Legends of Australian Fantasy

Abhorsen #To Hold the Bridge

by Jack Dann (Editor), Jonathan Strahan (Editor), Isobelle Carmody (Contributor)

From two of the best editors working today ... These are the legends of Australian fantasy - eleven of Australia's best-loved and most widely read writers ... Gathered together by equally legendary editors Jack Dann and Jonathan Strahan to produce an entirely original compilation ...

Celebrate the legends of Australian fantasy. Extraordinary voices ... extraordinary worlds. Come to Erith, to a faerie tale with a sting, or to Obernewtyn, long before the Seeker was born. Revisit a dark pocket of history for the Magician's Guild or get caught up in the confusion of an endlessly repeating day in the Citadel. Cross the wall, where Charter magic is all that lies between you and death. A trip with a graverobber can be gruesome, and it's hard to share the fear of a woman who must kill her husband if her child is to rule ... A mysterious tale plays out in Sevenwaters. Catch up with Ros and Adi as they prepare for the greatest change of all. Other twists in these fabulous tales bring us to demonic destiny and an alternate WWII. these eleven short novels will take you on amazing new journeys with favourite characters from the worlds you know and love ...

Genres: Fantasy, Anthologies, Short Stories, Australia, Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

560 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2010

Reviews

[Tanya (aka ListObsessedReader)]

I have just read Juliet Marillier's story from this collection, "’Twixt Firelight and Water: A Tale of Sevenwaters". I have previously read all of the novels from her Sevenwaters series, so this short story was a must read. As expected I absolutely loved it!

There are a number of other authors with stories in this collection that I am interested in, so I hope to get back and read the remainder of this book at some point in the future.

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

Because it's hard to rate an anthology, I'm going to separate it by novel in my review.

To Hold the Bridge: An Old Kingdom Story - Garth Nix - 4/5 stars
I haven't read any of Garth Nix before, though I think I have Sabriel at home somewhere; I may even read it now after this short, which I quite enjoyed. You could visualise his world easily, and I would have liked to read more.


The Mad Apprentice: A Black Magician Story - Trudi Canavan - 4/5 stars

I've read Trudi's Black Magician series, as well as Priestess of the White. I found this short story to be quite enjoyable as I know what it ties into, and I like how it shows you can try to stick with family even when they're doing something bad... but then also take that step and rid the badness - family can't always stand between everything. It was a good balance.


Twixt Firelight and Water: A Tale of Sevenwaters - Juliet Marillier - 4/5 stars

I'm not usually that good with first person, but I loved this. When I announced I got the book on twitter, my friend Kaelee squealed about this author and now I can see why. I'll have to get one of her books.
It was very well done. So easily it could have been cliched or unbelievable - bringing Aisha in like that was risky... but she pulled it off perfectly.


The Dark Road: An Obernewtyn Story - Isobelle Carmody - 0/5 stars

Hardly made any sense, which was annoying. I haven't read Obernewtyn so that's probably why, but it's annoying. I haven't read any of Garth Nix or Juliet Marillier either and yet I loved their stories.


Crown of Rowan: A Tale of Thyrsland - Kim Wilkins - 4/5 stars

I was surprised by this one - I enjoyed it a lot. I'm actually in a writing course run by Kim Wilkins, and so far have only read her addition in the anthology 'Dreaming Again', which was a twist on Hansel and Gretel (if I remember correctly) - making it all in our time, etc
This series I can't wait to buy. Again, I don't really like first person all the time but I was hooked by this. I loved the sisters (Bluebell in particular) and how there were hints of faerietales in the names and elements of characterisation.


The Spark (A Romance in Four Acts): A Tale of the Change - Sean Williams - 5/5 stars

All I can say is that I'm so glad that I have one of Sean's books waiting on my bookshelf, because reading this... I need to read more of his NOW.
I really have nothing else to say, I can't put into words how much this hooked me.
p.s. SKY WARDENS. Eee! He writes SPACE OPERAS. I am so there.


The Corsers' Hinge: A Lamplighter Tale - D.M. Cornish - No rating.

I wasn't able to read this. I tried many times, and after a few weeks of trying I moved on. I like the idea of it, I don't think I had any issue with how he wrote... I just had no calling to turn the page. Hopefully I'll return sometime to read it.


Tribute to Hell: A Tale of the Tainted Realm - Ian Irvine - 1/5 stars

This I just couldn't read. I was put off by the start, it jumped into the action with no build up, and I honestly just couldn't be bothered... which is a shame. I've always wanted to read Ian Irvine. Hopefully I shall return sometime.


A Captain of the Gate - John Birmingham - 2/5 stars

Failed to capture my interest. It was decent, but quite overshadowed by other novellas in this collection.


The Magic Word - Jennifer Fallon - 5/5 stars

The reason I bought this book. I adore Jennifer Fallon's writing, and this didn't disappoint. I need to go back and re-read all her books, and re-read this novella again more slowly because I couldn't stop myself from rushing on to find out what happened next. I loooove it, especially what the word turned out to be.


The Enchanted: A Tale of Erith - Cecilia Dart-Thornton - 3/5 stars

The longest novella in the anthology at around 100 pages, this didn't disappoint. Parts in the beginning were a little hard to follow, but other than that it was really quite good. I'm not feeling the need to immediately rush out and get her books, like I am with say, Sean Williams, but it was still a good end to a fantastic anthology.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note for American readers who want to read this book: it is available through foreign websites, but also through Kobo as an ebook (much cheaper). I got it for under $15 and have been reading it through the Kobo ebook app on my Ipod Touch. For me this is a better solution than buying the physical book, which was not published in the US and is very expensive.

I am going to say I read this even though I am not finished with all the short stories...those I have read have been very enjoyable. I bought the book for the sole purpose of reading a novella by Juliet Marillier. Yes, I really like Juliet Marillier! The story was "Twixt Firelight and Water" and it fits into the Sevenwaters saga, probably between Heir to Sevenwaters and Seer of Sevenwaters. It was great. It had all the elements I love about this author's stories, distilled into a wonderful and memorable tale. The story tells the unlikely history of Fiacha, Ciaran's otherworldly bird companion. It also gives a glimpse into what became of Padriac, Sorcha's younger brother whose seafaring adventures took him farther and farther from Sevenwaters. Padriac is still living and has many children, one of whom is a main character in the story. Aisha is a daring, adventurous, unusual character and I would love to know more about her. I would certainly love to see more of the characters introduced here in future Sevenwaters books.

I have read one of the other stories and am working on more. I don't read a lot of short fiction, but they seem like solid picks for an anthology. Several of the stories clearly fit in with larger story arcs and book series. I hope to come across a new author I'll like!

[Anika Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of short stories or novellas. At 560 pages, this tome would be a decently-sized full novel. Add the time it takes to actually get into each story and it took me a lot longer to read than I had anticipated.

That aside, I loved the stories from the authors I knew and also really enjoyed discovering some new authors to add to my lists. If you’re a fan of any of the series mentioned in Legends of Australian Fantasy, I recommend getting your hands on a copy of this book.

Full review including comments about each story is at The Oaken Bookcase.

[Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book just to get the Juliet Marillier story that is in it. For those 50 or so pages it was worth having it shipped from Australia to Texas! More of her great story-telling where we find out the secret of the raven, Faicha, in the Sevenwaters books. Loved this little treasure in a book where I liked some stories and others not so well. I actually thought it would be a book about fantasy stories of Australia, but it is a collection of short stories by Australian authors. Gorgeous cover. If I were just rating the one story, this would be a ten stars!

[Satima · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent anthology, demonstrating the breadth of styles and talent among Australian speculative fiction writers.

[Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love pursuing Australian authors – after all, I would love to be one one day, and they are my people. So, discovering that there is a book that features not one, not two, but nine of these phenomenal people made me break out in a huge grin. And I wasn’t disappointed. Actually, the main disappointment came when I finished the last novella and had to find a new anthology to go and read.

The pace of each of these nine novellas was entirely unique and, in most cases, quite unexpected. The only tie that they had to one another was that they are all fantasy stories, and they tied into a series or world created by the author. Which, ultimately means that I have another seven series to go out and buy (I already owned two). Sometimes, this kind of variety doesn’t really work. The stories don’t flow well and it is really just feels haphazard in how they’re collected. But, the short author introduction at the beginning of each story and the rationale behind the story worked brilliantly and made it a cohesive whole.

If you want a taste of the brilliance that some of Australia’s finest fantasy authors have to offer, I’d definitely recommend that you buy this book. Or borrow it, whatever tickles your fantasy. It was a fantastic welcome to a few new worlds and I’ve got a couple of new books to add to my shelves now.

For individual reviews on each of the short stories head to: https://earthandskye.org/book-reviews...

[Lizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read every story that I planned to in this anthology, But I will also take the time to read the others.

Garth Nixs' story was amazing, brilliant. It made use of his very popular Old Kingdom, and yet really had no reference to the other books in his Abhorsen series. This is one of the things that made it so appealing. I am constantly trying to figure out where in the timeline it fits, but it is still atounding.

Juliet Marilliers story was interesting, though I felt it ended to soon. I would like to know what happened to her characters after they marry. As there is really no time of the story spent with the two 'love' interests.

Isobel Carmody has written an amazing story. Which brought a feeling of warmth to me.

Truid Canavan answered some questions in her story. It was terribly sad, but could be read on its own, but also compliments her series.

[Maaike · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who read the Seven Waters from Juliet Marillier, there is a short story in this book about some of the characters. I found it a very nice suprise. :)

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I just got his to read the Obernewtyn short story, but I skimmed the others. They're all in their respective series form what I could tell. But the Obernewtyn story was worth it. Not sure why I was expecting it to be a sequel about either Elspeth or Dragon, but if you are for some reason expecting it to be that it's not. I don't even thing the series was finished when this was published.

[Nancy Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The common theme of this anthology is stories, mostly novella length, that tie into the worlds of the authors' existing multi-book fantasy epics. As standalone some of these work well, while others labor under a heavy weight of exposition not quite worth the effort. Standouts are Cecelia Dart-Thornton's fae gothic romance "The Enchanted", and D.M. Cornish's twee Lovecraftian "The Corsers' Hinge".

[JayElle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure how to rate anthologies... I really enjoyed the Garth Nix, Juliette Marillier, Jennifer Fallon and Isobelle Carmody stories. I didn't mind the others, and only skipped over one story that I couldn't get into at all.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving it 3 stars because being a collection of stories the quality varies. I borrowed it because it contains a story of Obernewtyn (about Hannah, Cassandra and Evander) which was amazing. The story by D. M. Cornish has made me want to read all the other things he has written, and I really enjoyed the contributions by Garth Nix, Sean Williams, and Jennifer Fallon (I think the later was my favourite after the Obernewtyn one, although it made me realise I never finished the Hythrun Chronicles, and contains massive spoilers! It was however, very, very well done, and very clever).

The writing styles are all so varied and I don't want to review each one. I will say that the types of stories covers a good range, and reading them all together means you can compare and contrast magic systems, the ways characters are constructed, and also how each draws on traditional myths and legends.

Most of the stories you could read if you had no previous knowledge of the worlds they are set in, but many only give scant detail about their settings. Whether this is designed to make you want to read more, I don't know, but I think it would be quite confusing. If you have read a bit of fantasy and know most of the authors then I highly recommend it.

[Renée · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only intend to read Trudi Canavan's story: 'The Mad Apprentice'. It is a novella written about Lord Tagin and it tells the story of how Black Magic was banned in the Magicans Guild.

I have read all books from her Kyralia series, so I had to own this story.

But I hate e-reading. And I can't order the book 'cause I'm not Australian. So I'm printing it in a book together with Michael Scott's 'The Death of Joan of Arc'.

I decided to wait reading this until I receive the book I ordered.

The cover I designed for the story: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25...

After reading the book I really understand why the guild banned Black Magic. It was a good addition to the other stories about Kyralia!

[Riona O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I originally bought it fpor the sole purpose of reading Jennifer Fallon's contibution but I read most of them anyway. They all ranged from good to very good however there was one that I couldsn't even finish - it was uninteressting, cliched and unenegaging and a toltal waste of my time. Fallon's howeevr was quite good though probably not her best. I loved the idea of the world's merging but it was overly repetitve. I also wasn't a fan of the characters discovering they were in fact fictuous as it runied the other-worldly-ness which all her previous novels had established.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why this doesn't have a better rating, I'll never know. I bought this because a lot of my favourite authors wrote novellas for it, but a lot of authors that I thought that I didn't like, or authors that I wasn't very familiar with are also in here.
I was pleasantly very surprised with all the novellas. All were very interesting and well written, and even those about different worlds that I hadn't previously known about were very enjoyable. It was a great way to be introduced to new authors and extremely delightful to have "extras" done by authors that I already love.
So good!

[annapi · Rating 3 out of 5]

As is usual with anthologies, there was good stuff, there was less good stuff, and it leveled out to 3 stars for me. Most were a little cut above your usual magic-filled fantasy fare, enough to be intriguing. There was only one that was annoying, and that because it was way too long, and the bits of made-up language did not sit well with me. There was one that made me smile at the end and think the author must have had fun writing it. I might even look up the novels of the authors that I enjoyed most.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this collection. The stories range from excellent to 1 or 2 that perhaps IMHO shouldn't have been published. I wasn't familiar with many of the authors' worlds they set their stories in (which is the key proposition of the collection) but this didn't hamper my enjoyment of them. A recommended read and great to see HarperVoyager publishing this type of collection.

[Saranya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed most of this book, especially the short story by Juliet Marillier, but some of the other short stories, I found, were not that great... The real problem was that the reader wasn't provided with a context to go with some of them, and I just found myself giving up. But overall excellent book!

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An awesome collection of really good Australian Fantasy short stories, by some of the best fantasy authors. It really made me want to read their other work, because it was so good. If you think Australia doesn't have good fantasy, well, this is a perfect introduction to some Aussie authors, who write great fantasy!

[Bluecityladyy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garth Nix and Trudi Canavan rock!

This book is excellent - I've bought a few copies to give to friends

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mad apprentice = 4 stars

[Morton · Rating 4 out of 5]

i mostly got this because it had D M Cornish in it. I enjoyed it - even the bits that weren't by him.