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The McGunnegal Chronicles #1-3
The Strange Land Trilogy
The McGunnegals are all strange, and it has been that way for generations. They are too strong, or too fast, or too smart, and odd things happened when they are around. The neighbors say they are witches or devils, or have been snatched by changelings. Mothers hold their children close when they walk by, fearing they might catch the McGunnegal strangeness.
But when a doorway to the world of the Others is found in their great grandfather's potato cellar, two of the children fall through, and find themselves in a land where all of their strangeness will be needed to rescue its people from the dark things that have enslaved it.
There they also discover why they are so different, and also what it means to be truly human.
The Strange Land Trilogy is a compilation of the first three books in The McGunnegal Chronicles series, including "Into a Strange Land", "Taming the Goblin", and "The Witch and the Waking Tree".
But when a doorway to the world of the Others is found in their great grandfather's potato cellar, two of the children fall through, and find themselves in a land where all of their strangeness will be needed to rescue its people from the dark things that have enslaved it.
There they also discover why they are so different, and also what it means to be truly human.
The Strange Land Trilogy is a compilation of the first three books in The McGunnegal Chronicles series, including "Into a Strange Land", "Taming the Goblin", and "The Witch and the Waking Tree".
668 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 24, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 16, 2019
This is my review of the audio version as posted on Audible:
A few months ago I listened to the fourth part of the series and as I wrote in my review, I loved the story though at first I had a hard time understanding who was who and what their relations were, as there were so many characters to follow. Now that I've had the chance to listen to the first three parts of the McGunnegals' adventures I can say "make sure you don't miss on the books" - they are definitely fun and weave their magic to the point of you never wanting to put them down:)
The overall plot is very complicated and complex, with a lot of subplots in which we follow the adventures of the individual members of the family and their friends and enemies:) Every character has their unique abilities and these skills and magical powers turn out to play important parts in the story. The books are rooted in Irish folklore, so there's a plenitude of magical creatures the McGunnegals meet on their way, and the world building is fantastic, with rich and vivid descriptions of places and creatures inhabiting them. The only fault? Each book ends with a cliffhanger, so you need to read/listen to all four of them to get to know the whole story:) But as it's so much fun following the McGunnegals, you won't regret the time spent on them.
Narration by Ms Meisberger is fantastic. Her interpretation of the story is almost as magical as the books themselves. I especially liked the voices she gave the dwarves - but all of the characters are distinguishable so you'll have no problems recognizing who is who in dialogues. She also reads at a steady pace and slow enough for you to speed the audio up a bit without loosing anything (well, it's over 30 hours of listening, 12 hours a book on average:)).
All in all, it's a book a fan of fantasy should definitely read/listen to:)
DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
A few months ago I listened to the fourth part of the series and as I wrote in my review, I loved the story though at first I had a hard time understanding who was who and what their relations were, as there were so many characters to follow. Now that I've had the chance to listen to the first three parts of the McGunnegals' adventures I can say "make sure you don't miss on the books" - they are definitely fun and weave their magic to the point of you never wanting to put them down:)
The overall plot is very complicated and complex, with a lot of subplots in which we follow the adventures of the individual members of the family and their friends and enemies:) Every character has their unique abilities and these skills and magical powers turn out to play important parts in the story. The books are rooted in Irish folklore, so there's a plenitude of magical creatures the McGunnegals meet on their way, and the world building is fantastic, with rich and vivid descriptions of places and creatures inhabiting them. The only fault? Each book ends with a cliffhanger, so you need to read/listen to all four of them to get to know the whole story:) But as it's so much fun following the McGunnegals, you won't regret the time spent on them.
Narration by Ms Meisberger is fantastic. Her interpretation of the story is almost as magical as the books themselves. I especially liked the voices she gave the dwarves - but all of the characters are distinguishable so you'll have no problems recognizing who is who in dialogues. She also reads at a steady pace and slow enough for you to speed the audio up a bit without loosing anything (well, it's over 30 hours of listening, 12 hours a book on average:)).
All in all, it's a book a fan of fantasy should definitely read/listen to:)
DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
April 10, 2021
If you like Narnia...
First, of all, this world is nothing like Narnia. Not really. But it has the same type of richness and complexity. Mr. Anderson has taken his world building seriously.
It begins in Ireland during the potato famine. What if the famine had a spiritual or magical root instead of simply physical? In this case, a goblin has entered the world of men.
It is up to one family, and mostly that family's children and young adults, to determine what to do beyond the gates and how to gauge right and wrong.
I love the character of Nous and his naming--us in French. In a way he does represent all of us before we see how evil we are without love. And then Colleen--meaning girl--who seems to showcase our potential for good.
But I digress. Even without that (and many more interesting names, meanings) the story is gripping. I am glad it's as a trilogy box set because as stand-alones the cliffhangers would have annoyed me. But as a single volume, it will keep you reading and haunt you when you finish.
Looking forward to more of this world.
Until then, may the Oracle bless you and yours!
First, of all, this world is nothing like Narnia. Not really. But it has the same type of richness and complexity. Mr. Anderson has taken his world building seriously.
It begins in Ireland during the potato famine. What if the famine had a spiritual or magical root instead of simply physical? In this case, a goblin has entered the world of men.
It is up to one family, and mostly that family's children and young adults, to determine what to do beyond the gates and how to gauge right and wrong.
I love the character of Nous and his naming--us in French. In a way he does represent all of us before we see how evil we are without love. And then Colleen--meaning girl--who seems to showcase our potential for good.
But I digress. Even without that (and many more interesting names, meanings) the story is gripping. I am glad it's as a trilogy box set because as stand-alones the cliffhangers would have annoyed me. But as a single volume, it will keep you reading and haunt you when you finish.
Looking forward to more of this world.
Until then, may the Oracle bless you and yours!
April 8, 2019
Audible:I tried,I really did.I never connected with the story.It went SO SLOW.I set the timing to 1.25 just to be able to listen to it but still did not care for the story.I got through the first book. Janie Meisberger was an ok narrator at times. I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.
April 22, 2016
While well written, as the author told me, the story stems from his bedtime stories to his children. The story itself was nice but nothing special or intriguing that wanted me to keep reading.
May 29, 2016
Excellent! Rich and satisfying fantasy.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews