The Flaxfield Quartet, Volume 2: Fireborn by Toby Forward

Ok, so anyone who has read my older posts, or that I’ve spoken to any time in the last few months, should have an idea how much I LOVED Dragonborn by Toby Forward. I think even Toby himself has an idea as he honoured me by commenting on my blog post. I must admit I was cuffed! But what can I say, I needed to tell the world that loved it!

So much so, I even squeezed in a re-read of it before reading Book 2 in The Flaxfield Quartet: Fireborn. I had other book-industry friends look at me in surprise and say “How did you manage to re-read a book? I wish I had the time…”

Where did I find the time? I made it. I set aside a whole day and read Dragonborn from cover to cover. Nothing else was achieved, which was perfect; I had nothing else I wanted to do. It was even better through the 2^nd time, but that’s a story for another day. This post should be about Fireborn.

Fireborn takes us back to before the events of Dragonborn and we get a detailed description of what happened to bring about the wild magic and set things on an unpredictable and dangerous path. Stories told in book 1 that appeared to be myths or legends to teach a moral turn out to be truth. I don’t want to say too much, in case I give something away. This is a series that any self respecting fantasy fan (or fiction fan in general) should be rushing out the door to get their hands on. And now! Before you start being told by too many people how good it is. Be one of the first, the originals, who tell their friends to read it and can say they were there at the beginning.

Fireborn holds its own against Dragonborn. I think neither outshines the other; both are exceptionally crafted.

On a personal note, one thing I noticed reading book 2 (and thinking back to book 1) was how brilliantly Toby Forward uses unanswered questions. As in many real life conversations, people ask questions that sometimes will prompt a change in topic by the other person to avoid answering. Or an allusive answer is given. This happens regularly throughout both books and, for me, it made it more real, and so much more compulsive!

Fireborn has confirmed what I suspected after I read Dragonborn: Toby Forward deserves a place on my shelf (on your shelf too) next to Usula K. Le Guin, J.R.R. Tolkin, Patrick Ness, Phillip Pullman, and the other great writers of fantasy. As an aspiring author myself, I found myself taking mental note of various writing techniques that Toby Forward has used that inspire me endlessly. I have been caught a few times smiling wistfully to myself by my partner, and when asked ‘what are you thinking?’ I confess sheepishly that I had been thinking about The Flaxfield Quartet.

Thank you again Toby. Now the final two instalments in this series will be very significant events on my calendar. 

Missed the first one? Read my review HERE

Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet

Wow! I have heard some glowing reviews about Mal Peet’s writing in general but had never had the time to read any of his books. Until now… and I’m left amazed!

Peet’s prose is a smorgasbord for those who love the English language and what it’s capable of. Full of rich and original descriptions and subtleties that state plainly what going on in the story, but allude to so much more. If there is one thing he has achieved in this brilliant book, it is a perfect illustration of Life as an exploded diagram.  No piece of the story is too small or too large to be left out. Each little detail all fits perfectly into the picture. Peet has superbly realised with this novel what his narrator has with his art: “I’ve made my living these past thirty years painting and drawing things exactly and intensely as they are and letting them speak for themselves.”

The story itself centres on two teenagers who are trying to make sense of life and love in the English countryside in the shadow of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The missile crisis is explained in detail as it will affect both of them more than they could have ever imagined.

This is for the reader who wants more. More of everything. More of life. It is not simply another teenage love story. Quoting the book: “Lord knows, bookshop shelves already creak under the weight of Misery Memoirs and Teen Novels that might as well all be called My School Hell. I have no desire to add my small pebble to that avalanche of unhappiness.” 

Do not be fooled by this being shelved in Young Adult fiction sections of bookshops. While it is a great read for the teen who wants something meatier, something better, it is just as much for adults. Those that lived through the missile crisis, those that have only heard about it, those that haven’t but have had a run-in with teenage love, and those that are simply fascinated by life and how everything fits together. In all honesty, I have no interest in politics, but there was no point in this book that I didn’t want to keep reading. Such astounding writing has left me invigorated. I strongly suggest you read this book.

Now I’ve got all of Mal Peet’s other novels to look forward to. As a friend said to me recently “I’m jealous that you’ll get to read them for the first time.” There is a magic in that first reading. There certainly was in this one.

Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones

There’s something striking about Tim Wynne-Jones’ writing that I find intriguing. He writes subject matter that I would normally have no interest in whatsoever, but somehow his prose is so elegant and atmospheric that I’m engaged from beginning to end.

Admittedly, I’ve only read one other of his books: The Uninvited, which I really quite liked, so it was no surprise when I thoroughly enjoyed Blink & Caution.

It tells the story of two teens who have run away from home (separately, they don’t know each other at the beginning of the story) and have been living on the streets for a number of months.

‘Blink’, as he has named himself, goes into a hotel to scavenge food left out in the hallways, leftover room service, and witnesses something that will lead him into more trouble than he would have imagined.

‘Caution’, as she has named herself, sees her life on the streets as an extended death sentence for the horrible thing that she did.

There seems to be no hope for either of them until they meet each other and decide to work together to get to the bottom of the mystery that’s in the newspapers across the country, the mystery that Blink has witnessed a key part of.

I wish I had been marking the quotes I like throughout this book (like I usually do) because some of his similes and metaphors were surprising and beautiful. If there’s one thing I get sick of in books, it’s clichéd descriptions.

So if you’re after an absorbing crime thriller, that doesn't get too heavy but is full-on enough to keep it interesting, I can recommend Blink & Caution.

And I know I’ll be hanging out for Tim Wynne-Jones’ next book and (when I have time!) looking into his others as well.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness & Siobhan Dowd

A Novel by Patrick Ness from an Original idea by Siobhan Dowd

The ‘Chaos Walking’ trilogy quickly and firmly established Patrick Ness as one of the authors that inspires me the most.

Therefore, I was more than excited to hear about his new work ‘A Monster Calls' and could not wait until I had read it. So much so, that when I had my hands on a copy, all other reading (regardless of how important – uni and work – were laid aside).

This particular book was born in the mind of Siobhan Dowd who, tragically, died before she could write it. In Patrick’s words: “She had the characters, a detailed premise, and a beginning. What she didn’t have, unfortunately, was time.”

So, in being invited to use Siobhan’s idea, Patrick let it grow, in the wild way of stories. Then he ran with it and made trouble.

And I for one am thrilled that he did. The story that these two have come up with is fantastic and one to be appreciated on any number of levels.

For me, it reads like a beautifully crafted modern fairy tale, full of modern sensibilities and psychologies. What I mean by this can easily be explained with a quote from the book:

“There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere inbetween.”

Mix that with the idea that not all stories have a happy ending and you get a brilliantly written tale of a boy’s struggle with his mother’s illness and a visit from a Monster as old as the earth who wants only one thing: the truth, spoken from Coner’s lips.

While the idea was Siobhan’s and the words Patrick’s, it would be unfair to review this book without reference to Jim Kay’s illustrations which perfectly capture the flickering, messy, darkness that would be conjured by one’s imagination were this tale read aloud by a dancing fireplace. Some illustrated novels seem like two works clumsily thrust together, the illustrations adding nothing, sometimes detracting from the written text. Jim Kay’s art adds to the snowball effect that began with the text, built in your imagination, was complemented by the artwork and had me glancing at the window to make sure that there was no such Monster peering in.

Moving, dark, and real, A Monster Calls can be devoured in one sitting and leaves you asking yourself: “What is my truth?”

5 Gold Stars

Find it on Goodreads

Dragonborn: The Flaxfield Quartet Vol 1 - Toby Forward

Those people who know me would probably realise that Teenage Fantasy is my genre of choice. The problem is there is so much of it around it is sometimes hard to know where to start, or move on to next when browsing the shelves of your local bookshop or library.

Well, I hardly expect anyone to think of me as a voice of authority, but I can tell you that at age 27 I have never stopped reading teenage, young adult and junior fiction, and seriously doubt that I ever will. There is simply too much out there that is great.

That preface was offered in an attempt to add weighting to my upcoming recommendation, to show how strongly I feel about this book.

It has been quite a while since I have felt so thoroughly impressed by a fantasy novel as I was with Toby Forward’s Dragonborn. And I mean that as a novel, not necessarily one for younger/teenage readers. While Dragonborn is suitable for readers aged 10 (or so) and up, as an adult I very much enjoyed it and now I am very excited for the three books yet to come.

Atmospheric, allusive and compelling, the world crafted in The Flaxfield Quartet is complete and tangible, without being overstated. Toby Forward knows that readers have an imagination, that is partially (if not wholly) why they read: to fuel that imagination. So, he does not speak down to his reader, he does not undermine their own ideas. I felt I was being shown around a world I was already expected to know all about, and that was liberating and mystifying at the same time. I had to guess at the meaning of things that characters fully understood which made me desperate to read on. And, typical of a good series, I did not know all the answers by the end of book one.

The lore of magic making in this world is original and fascinating, each of the mages crafting spells in a way that suits them and reflects their personality, but in the scope of a fantasy novel, was entirely believable.

Some of the creatures were only vaguely described, leaving it up to me, as the reader, to build an image of what they looked like (and were capable of) from the snippets of description scattered throughout the book. This was one of the key elements that made me appreciate the book as an adult reader. It was so refreshing to not be spoon-fed creature descriptions and character traits which made me personally invested in the story so I felt that I had helped build it. Naturally the credit goes entirely to the author. And I know this sounds silly, but I want to thank Toby Forward for involving me, or rather, letting me be involved.

So, no matter what age you are, if you have even the slightest inclination towards fantasy stories, go out and find Dragonborn and get involved.


Like this? Make sure you read Fireborn!

The Knife Of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Book One of the Chaos Walking Series

Wow!

Just, Wow!

I could not put this book down. It was extremely fast paced, a sprint from start to finish (for more than one reason).

And boy was it fascinating! In a New World where men can hear each other's thoughts (all of them, all of the time - hence 'Chaos Walking') it's incredible the way Ness explores the way this would affect how humans relate to each other, their varied reactions seem to distinguish the men from the boys. Because for his whole life, Todd has been taught that it was an alien germ that cause the 'Noise' and it was the same germ that killed all of the females of Prentisstown. So the aliens (natives) are to blame and were killed out during the war. But was that a lie?

How would you feel if you discovered that everything you thought you knew the world you lived in was a lie, and the consequences of that lie are a heavy price to pay...

This book is Amazing! I recommend it for anyone over 14 (there's a bit of language and death which might not be suitable for younger readers, but by age suggestion is just a guide too). Even if 'Fantasy' isn't your thing, this books has more of a 'colonial settlers' feel to it than magic etc. It's just got the extremely interesting 'Noise' aspect, which is almost a sociology experiment in novel format.

I LOVE THIS BOOK!

The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly

From the opening pages, Connolly's writing had me enthralled. As the book unfolds, the subject matter is handled tenderly and professionally so that the good humoured compassion of a supportive relationship is delightfully established despite the declining health of David's Mother.

It has been a while since I have been so thoroughly impressed with both the content, and writing style of a book that every line on every page is a delight to read. I must admit that anything that involves fairy or folk tales is entirely up my alley. But that said, this would be an interesting read for those with even a passing acquaintance with these stories. While intertextuality plays a major role within this book, Connolly has expertly created a world on his own which is just waiting to be consumed by any reader's imagination.

I picked up this book because I liked the cover. I read it, not knowing anything about it. And I was so impressed and pleased at what was within I'm trying now not to give anything away to those who haven't read it.

The Book of Lost Things captures the pure joy, the lurking fear, the endured trials and deserved triumphs which are contained in books and imaginations all over the world. I fully recommend this book to anyone with a love of stories, a love of reading.