Herders. Elspeth here is unaware of her greater purpose and so this book reveals very little of this...you'll just have to read on! I love Carmody's treatment of the mind powers: more human than Julian May, yet more plausible than Anne McCaffrey. Basically, there are different 'talents': empathy, coercion, farspeaking (telepathy), beastspeaking, futuretelling and Teknoguilding (slight telekinesis, ability to understand relics of our age). Of course Elspeth, as the heroine, is gifted with all of these (except empathy) and she uses all of them in her yet unwitting quest as the Seeker. Supporting characters are good too, like the blind, gentle empath Dameon, the skinny, eager farseeker Matthew, the doomed Cameo and Selmar and the sadistic three in control of Obernewtyn. Plus of course the enigmatic Rushton... I think Carmody's books played a major part in getting me into fantasy. That's how great they are. Some of the writing may not suit certain people's taste as it's fairly unique; however this is a read not restricted to the young adult demographic. I know as many adults as kids who are fans. Carmody just sucks you into her world and doesn't let go, not even after you've finished the book - and I'm speaking as one who dreams about the series!
Rating:
Summary: A different book, but also fantastic
Review: Obernewtyn is a fab book about a young girl in a post-apocalypse world. The survivours set up a council, and condems Misfits, who are mutants. The main character, Elspeth, is one mutant,who has the power to read minds, as well as to beastspeak. That is, to talk to animals. Her friend, a cat, tells her that her destiny lies in the mountains, at Obernewtyn, a jail type place for Misfits. I found this book a joy to read, and I couldn't put it down. In my opinion, Carmody draws you into this future world, and I felt like I was there. I only wish it could have been longer, but I guess in a sense it is - that is it is part of a series. I have already read a few more books in the series, I can't wait for the rest!
Rating:
Summary: Great read.....(I read the Starscape young adult version)
Review: Obernewtyn is the first in a series of books written by award-winning Australian writer Isobelle Carmody. It is a postapocalyptic story set on an earth in which many children are born with enhanced mental abilities.
Those with these abilities are termed Misfits and are sought for either extermination or service in Obernewtyn. The story follows Elspeth Gordie, a young girl with the gift to read minds and communicate with animals. Discovery of her powers by members of the Council lead to banishment to Obernewtyn where Elspeth must learn to control her powers in order to save her friends, and herself, from the evil being wrought there.
Ms. Carmody's books have just recently made their way across the shores and are among a number of books that are following a recent trend: being printed unabridged in both children's and adult versions. My initial impression was that the book was slow but by the time I finished the first chapter I was really into the story and finished the book in a day. The story moves along at a pace that keeps you interested in what is about to happen without being overwhelming. Ms. Carmody allows the reader to get to know her characters in such a way that you are interested in their respective fates. This is an appropriate story for children aged 10 and above but is by no means a "kid's" story. I believe that the success of the Harry Potter novels has encouraged publishers to market books like the Obernewtyn Chronicles to children as well as adults. I would give the book 4 and 1/2 out of 5 stars...
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