Obernewtyn

Isobelle Carmody 1987 Buy from Amazon.com

Obernewtyn is a young adult novel although that shouldn’t lead anyone to think that it is simplistic, it is quite well written and interesting enough to satisfy adult readers of fantasy and science fiction too. It is set in a post apocalypse landscape where there are two main powers in society. The council, which governs, and the Herder Faction which manages religious affairs. The Herders preach that the ‘Great White’, a nuclear war that has left barren patches of dangerously tainted wasteland, was sent by ‘Lud’ to punish the Beforetimers for their wicked ways.

Anyone who is a Misfit, either in body or mind, is burned, as are Seditioners who speak against the Council. Elspeth Gordie is a Misfit but no one knows it yet. She and her brother are the orphan children of Seditioners and she is afraid that one day someone will find out about her ability to speak to animals and other mind powers. When she is finally denounced she is sent over the mountains to Obernewtyn. Everyone knows that anyone sent to Obernewtyn never returns, and she is afraid of what she will find there.

When she arrives, she finds that Obernewtyn has many secrets, and there are other talented Misfits there too. Experiments are being run on them and the malicious and beautiful Ariel seems to target her immediately. She is reassured that her friend Maruman, who is a cat, has followed her. As time goes on she makes allies despite her reserve and finds that the overseer Rushton may be more than he seems.

This is exactly the type of novel I enjoy, set in a perilous post-apocalypse world, with a mysterious mountain fastness and truly sinister villains. The Misfit children that befriend Elspeth are resourceful and strong characters and her talents are both fascinating and edged with the fear of discovery. I first read this novel years ago and I was very happy to find that it is just as good now as when I was a younger reader.

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