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The Hidden #3
Battlesong: Book Three of the Icebreaker Trilogy
Gwin is a Fetcher. With her papa and twin brother, Nat, she travels West Norn, bringing joy to its downtrodden people through song and story. But ever since Mama died, it's been hard to keep the joy alive.
Proud and defiant, Fetchers have always been hunted by the Devouts for preserving the old ways. So when devious Brother Poosk captures Papa, Gwin must rescue him--whatever the cost.
Meanwhile, the Oyster's crew and the Sunkers lay siege to the Citadel. But without their Sleeping Captain, can they ever win against the ruthless Devouts? Can Petrel, Fin, Sharkey, and Rain ever bring light back to such a dark world?
Proud and defiant, Fetchers have always been hunted by the Devouts for preserving the old ways. So when devious Brother Poosk captures Papa, Gwin must rescue him--whatever the cost.
Meanwhile, the Oyster's crew and the Sunkers lay siege to the Citadel. But without their Sleeping Captain, can they ever win against the ruthless Devouts? Can Petrel, Fin, Sharkey, and Rain ever bring light back to such a dark world?
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 4, 2016
15 people are currently reading
424 people want to read
About the author
Lian Tanner
23 books308 followersLian Tanner has been dynamited while scuba diving and arrested while busking. She once spent a week in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, hunting for a Japanese soldier left over from the Second World War. She likes secrets, old bones, and animals that are not what they seem. Nowadays she lives by the beach in southern Tasmania.
Lian's bestselling fantasy series The Keepers won two Aurealis Awards for Best Australian Children's Fantasy and has been translated into eleven languages. Her second series, The Hidden, has been published in Australia/New Zealand and North America. Lian's third series, The Rogues, is set in the same world as The Keepers, and has been translated into Spanish.
Lian's first picture book 'Ella and the Ocean' (illustrated by Jonathan Bentley) won the 2020 NSW Premier's Award for Children's Literature and the 2022 Tasmanian Literary Award for Children's Books. A Clue for Clara won the 2021 Sisters in Crime Davitt Award for Best Children's Crime Novel, and its sequel, Rita's Revenge, was shortlisted for the 2022 NSW Premier's Award for Children's Literature.
Lian's bestselling fantasy series The Keepers won two Aurealis Awards for Best Australian Children's Fantasy and has been translated into eleven languages. Her second series, The Hidden, has been published in Australia/New Zealand and North America. Lian's third series, The Rogues, is set in the same world as The Keepers, and has been translated into Spanish.
Lian's first picture book 'Ella and the Ocean' (illustrated by Jonathan Bentley) won the 2020 NSW Premier's Award for Children's Literature and the 2022 Tasmanian Literary Award for Children's Books. A Clue for Clara won the 2021 Sisters in Crime Davitt Award for Best Children's Crime Novel, and its sequel, Rita's Revenge, was shortlisted for the 2022 NSW Premier's Award for Children's Literature.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
December 15, 2020
This is a middle grade dystopia series my son ran across a few years ago. He asked for the final book in the series, and each holiday we've read one, first Icebreaker and then Sunker's Deep and this year, Battlesong.
Hundreds of years before, the Devouts, then known as the anti-machinists, toppled the world's power structures and machines, and rushed in to fill the gap with their brutal rule.
The Devouts, and specifically Brother Poosk, are down but not out of this fight for control of the world. Brother Thrawn is out of the picture, thanks to Petrel, from the icbreaker ship Oyster, Rain, from the submarine called the Claw, and the robotic boy Captain, who doesn't feature as much in this book, although he's there at the pivotal end, and Missus Slink and Mister Smoke, robotic rats.
But the scientists didn't go down without a fight. They've laid the kernels for a scientific comeback -- not just on the Oyster, but also in a group of people called the Fetchers, who hold a key to rejuvenating science for all. Gwin is a Fetcher, a land-bound family of bards, who travel and guard the songs handed down from the scientists. But with her mother gone, her brother blinded and her father taken captive by Brother Poosk, she's not sure how she can help -- until just the right moment.
Each girl -- Petrel, Rain and Gwin -- play their pivotal parts in bringing light back to a dark age, and saving the Captain, and, if not defeating the Devouts, carving out a sliver of hope for the coming age.
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
Hundreds of years before, the Devouts, then known as the anti-machinists, toppled the world's power structures and machines, and rushed in to fill the gap with their brutal rule.
The Devouts, and specifically Brother Poosk, are down but not out of this fight for control of the world. Brother Thrawn is out of the picture, thanks to Petrel, from the icbreaker ship Oyster, Rain, from the submarine called the Claw, and the robotic boy Captain, who doesn't feature as much in this book, although he's there at the pivotal end, and Missus Slink and Mister Smoke, robotic rats.
But the scientists didn't go down without a fight. They've laid the kernels for a scientific comeback -- not just on the Oyster, but also in a group of people called the Fetchers, who hold a key to rejuvenating science for all. Gwin is a Fetcher, a land-bound family of bards, who travel and guard the songs handed down from the scientists. But with her mother gone, her brother blinded and her father taken captive by Brother Poosk, she's not sure how she can help -- until just the right moment.
Each girl -- Petrel, Rain and Gwin -- play their pivotal parts in bringing light back to a dark age, and saving the Captain, and, if not defeating the Devouts, carving out a sliver of hope for the coming age.
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
March 6, 2018
An exciting story and a satisfying ending to Lian Tanner's Icebreaker Trilogy, also called The Hidden trilogy. I really liked these MG books! Good characters, tension, action and adventure, bravery to stand up for what is right in the face of danger, and choices that really matter. I recommend these books, especially to Rose and Wendy, but also to anyone who likes quality MG writing. Lian Tanner is an author I admire!
April 28, 2023
this series is so high concept that I think it would have been better if it was longer, but I do like the decision to keep it MG. since it isn't that long and there are so many POVs from the past three books, you have to pick and choose who gets the most pagetime. giving most of that to the newest character makes sense, but I also very much wish the og homies were in the story more. book still ate tho, and I appreciated the full circle moments with them at the end :,) petrel and fin you slay <3
March 22, 2023
Fun wrap up to the trilogy. Glad my daughter recommended!
February 3, 2018
A wonderful final addition to this amazing and gripping trilogy. Lian Tanner did an incredible job pulling all the strings together to create an unforgettable world with unforgettable characters and an unforgettable lesson: We are all stronger together.
July 10, 2018
It was just ok, I found myself being bored toward the second half of the book and the end felt anticlimactic to me . I've expected a better ending to this trilogy. I'm a bit disappointed.
December 18, 2017
Tanner, Lian Battlesong (Icebreaker #3), 293 pages. Feiwel (Macmillan), 2017. $17. Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (lots of danger)
Gwin and her family have been Fetchers for generations - traveling the secret ways to avoid the Devouts, but braving the small villages to bring song and joy to people’s hearts. When Gwin’s father is captured by the Devouts in a trap, she will do anything to save him, including giving up the strange mechanical man that she found hidden in a cave. No matter what the strange rat says, she can’t really be the Singer of legend, can she? The crews of the Oyster and the icebreaker and a few brave mainlanders are about to change the world.
Because there are now three groups of main characters, things get a bit confusing in the back and forth of the narrative. This is also a hearty dose of bad decisions for the sake of keeping people in dire situations. But it seems to be fairly worth it as it rushes to the end. I do wish that there were much more book after the climax. I don’t know if Tanner is setting up a new trilogy or not with her resolution.
MS - ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...
Gwin and her family have been Fetchers for generations - traveling the secret ways to avoid the Devouts, but braving the small villages to bring song and joy to people’s hearts. When Gwin’s father is captured by the Devouts in a trap, she will do anything to save him, including giving up the strange mechanical man that she found hidden in a cave. No matter what the strange rat says, she can’t really be the Singer of legend, can she? The crews of the Oyster and the icebreaker and a few brave mainlanders are about to change the world.
Because there are now three groups of main characters, things get a bit confusing in the back and forth of the narrative. This is also a hearty dose of bad decisions for the sake of keeping people in dire situations. But it seems to be fairly worth it as it rushes to the end. I do wish that there were much more book after the climax. I don’t know if Tanner is setting up a new trilogy or not with her resolution.
MS - ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...
August 21, 2017
I really like Lian Tanner's books. Well written for the young reader, exciting, tight plot, lots of action, interesting characters and very entertaining. Read both her trilogies (the Keepers Trilogy & this one, the Hidden Trilogy). Enjoy them and share them with a young reader you know. Probably my favorite young readers author since JK Rowling.
October 29, 2018
The genre of this book is science fiction and it was published in 2017. I liked the book as it was exciting, but it was the third book of a series and I haven't read the first two. In the classroom I would recommend it for later elementary or middle school students.
March 8, 2019
Overall, this was a solid middle grade trilogy and book three wraps everything up nicely (maybe a little too nicely in some parts). Some series-ending books struggle with introducing new characters and finding the right balance between the new and old ones, but Tanner did a great job.
August 4, 2020
Great
This series is such a feel good story it is well worth your time to read. From the brink and back with the lives of different segments of society finally brought together with hope and kindness. It was a real adventure.
This series is such a feel good story it is well worth your time to read. From the brink and back with the lives of different segments of society finally brought together with hope and kindness. It was a real adventure.
November 27, 2017
Full of action and characters from the first 2 books in the trilogy--this is an awesome finale to the series.
December 19, 2017
loved this series! so sad it's over. i want to know what happened in the aftermath. did they listen to the captain, get the world back on track, etc!
February 5, 2018
3 rd of an excellent series.
September 8, 2019
Great ending to the trilogy!
December 31, 2020
Everything comes together, the puzzle is solved.
Beautifully told.
Beautifully told.
January 22, 2021
An excellent trilogy. Loved the way all the threads of the story were brought together.
November 28, 2022
Loved this whole series!
February 19, 2025
WAYYYY better than sunkers deep and I honestly pretty enjoyed reading it. I feel if I was younger I could've enjoyed this series more but nothing was enough for me and problems didn't actually seem too big of a deal in this series.
November 5, 2016
This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon . Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.
Gwin’s mama is dead, and her papa has been captured. With the new children she has met, it might finally be time for the elimination of the Devouts but first a bloodthirsty battle must occur.
I found myself confused by the swaps in perspective between chapters, because I was most interested in Gwin’s story. As I continued reading, I realised why it was done this way, and it eventually all settled into place. If I hazard a guess, this seems to have been a plot driven story, but it was over too quickly even almost for me to form an opinion.
I put off reading this novel because I knew it was the final in a trilogy. I think I have had it at least a year, and thus this review is anything but timely. Today I picked it up anyway, because I want to clear my bookshelves. Low and behold, on GoodReads there are only 3 reviews, so I am at least adding to the space.
I missed out on a lot of this novel because I had no idea on any of the background. I recommend you under no circumstances read this without having read the first two in the series. I struggled to even write a synopsis, not knowing anything about what came before (and what not to give away).
I’ll give this three stars. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing outstanding either.
Gwin’s mama is dead, and her papa has been captured. With the new children she has met, it might finally be time for the elimination of the Devouts but first a bloodthirsty battle must occur.
I found myself confused by the swaps in perspective between chapters, because I was most interested in Gwin’s story. As I continued reading, I realised why it was done this way, and it eventually all settled into place. If I hazard a guess, this seems to have been a plot driven story, but it was over too quickly even almost for me to form an opinion.
I put off reading this novel because I knew it was the final in a trilogy. I think I have had it at least a year, and thus this review is anything but timely. Today I picked it up anyway, because I want to clear my bookshelves. Low and behold, on GoodReads there are only 3 reviews, so I am at least adding to the space.
I missed out on a lot of this novel because I had no idea on any of the background. I recommend you under no circumstances read this without having read the first two in the series. I struggled to even write a synopsis, not knowing anything about what came before (and what not to give away).
I’ll give this three stars. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing outstanding either.
January 12, 2017
Again, Lian Tanner had me devouring this book quickly.
I was constantly wondering how the children who were caught up in the hopelessness of the Devouts rule would escape. Would the world ever be free of their tyranny? Would Gwin keep her blind brother and listless father safe? The world was very dangerous if you were a Fetcher and they were the last to survive the three hundred years of the Devouts dismantling of the machines of the world. The singing minstrel troupe were on their guard every performance. Gwin is keeping the songs alive.
The Ice Breaker Oyster's crew, including Petrel, and Fin from the Sunkers, go in search of their lost sleeping Captain. The silver boy will save the world and help rebuild it. But the Devouts mean and conniving Brother Poosk needs to be outwitted first. How can they when the siege of the Citadel continues? When the Devouts make a bid to get away, using the bratlings of the villagers as hostages, they walk away from the Citadel their base of power. The odds are impossible.
The ending is wonderful and clever. I loved every word.
Now, I need to get The Hidden series, as I'm certain to find that these are wonderfully entertaining and enthralling young adults books. But, why should young adults have all the fun?
I was constantly wondering how the children who were caught up in the hopelessness of the Devouts rule would escape. Would the world ever be free of their tyranny? Would Gwin keep her blind brother and listless father safe? The world was very dangerous if you were a Fetcher and they were the last to survive the three hundred years of the Devouts dismantling of the machines of the world. The singing minstrel troupe were on their guard every performance. Gwin is keeping the songs alive.
The Ice Breaker Oyster's crew, including Petrel, and Fin from the Sunkers, go in search of their lost sleeping Captain. The silver boy will save the world and help rebuild it. But the Devouts mean and conniving Brother Poosk needs to be outwitted first. How can they when the siege of the Citadel continues? When the Devouts make a bid to get away, using the bratlings of the villagers as hostages, they walk away from the Citadel their base of power. The odds are impossible.
The ending is wonderful and clever. I loved every word.
Now, I need to get The Hidden series, as I'm certain to find that these are wonderfully entertaining and enthralling young adults books. But, why should young adults have all the fun?
Read
August 5, 2016The verses dried up in Gwin's mouth. Papa put down his fiddle. Nat looked defiant, though he was trembling, too.One by one, three mountain men stepped off the rope ladder and into the cave.Gwin is a Fetcher. With her papa and twin brother, Nat, she travels West Norn, bringing joy to its downtrodden people through song and story. But ever since Mama died, it's been hard to keep the joy alive.
Proud and defiant, Fetchers have always been hunted by the Devouts for preserving the old ways. So when devious Brother Poosk captures Papa, Gwin must rescue him - whatever the cost.Meanwhile, the Oyster's crew and the Sunkers lay siege to the Citadel. But without their Sleeping Captain, can they ever win against the ruthless Devouts? Can Petrel, Fin, Sharkey and Rain ever bring light back to such a dark world?
Proud and defiant, Fetchers have always been hunted by the Devouts for preserving the old ways. So when devious Brother Poosk captures Papa, Gwin must rescue him - whatever the cost.Meanwhile, the Oyster's crew and the Sunkers lay siege to the Citadel. But without their Sleeping Captain, can they ever win against the ruthless Devouts? Can Petrel, Fin, Sharkey and Rain ever bring light back to such a dark world?
April 20, 2024
all i wanted to do while reading this book was to rip it apart. literally hated it. this took me I think half a month to finish and it was a waste of time. I think this is the second fantasy book I read after HP: philosophers stone. the world-building was also so confusing and the ending was so predictable. i just AAAAAAAAAA I hated it!
20/4/24: why am i yapping abt a children's book embarrassing.
20/4/24: why am i yapping abt a children's book embarrassing.
March 30, 2016
Such fun. An exciting read for young and old. It's always great to see good triumph over evil and here in this dystopian world that's what we get. Thank goodness.
September 1, 2017
I'm going to miss Petrel and Fin and their friendship ;_;
July 15, 2022
Such a great conclusion to this series. My only wish was that there was more of Sharkey as the main character, he was my favorite.
Read
January 29, 2018Gwin and her family are trying to bring joy to a bleak world because the Devouts have been oppressing them for so long. Everything goes wrong and Gwin is trying to save her father?
April 11, 2019
Totally amazing
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews