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The O Trilogy #1
The Half Men Of O
When Nick Quinn goes to spend a couple of weeks on his uncle's farm at Lodestone Creek, he expects it to be like every other summer holiday. His dopey cousin Susan is more remote than ever, but swimming and exploring will make up for the lack of companionship.
But Susan is spirited off down a disused mineshaft into the world of O, and is taken prisoner bu Odo Cling and the Deathguard. Nick follows to rescue her and the Woodlanders of O come to his aid. They know that Susan is the only one who can save their world, and perhaps her own.
But Susan is spirited off down a disused mineshaft into the world of O, and is taken prisoner bu Odo Cling and the Deathguard. Nick follows to rescue her and the Woodlanders of O come to his aid. They know that Susan is the only one who can save their world, and perhaps her own.
192 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 1982
37 people are currently reading
524 people want to read
About the author
Maurice Gee
45 books105 followersMaurice Gough Gee was a New Zealand novelist. He was one of New Zealand's most distinguished and prolific authors, having written over thirty novels for adults and children, and having won numerous awards both in New Zealand and overseas, including multiple top prizes at the New Zealand Book Awards, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in the UK, the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship, the Robert Burns Fellowship and a Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement. In 2003 he was recognised as one of New Zealand's greatest living artists across all disciplines by the Arts Foundation of New Zealand, which presented him with an Icon Award.
Gee's novel Plumb (1978) was described by the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature to be one of the best novels ever written in New Zealand. He was also well-known for children's and young adult fiction such as Under the Mountain (1979). He won multiple top prizes at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and in 2002 he was presented with the prestigious Margaret Mahy Award by the Children's Literature Foundation in recognition of his contributions to children's literature.
Gee's novel Plumb (1978) was described by the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature to be one of the best novels ever written in New Zealand. He was also well-known for children's and young adult fiction such as Under the Mountain (1979). He won multiple top prizes at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and in 2002 he was presented with the prestigious Margaret Mahy Award by the Children's Literature Foundation in recognition of his contributions to children's literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
March 7, 2016
During a current effort to read more books by NZ authors, I managed to sneak a copy of this off my flatmate's shelves during a recon mission through his old house. I have vague memories of it from middle school still - the strongest of which feature a school-play reference to Hamilton being the huge, dark hole in the center of the story (much laughter ensued).
Memories aside, there are some wonderful aspects to this tale. The pace and tone is dull and rhythmic, but this begins to suit the story and soon becomes more comforting than frustrating. Probably more a three than a four star, but I have sentimentality to fall back on here...
Memories aside, there are some wonderful aspects to this tale. The pace and tone is dull and rhythmic, but this begins to suit the story and soon becomes more comforting than frustrating. Probably more a three than a four star, but I have sentimentality to fall back on here...
September 8, 2018
I read this as a kid and re read it spring 2018 with my 7 year old.
This one wasn’t fun to read aloud. The descriptions of landscapes seemed to really drag on and go way over Kits head. She doesn’t know what a plateau is and it’s hard to explain what gorges and things are. The whole story was a bit like this. Simplistic themes but over the top and sometimes old fashioned language.
Susan and Nick were far duller than I remembered and the only support character with any personality is the quite awful Jimmy Jaspers.
I do wonder what I loved about it as a kid? The nz feel? The epicness of it? Was I just really excited to have a female protagonist even if she’s a bit boring?
Kit seemed to like it well enough but I won’t tell her about the sequels right now cos I don’t want to read them.
I’ll leave the review at four stars cos I did really like it when I read it at age 9 ish. But if I’d just read it now it would only get 2 or maybe 3.
This one wasn’t fun to read aloud. The descriptions of landscapes seemed to really drag on and go way over Kits head. She doesn’t know what a plateau is and it’s hard to explain what gorges and things are. The whole story was a bit like this. Simplistic themes but over the top and sometimes old fashioned language.
Susan and Nick were far duller than I remembered and the only support character with any personality is the quite awful Jimmy Jaspers.
I do wonder what I loved about it as a kid? The nz feel? The epicness of it? Was I just really excited to have a female protagonist even if she’s a bit boring?
Kit seemed to like it well enough but I won’t tell her about the sequels right now cos I don’t want to read them.
I’ll leave the review at four stars cos I did really like it when I read it at age 9 ish. But if I’d just read it now it would only get 2 or maybe 3.
January 26, 2025
My copy is on loan and hasn't made its way back to me, but I managed to access an online version of the 1987 reprint of this book by applying for text disability access, and then I could get Optical Character Recognition text to speech to read it for me. Still took me a while because I insisted on eyeballing it as I went, but at least with an online scan I could invert the text to white on black so it didn't give me snowblindness. WORTH THE TROUBLE.
I loved this book as a child and as I re-read it I remembered how the book made me feel. Interesting that I was more aware of the Setting as an adult, as this is set in the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. The kids are Pākehā (White NZers) and they call the birds by coloniser names, which were normal to me as a child. If I were to edit the book for a modern audience, I would give the birds their Māori names. Ruru sounds better to me than Morepork (Ninox novaeseelandiae). The strange old man that they meet in the wilds is searching the river for alluvial gold. This is a particular pastime in South Island rivers and you still occasionally find some.. though the Gold Rushes of centuries past have made the pickings scarce.
This is a magical story and the main characters are a pair of cousins. They are whisked away to another world where there are conquerors who have polluted their local environment, and who have designs on Our world. This has got to be a story that might be scary for sensitive kids. There is blood and knives and things. It just right for me as a kid. Children surviving in an alien world, making friends with strange beings and designing tech to solve their problems, and using things with strange magical powers.
This is a book by a Kiwi author and it's not widely available.. I emailed the NZ distributors to request an audiobook version.. I am not holding my breath, but it would be really cool.
I loved this book as a child and as I re-read it I remembered how the book made me feel. Interesting that I was more aware of the Setting as an adult, as this is set in the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. The kids are Pākehā (White NZers) and they call the birds by coloniser names, which were normal to me as a child. If I were to edit the book for a modern audience, I would give the birds their Māori names. Ruru sounds better to me than Morepork (Ninox novaeseelandiae). The strange old man that they meet in the wilds is searching the river for alluvial gold. This is a particular pastime in South Island rivers and you still occasionally find some.. though the Gold Rushes of centuries past have made the pickings scarce.
This is a magical story and the main characters are a pair of cousins. They are whisked away to another world where there are conquerors who have polluted their local environment, and who have designs on Our world. This has got to be a story that might be scary for sensitive kids. There is blood and knives and things. It just right for me as a kid. Children surviving in an alien world, making friends with strange beings and designing tech to solve their problems, and using things with strange magical powers.
This is a book by a Kiwi author and it's not widely available.. I emailed the NZ distributors to request an audiobook version.. I am not holding my breath, but it would be really cool.
November 14, 2024
One of the first books I can remember reading.
5 stars reflects how much I loved it as a kid and the nostalgia I have reading it now.
5 stars reflects how much I loved it as a kid and the nostalgia I have reading it now.
February 7, 2018
Read this in year 9 for English class. Remember it having some scenes that really hooked me in but mostly being difficult to pull through- though in fairness I have that feeling about the majority of assigned reading.
June 1, 2018
I liked it because it was the characters went on a big adventure. Some of the bits were really interesting and other bits would make you sit on the each of your seat until it was over.
August 8, 2018
Just like every other year, Nick goes to spend his summer holiday at his uncle’s farm. While he always enjoys his summer time there, he was never quite sure how he felt about his dreamy cousin Susan. This time, Susan seems even more distant and strange than usual. But Nick soon discovers that she is not the only thing that is acting odd. An old man, Jimmy Jaspers, threatens them and leads Susan into an abandoned mine shaft. When Nick follows to come to Susan’s rescue he finds himself in a world that is quite different from his own. Now he needs to find his cousin and bring her back home safely. But it seems that Susan’s odd behaviour has always been tied to this new world.
The Halfmen of O is the first in a trilogy but stands well on its own. I kept feeling very torn with how I felt about this book. Despite being labelled as a Children’s book – the plot seemed to sway between a children’s and a young adult novel: it started out being quite dark and unlike most portal-fantasy stories, this one did not present the world of O in an inviting way. The author described the characters emotions very well which let me, as a reader, feel the dark atmosphere of O. Yet, on the other hand, some of the characters and places had such simplistic names that it felt very juvenile.
I love reading children’s books and would never consider them childish – but this book had such a strong contrast between seriousness and silliness that it made it difficult to actually believe the villains. If villains are not well written then it just cannot work for me. So while our main characters were hunted down by villains that seemed far too silly, there were some pretty violent scenes.
But regardless of all my ranting: it is a solid book with both flaws and perks. It's a slow read but some of the inhabitants of O were pretty original. It was awesome for me personally to read a book set in New Zealand (especially the mention of fantails!). The build-up to the final scenes was nice and thrilling and I really found myself liking Jimmy Jaspers – here is hoping he will also be in the sequels!
March 28, 2011
Read on the recommendation of a friend, Maurice Gee writes a strong and interesting story about two cousins (Suan and Nick) who end up in the fractured, but beautiful land of O. They must face down evil Halfmen, intent on taking O and then Earth for their own, as they race to complete a mission given to Susan at birth.
Tightly-written, and featuring a strong female protagonist in an adventure story, The Halfmen of O is a great, little book. Reminiscent of Bruce Coville's Into the Land of Unicorns.
Tightly-written, and featuring a strong female protagonist in an adventure story, The Halfmen of O is a great, little book. Reminiscent of Bruce Coville's Into the Land of Unicorns.
August 1, 2017
I think it is an amazing book, it is full of great sentences and it is a must read book, it is family friendly and a great read!
April 25, 2016
This is epic children's fantasy at its best. The plotting and pacing is tight and the world-building surprisingly good, ranging from a claustrophobic and grey moonscape of pitted plateaus populated by grey-skinned creatures, to woodlands of furred people, eyries of birdmen, grottos of eyeless creatures, and talking seals. Nick and Susan are a bit one-dimensional but Jimmy Jaspers is a fun and fully-formed character. It makes an excellent stepping stone to The Lord of the Rings. Can't wait to read the next two books in the trilogy.
April 21, 2011
I remember the whole class reading this at primary school and everyone just loved this book. I always look for it in a library and my friends and I clearly remember everything that happened in this book! It's a fantastic book and I highly recommend it! :D
September 27, 2012
Fantastic series for Young Adults aged 10-14. Really enjoyable. Unfortunately not the sort of book you can come back to after age 16 and still enjoy, but great while it lasts.
Rated based on my opinion when I was 13, which was that it rocked.
Rated based on my opinion when I was 13, which was that it rocked.
June 20, 2012
This book was COOL and I liked the book and how al the charters in the book.
June 20, 2012
It was a very good book but a little bit wearied. The bit I like is the funny bits.
December 22, 2023
I had vague recollections of reading but not finishing this as a kid, and 30 years later a few certain details stuck with me, so I decided to finally finish it.
With adult eyes it was nice to recognise the New Zealand setting, and even when we moved to the fantasy world, there was such a focus on the details of landscape that I really felt a sense of recognition. Most of the time in fantasy, landscapes are described in a grand sweeping way, with a lack of attention to detail which leaves them quite abstract. Maurice Gee describes scree, gullies and pathways in such an intimate way that resonates with me as someone who has explored the New Zealand wilderness and experienced similar settings personally.
The bad guys are pretty one-dimensional edgy evil dudes, complete with black leather and everything, but that's presumably part of the point since the entire premise of the novel hinges on every human in the world having been split into either entirely good or entirely evil, which is what our heroes have to fix. This does raise a few philosophical questions that might not be obvious to a child - the evil humans almost entirely wiped out the good ones, because the good ones are incapable of violence. At one point the last remaining Good human has to siphon some "evil" power from Susan so that she can kill the pursuing bad guys. It makes the point that some evil is a requirement to any fully functional human, since killing or violence is always evil even if you are doing it in defence of yourself or others. Then there is the meat eating vs vegetarian theme - it's not super in-your-face but killing animals, even to survive, could be considered evil. It's part of Jimmy Jaspers dual - perhaps more-evil-than-good - character.
We also see a single child in the evil land - which raises the question - can a child really be evil?
Susan demonstrates a believable emotional response to her situation, one that is not often portrayed in fantasy fiction - the chosen hero feeling isolated and overwhelmed by the task given her. I did get a little pissy at her for abandoning her companions over the darklands - they could easily have died while she floated off.
The bird people and the underground people were one of the ideas I'd remembered all these years, and I enjoyed the bird people culture. Would have loved to experience more of the undergrounders, however the effect of the darkness stayed with me for thirty years so I can't fault the episode too much.
It was a bit weird at the end that they never bothered to turn off the pollution machine themselves - the device that threatened to destroy both our world and the world of O. Instead they trusted the surviving humans to choose their own way. I guess that's very noble of our heroes, but personally I wouldn't take the risk!!
Great read, and finishing it gave me some long-delayed satisfaction.
With adult eyes it was nice to recognise the New Zealand setting, and even when we moved to the fantasy world, there was such a focus on the details of landscape that I really felt a sense of recognition. Most of the time in fantasy, landscapes are described in a grand sweeping way, with a lack of attention to detail which leaves them quite abstract. Maurice Gee describes scree, gullies and pathways in such an intimate way that resonates with me as someone who has explored the New Zealand wilderness and experienced similar settings personally.
The bad guys are pretty one-dimensional edgy evil dudes, complete with black leather and everything, but that's presumably part of the point since the entire premise of the novel hinges on every human in the world having been split into either entirely good or entirely evil, which is what our heroes have to fix. This does raise a few philosophical questions that might not be obvious to a child - the evil humans almost entirely wiped out the good ones, because the good ones are incapable of violence. At one point the last remaining Good human has to siphon some "evil" power from Susan so that she can kill the pursuing bad guys. It makes the point that some evil is a requirement to any fully functional human, since killing or violence is always evil even if you are doing it in defence of yourself or others. Then there is the meat eating vs vegetarian theme - it's not super in-your-face but killing animals, even to survive, could be considered evil. It's part of Jimmy Jaspers dual - perhaps more-evil-than-good - character.
We also see a single child in the evil land - which raises the question - can a child really be evil?
Susan demonstrates a believable emotional response to her situation, one that is not often portrayed in fantasy fiction - the chosen hero feeling isolated and overwhelmed by the task given her. I did get a little pissy at her for abandoning her companions over the darklands - they could easily have died while she floated off.
The bird people and the underground people were one of the ideas I'd remembered all these years, and I enjoyed the bird people culture. Would have loved to experience more of the undergrounders, however the effect of the darkness stayed with me for thirty years so I can't fault the episode too much.
It was a bit weird at the end that they never bothered to turn off the pollution machine themselves - the device that threatened to destroy both our world and the world of O. Instead they trusted the surviving humans to choose their own way. I guess that's very noble of our heroes, but personally I wouldn't take the risk!!
Great read, and finishing it gave me some long-delayed satisfaction.
September 13, 2024
I have such fond memories of this book, it has been one of those books that have haunted me over the years, and I have re-read it in my adult years with similar enjoyment. While it does have older fashioned prose than many fiction of the modern day era does for younger readers, it was fairly common to see when I grew up. Bear in mind it was first published a few decades ago! It's no different to that of the prose in the Narnia books..and the use of flourished words I feel would only assist to encourage young readers to increase their vocabulary, not hinder it. I think it's a highly imaginative book, dual POV which I liked between the MMC and FMC and the world-building is its main drawcard for me. As a child, I was absolutely fascinated by the different races in this book, and the world-building lore it offers is rich and unique. Character development of the main characters could be explored further, but they both do grow and learn throughout the story, this could be also slow going as it's part of a trilogy.. Mature Children's Fantasy with the classic "Chosen One" trope, but with elaborate world building set in a worldview/action genre. This is a High Stakes fantasy so would be more appropriate for your 8+ year olds. MCs are aged 12, to give you an idea. Contains violence/death scenes and darker themes may disturb younger children.
For a mature child, this is a great book especially ones that love alternate fantasy worlds that stretch the imagination!
For a mature child, this is a great book especially ones that love alternate fantasy worlds that stretch the imagination!
November 3, 2025
It's been ages since I read this! It was one of my favourite books as a kid. I didn't realise how much of it I'd forgotten until I read it again - I remembered Susan being gifted the hairbrush from the Bird People, but not the stone-silk gloves. I remembered the Bloodcat, but not the Shy.
I have to admit that today, I do think the presentation of evil is extremely simplistic, but that was never what appealed to me about this series anyway. It was the familiar setting (before the kids traveled to O) and above all else the imagery. There's a real sense of wonder here, and it's far more optimistic in its way than my favourite of Gee's books, Under the Mountain. I have a vague recollection that the series gets darker from here on, though... I'm looking forward to rediscovering the rest of the trilogy!
I can't believe I forgot about the gloves.
I have to admit that today, I do think the presentation of evil is extremely simplistic, but that was never what appealed to me about this series anyway. It was the familiar setting (before the kids traveled to O) and above all else the imagery. There's a real sense of wonder here, and it's far more optimistic in its way than my favourite of Gee's books, Under the Mountain. I have a vague recollection that the series gets darker from here on, though... I'm looking forward to rediscovering the rest of the trilogy!
I can't believe I forgot about the gloves.
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May 8, 2021I loved this one in my youth. Revisiting it now, the writing maybe feels a little 'kiddie' but it's still a good story.
Gee draws heavily from LOTR with a child's quest to take a sacred object into the heart of darkness to restore balance to a world. She is helped in this by her cousin, a crotchety old man and the different species that occupy the parts of the world. Like LOTR there is a bit of an ecological theme going on with the villains spreading death and pollution everywhere.
It's the first part of a trilogy, and I like the fact that the three stories, while set in the same world, around many of the same characters, and telling one big story, are actually quite different from each other.
Gee draws heavily from LOTR with a child's quest to take a sacred object into the heart of darkness to restore balance to a world. She is helped in this by her cousin, a crotchety old man and the different species that occupy the parts of the world. Like LOTR there is a bit of an ecological theme going on with the villains spreading death and pollution everywhere.
It's the first part of a trilogy, and I like the fact that the three stories, while set in the same world, around many of the same characters, and telling one big story, are actually quite different from each other.
August 23, 2018
My Grade 4 teacher read this to our class nearly 30 years ago now, and reading it again I still remembered bits of it. (I'm not sure I'd recommend it for 10-year-olds though, as the villains are quite nasty).
Every sentence is well crafted, the characters are engaging, and it is deserving of its New Zealand Children's Book of the Year win.
Every sentence is well crafted, the characters are engaging, and it is deserving of its New Zealand Children's Book of the Year win.
June 17, 2022
I read this book to my 12 year old son. It was great having an adventure book where the girls were just as brave and adventurous as the boys, and even the main hero! This was a great book about family and the environment and good vs evil. We look forward to the next book.
Prompt:
Jurassic Journey
CHARACTER: Lex Murphy - Read a YA Book
Prompt:
Jurassic Journey
CHARACTER: Lex Murphy - Read a YA Book
September 4, 2021
I really like this book. Though some parts are a bit questionable, the rest is really amazing and I love how Susan finds out who she is in this new world and how she and her cousin start respecting each other. 😁
April 30, 2024
I first read this novel (and the rest of the series) as a 10 or 11 year old and I have the most vivid images in my head of the scenes throughout the series. These books completely sucked me in and fed my imagination in a way that has never left me, so it has to be a 5/5!
July 12, 2019
Great kids book. This scared me when I was young!
January 25, 2021
Still good, but not quite the epic I remembered it being.
August 9, 2021
This book was one of my favourites as a kid and it was much shorter than I remember! Very good for the nostalgia though
January 25, 2024
Lord of the Rings meets A Good Keen Man!
April 10, 2024
DNF.
I’ve been meaning to read this for years, and it is a NZ author. So I tried to pull through, I really tried.
This book was boring. I didn’t care about the characters.
I’ve been meaning to read this for years, and it is a NZ author. So I tried to pull through, I really tried.
This book was boring. I didn’t care about the characters.
May 22, 2025
I really enjoyed this as a kid now older I found the main character kinda annoying but I do love the world that is created in this story
June 24, 2025
Literally the first book that opened my mind to the fact that whole new worlds could exist within pages. This book led me to study writing.
March 30, 2011
The Danish edition, that I read as a child, had an eerie picture of Odo Kleb (wonder if that was his name in the English original??)dressed in black, with grey face and red eyes.
When I read it the first time I was 9 years old, and I just loved it.
I've read it countless times after that.
It's the story about Nick and Susan, who come to a different world. The planet O. O has been corrupted by halfmen, who relish pain. Susan is because of the birthmark (which was placed on her as an infant)on her arm the only one, who can save O from the halfmen. So Susan and Nick embark on a journey through air and sea, to finally confront the leader of the halfmen.
I once read, that what you read as a child has a greater impact on you, than what you read as a grown up. That might be true. As I kid I read the same books many times. As an adult I rarely do that (too many books:_)). However, this book just stayed with me during all these years. I really think it was that amazing!!!!
When I read it the first time I was 9 years old, and I just loved it.
I've read it countless times after that.
It's the story about Nick and Susan, who come to a different world. The planet O. O has been corrupted by halfmen, who relish pain. Susan is because of the birthmark (which was placed on her as an infant)on her arm the only one, who can save O from the halfmen. So Susan and Nick embark on a journey through air and sea, to finally confront the leader of the halfmen.
I once read, that what you read as a child has a greater impact on you, than what you read as a grown up. That might be true. As I kid I read the same books many times. As an adult I rarely do that (too many books:_)). However, this book just stayed with me during all these years. I really think it was that amazing!!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews