The Lost Tohunga

Aotearoa #3

by David Hair

Everyone thinks Ngatoro-i-rangi is long dead, but Matiu Douglas knows he’s alive: because he hears the legendary tohunga’s voice inside his head!

With exams approaching, all Mat really wants to do on his break in Taupo is a bit of study, and catch up with his magical mentor, Aethlyn Jones. But the secret struggle of the warlocks to dominate the hidden land of Aotearoa is spilling into modern New Zealand, and nowhere is safe. The warlocks are seeking Te Iho - The Heart - Puarata’s secret powerbase. Find it and they will hold sway in both worlds.
When Jones is attacked and a fellow protégé kidnapped, Mat finds himself caught up in a deadly no-holds-barred struggle, on a path to Te Iho that is littered with death.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

368 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2011

About the author

David Hair is the author of The Bone Tiki, winner of Best First Novel (Young Adult Fiction section) at the 2010 NZ Post Children's Book Awards. The Bone Tiki and its sequel The Taniwha's Tear are fantasy novels set in New Zealand. David is a New Zealander, who has worked primarily in financial services. He has a degree in History and Classical Studies. He has lived from 2007 to 2010 in New Delhi, India, but usually resides in Wellington, New Zealand. Apart from writing, he is interested in folklore, history, and has a passion for football.

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Lost Tohunga is the third book in David Hair’s chilling YA series about Matiu (Mat) Douglas, and his discovery of his place in world of myth and magic.

One of the things I love about David Hairs’ writing his is ability to envelope the reader in the story, he plays on your senses until you can see the mist rising, you can feel the chill as the fog settles, hear the wind calling, and smell the ancient forest. Which makes for some hair-raising moments, and some downright disturbing imagery?

Why are there only Maori waka out on the lake?" Oh, can you picture it? A lake Taupo with no street lights, no hotels, no townhouses, just a full moon shining on water, with Maori canoes bobbing in the wake. Pretty

Through the story, although it deals with the mythology and mysticism of New Zealand, it’s also the story of a teen age boy, struggling to come to terms with his parents divorce, growing up, working out what he wants to do with life, peer pressure, and of course girls.

"Even the jerks have girlfriends. In fact, they get the girls before anyone else does. And the guys with cars can take their pick ... Are all girls really that stupid?" he trumped morosely. Mum smirked. "If you mean, is it stupid for girls to want to hang out with popular alpha males with visible wealth and status? Well I wouldn't call the stupid. Life is like that. In the animal kingdom --"

One of the aspects I find quite disturbing, as an adult reader, is the amount of domestic violence in this book. It’s disturbing to read, and know that it’s such a part of life for so many people, but David Hair handles it incredibly well. Sharing both sides, not explaining it away or trying to hide it, but simply putting it out there for the reader to try and absorb and understand that it IS a problem, and it’s not solved by simply donating to a women’s refuge collection day and walking away.

There was one scene of violence that I really don’t think added anything to the story and I still makes me feel a little ill, but I have a higher tolerance of violence against humans than I do against for violence against animals, and wish I just hadn’t read that small scene.

I did find The lost Tohunga to be more complicated than either the Bone Tiki or The Taniwha’s Tear, although the story arc has been increasing in complexity as we reach towards this one. In The Lost Tohunga we’re introduced to more characters, and re-introduced to old characters, so all the threads are knitted back together to create this story, which can get confusing if you’re not paying attention, particularly as Mr Hair uses alternating narrators to tell the story.

Overall, if you like mythology in your fantasy, this is a great read. I’m not sure how it translates to someone not raised with Maori culture as part of everyday life, but I think most will find this a enjoyable and eye opening story.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great addition to the Bone Tiki series. This may actually be the best book of the three. It adds a great deal of complexity to some of the characters that were more one-dimensional in the first and second book; particularly the 'evil' Donna Kyle. We also get to spend more time seeing the story from different perspectives, rather than pretty much sticking with Mat's viewpoint. I really appreciate the fact that Hair resists the draw of making everything wrap up in a happy package, though to be honest, I think a bit more tragedy might do the series some good. It looks like this will probably be a four or five book series at least, thank goodness. Really looking forward to the next one but I'm guessing I'll have a while to wait.

[St Stephen's C C]

Everyone thinks Ngatoro-i-rangi is long dead, but Matiu Douglas knows he's alive: because he hears the legendary Tohunga's voice inside his head! With exams approaching, all Mat really wants to do on his break in Taupo is a bit of study, and catch up with his magical mentor, Aethlyn Jones. But the secret struggle of the warlocks to dominate the hidden land of Aotearoa is spilling into modern New Zealand, and nowhere is safe. The warlocks are seeking Te Iho - The Heart - Puarata's secret power base. Find it and they will hold sway in both worlds. When Jones is attacked and a fellow protege kidnapped, Mat finds himself caught up in a deadly no-holds-barred struggle, on a path to Te Iho that is littered with death.

[Lemurkat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third of Mat's adventures, and the author is really finding his footing now. The storyline is fast-paced, the characters distinctive and the use of Maori mythology adds a unique touch. It is refreshing to see a paranormal-style urban fantasy in which the characters are not werewolves or vampires (although the patupaiarehe come close to the latter). Speaking of the patupaiarehe, it was quite novel to see the author give them a Celtic flavour - as from their descriptions (in folklore), one cannot help but wonder if they were originally foreigners from far across the seas.

[Klee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third one in the series - set in Rotorua, my hometown, so naturally going to find a connection with the text. Another great piece of teen fiction by David Hair, would recommend this series to any teen!

[Miriam Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay book: decent story, average prose. I'm curious about where it leads, but most of the female characters are still frustratingly two dimensional.