The Hall of Lost Footsteps

by Sara Douglass, Karen Brooks (Introduction)

"You must know that Sara Douglass is the brilliant author of several best-selling fantasy series. She has earned her well-deserved awards and reputation by writing on a grand scale-but I'll let you in on a little secret: she is one fabulous short story writer! Although you can easily find her books, for she is prolific and well-published novelist, you'd have to dig a bit to find the glittering gems that are her short stories. Until now. The Hall of the Lost Footsteps is a must-read! The stories will simply knock you out." - Jack Dann

Genres: Fantasy

248 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Douglass was born in Penola, South Australia. She attended Annesley College, in Wayville, a suburb of Adelaide. She studied for her BA while working as a Registered Nurse, and later completed her PhD in early modern English History. She became a lecturer in medieval history at La Trobe University, Bendigo. While there she completed her first novel, BattleAxe, which launched her as a popular fantasy author in Australia, and later as an international success.

Until the mid-2000s, Douglass hosted a bulletin board on her website, with the aim of encouraging creative thinking and constructive criticism of others' work. She maintained an online blog about the restoration project of her house and garden entitled Notes from Nonsuch in Tasmania.

In 2008, Douglass was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She underwent treatment, but in late 2010 the cancer returned. She died on 27 September 2011, aged 54.

She also wrote under her real name Sara Warneke.

Reviews

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just WOW! I've always wanted a collection of short stories by Sara Douglass and this is it!

[Monica Bruha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her last book.

So many interesting ideas and thoughts in this book. A bitter sweet read for all those who loved her works when she was alive. Knowing that this would be the last pieces of work she shared with the world

[Tiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I finally read this.

[Lance Eaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sara Douglass's last book is a collection of short stories that will resonate with any reader of her work. A chunk of the book includes stories and background on the world of Tencendor from her most popular series. It's a nice final piece from the Australian author who was doing some great things with epic fantasy before many others who have risen to fame or before Game of Thrones made everyone else aware of how fascinating epic fantasy is. The other stories in this collection, to no surprise to those familiar with her, take place mostly in medieval times and England. The collection is a quick read, owing much to Douglass's style of prose that never linger and even when pausing to describe things, always seems to capture the moment's essence without inundating the reader. There are some repeated elements (the titular Hall shows up in two stories as do certain names) but each tale has its own appreciative elements. In truth, some of the stories are not likely to hit on the head as much as others for non-Douglass readers but for those of us who have enjoyed her work and want just a little bit more bit, it does satisfy.

[Star Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of works that until now had been scattered all over the regions of Australian libraries and internet hidey-holes. The introduction by a true friend is beautiful and wonderfully matched to an author who shaped my reading niche as a teen.

There are also a large quantity of stories that circulate around death and what it means to die. She struggled for years with cancer and had watched her mother face the same struggle. She also was a registered nurse and watched unconnected people through their struggles with death. The way people act with their loved ones as they die. How religion fits into the "bigger picture" and beliefs. The points of view she presents are eye opening. It is a look that many avoid in the modern society.

There are pieces to tag along with her most famous Axis series. They don't expand over much on the knowledge presented through the nine volume series, but they are an excellent highlight into how much Ms Douglass put into her world building. Every series that she wrote was so in depth. They always blended her love for medieval history, religion and how we approach it, and sheer fantasy. Her characters were always full of struggle and development. She really was a queen of epic fantasy. Her short stories even managed to capture this in just a few pages.

It is a great collection of short stories. Some were great, some I will barely remember in a month from now. This probably isn't a book for everyone, but for a fan of Sara Douglass, I think it is an excellent piece to the collection. I am certainly glad I read it. Fond memories to a very fine author.

[Katharine (Ventureadlaxre) · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘The Hall of Lost Footsteps’ is a collection of short stories by Sara Douglass that also includes a short co-written with Angela Slatter (who I reviewed here), containing fifteen pieces of short fiction, six of those being based within The Axis Trilogy. These pieces are fantasy with a twinge of horror, a well-measured balance that keeps you unable to put the book down while transported to a completely different world.

The review continues here: http://sentientonline.net/?p=3089

Katharine is a judge for the Aurealis Awards. This review is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.

[Daisy · Rating 2 out of 5]

i could not read all of these as some made me absolutely sick. maybe that's just my threshold for these things. or perhaps it's terribly written. i just don't know. "how the icarii got their wings" is actually in the wayfarer redemption (second trilogy) and not exclusive to this book . and i think there's ...ONE other battleaxe story in here? maybe worth borrowing the book for the sake of that if you REALLY love battleaxe. and that's about it. sometimes i feel like Sara is just assaulting us with her fantasies and presenting them as novels/stories/fiction/publishable works :/

[Anna Hepworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely collection of stories. Particularly interesting are the pair that address the same idea from different perspectives.

I recognised one as having read it before, and greatly enjoyed rereading it. Douglas had a dab hand at making the historical present, and making ways of thinking comprehensible, if not pleasant to understand.

[Judy Dittman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of short stories. Unusual and imaginative. If you are in to Fantasy you will really enjoy this book. What a loss to Australian literature that we have lost Sara Douglass at such a young age.

[Dani Wood]

I’m going to have to reread this at a later point. There were a couple of sections I had to skip as they’re related to her main novels, which I haven’t read yet. What I did get to read though was brilliant.

[Ticonderoga Publications · Rating 5 out of 5]

Standard Ticonderoga Disclaimer: We published this book because we loved it!

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really excellent short stories, some written not long before her death. There is also a wonderful indictment against society on how we treat the terminally ill. Certainly made me think!

[Charlotte Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection with inviting stories, some from the worlds of Sara's longer works and some stand alone. Includes a copy of her essay on the silence of the dying in the end. Thoroughly enjoyed.