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Summary: A brief literary review
Review: The Farseekers is a thoroughly enjoyable and exciting read. Isobelle Carmody has successfully incorporated action, fantasy, drama, comedy, tragedy and romance into a wonderful story filled colour and life. This book illustrates Carmody's maturation as a writer between her penning of Obernewtyn and its successor. In her sensitive portrayal of a young girl's ongoing struggle to come to terms with herself, she illustrates her own insight into human character and relationships. Carmody achieves in her characters what so few futuristic, fantasy, and science fiction writers are unable to attain: likeable, believeable, multidimensional characters. The Farseekers achieves its primary function of following on from Obernewtyn and leading into Ashling all while maintaining the readers' interest. The Farseekers is an aborbing and rewarding read. The book and the series to which it belongs thoroughly deserves the awards it has won and its continuing popularity wit! h its audience. If the author happens to read this, please reply if you like what you see! Thanks! Thespis
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Summary: An excellent pageturning book, well worth reading
Review: The Farseekers is a well woven tale picking off where Obernewtyn left off, in the heart of a working misfit community. Despite her new found acceptance at Obernewtyn, Elspeth is restless to leave. Dressed as a gypsy, in a false rig, Elspeth and a few others dare to venture to Sutrium and Aborium to complete three missions vital to Obernewtyn. Druids, rebels and soldierguards are all a part of the adventure, and soon Elspeth begins to wonder what she was running from in the first place.
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Summary: amazing!
Review: the obernewtyn chronicles have been my favourite books since 1987, when i was introduced to obernewtyn as a 9 year old school girl. this is when the first book was ever published. ever since then ive been on an impatient wait for the following books. to the farseekers, what can i say? it just gets better and better. to all of you who live outside of australia, be patient. if you guys think youve got it bad, with only the first two of her books being released there, just imagine what we down under are going through. shes a painfully slow writer. id suggest if its possible, to get your hands on her other books, scatterlings, the gathering, darkfall (a new series, the legendsong which shes started) and green monkey dreams. but i guess that all depends on whether theyve been published overseas. i dont want to ruin it for you, but trust that your patience will be worth it. not only do the following two books, ashling and the keeping place get better and better but her writing improves dramatically. im not saying that shes a bad writer, shes actually my favourite author. but you have to realise that she began to write obernewtyn at the age of 14 and worked on it throughout high school, and for a 14 year old that was an amazing piece of work. it just really hits you how her writing style has developed into something that really blows you away. but i can tell foreign readers this, the next book and supposedly the last book in the chronicles is called the sending. i say supposedly, because i remember after the farseekers came out the next book was meant to be the keeping place, but it ended being ashling and then the keeping place(which was just released in australia this year). i hope to god that the sending isnt the last book. and shes also meant to be working on the second book in the legendsong series, called darksong.
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Summary: Fantastic, some of the best books I have ever read
Review: The whole series by Isobelle Carmody is wonderful. I read the first three while I was at school but had to re-read them again before reading the Keeping Place but i would do it again in a minute - I couldn't put them down. I am dying to read part 5 but from reading the other review it seems its not out yet. I hope to find it soon...im waiting on the edge of my seat to find out what happens. Anyone who finds out when the next title is please let me know. I would reccommend this series to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Ultimately an inferior reproduction of a great work.
Review: The world described throughout this and the other Obernewtyn chronicles bears more than a little resemblance to that imagined by John Wyndam in THE CHRYSALIDS. Whilst the Obernewtyn series is clearly aimed at a younger readership and expands in many ways upon the post apocalyptic theme originated by Wyndam, the earlier book in my opinion remains the better story. Carmody never delves deeper than the albeit unusual problems faced by Elspeth in her daily life, wheras Wyndam constantly presents not only a masterfully woven plot and characterisation, but also a discussion of the moral and philosophical dilemma that man's ability to wreak such terrible destruction creates. I would suggest that anyone who enjoyed the Obernewtyn series as a child read THE CHRYSALIDS as an adult, when the difference between the two can be fully appreciated.
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Summary: Absolutely wonderful books!
Review: There are just some books that you can't put down, and you're really sorry when you finish them because you want to read more. I read Obernewtyn and The Farseekers and immediately started searching online for the next books in the series. I haven't purchased them yet from Australia because I keep waiting for another one to come out (SOON?)(I hope) so I can order three of them and have yet one more book in the series to read before I have to go into withdrawl again. Obviously I would highly recommend this series to anyone from young adults up.
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Summary: A must read
Review: This book explores how life at Obernewtyn is undertaken after Rushton becomes the master. It tells you in more detail about the mind talents the misfits have. It is well written and action packed. The characters have become more mature and you can really relate to them. The ending is fantastic and thought provoking. A must read! However, it is better to read Obenewtyn first (otherwise you have no idea what half of the book is about).
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Summary: Fabulous
Review: This is a spell-binding book that will draw you in, and hold you captive until the last page, then you'll want to read it again. It is the second in the Obernewtyn Chronicles, which are great, too. There is a fourth coming out, and I want it now! Read it if you're looking for a place to lose yourself in for a couple of days. Trust me, you won't want to come back.
Elf
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Summary: ENGAGING SERIES - COULDN'T PUT EACH BOOK DOWN!
Review: This is an unusually well-written series, with unique characters and a fascinating story line. Isobelle Carmody is a gifted writer. I have read a lot of fantasy/scifi, and often the plots or aspects of the plot are similar from one book to another (find a portal, travel to another world/time, etc). This series is not only creatively different, it is thought-provoking. I could not put down each book in the series, reading late into the night (which I usually avoid doing). I will not recapitulate the plot here, because so many others have done so. I do want to contradict one of the reviewers cited above (Publisher's Weekly), who stated that the book was more likely to appeal to adolescent females. I am a 45-year-old woman, and I have found this series to be one of my all-time favorites. There is nothing adolescent about it, except the ages of some of the characters. However, they do not act or think in particularly adolescent ways. Of course, I think the series would ALSO appeal to adolescent females, as well as to advanced pre-teen readers (since the plot is complicated). Order your copy of Obernewtyn today, and set some time aside!
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Summary: An Improvment on Obernewton, but not as good as later books.
Review: This is the 2nd book in the Obernewton chronicals - which in Australia are up to four, and each book is getting thicker. The first two seem to be more simplistic, and written more for children, however the next two are more fo adults. In this book we see more about Elspeth and the rest of the Obernewton Gang. The main plot is that Elpseth, and a few others, go off to resuce a new Talent that need. However along the way they run into many dangers, inluding a Rebel camp and a poisoned wasteland. I can't tell much more without revealing the plot, only that Elspeth discovers more about herself and others in this book. Fairly well written, it leaves you wanting to get the rest in the series.
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