Obernewtyn, by Isobelle Carmody

[rachelmanija]

I have often had this book recommended to me as a small classic of YA sf in the subcategories of post-apocalyptic, psychic kids, and Australian. It was written in 1987, when there wasn't quite such a glut of psychic kid and post-apocalyptic YA as accumulated later on. But it was still unimpressive.

As is explained in prologue of infodump, after a nuclear war, mutations and science were banned. Mutants can be executed or exiled if caught.

Teenage Elspeth is a telepathic mutant who can read minds, force people to do her bidding, and communicate with animals. She also has other extremely powerful abilities which are revealed later, when it's convenient for her to be able to unlock doors and kill people with her brain. Despite these abilities, her family has been executed and she is in a precarious position, under threat of death if her talents are discovered. Her brother, a teenage total jerk, has a somewhat higher status for reasons I forget and is not very helpful to her.

She ends up exiled to a prison/lab/boarding house for teenage mutants. There she is forced to slave in the kitchens, while sinister experiments are going on off-page. This section occupies about two-thirds of the book, and it felt like absolutely nothing was going on.

I was mostly bored by the book. Elspeth has very little personality. In fact, the only character with personality is a stray cat. Though a summary of events would make it seem like exciting things are happening, they are often narrated rather than shown, and are so underdeveloped that the sense is that nothing is happening. Dullsville.

Obernewtyn: The Obernewtyn Chronicles 1

Comments

[loligo]

Oh good, I've had a copy of this languishing in my library for years. Good to know I can weed that one out unread!

[tool-of-satan.livejournal.com]

How do they make her slave away in the kitchens if she can force people to do things with her brain? (Never mind kill them.)

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

She's too intimidated to try. I guess she can only control one person at a time? And she only figures out that she can kill people with her brain at the very end.

But one of the problems with the book is that she's way too powerful to be so downtrodden.

[tool-of-satan.livejournal.com]

But one of the problems with the book is that she's way too powerful to be so downtrodden.

That's what I figured. In fairness to Carmody, I think it's a fairly common problem to give characters superpowers without really thinking about all the consequences, particularly in superhero comics (anyone else remember Molecule Man in Secret Wars?). It's still sloppy.

[larryhammer]

Ah, so it isn't just me. I've poked at the opening a couple times but always put it aside as not grabbing me. I should probably sell it off, then.

---L.

[fjm.livejournal.com]

Nope, not just you i first read it in 1987 and was bored stiff then. I read it again when I wrote The Inter-Galactic Playground and it was no better. Hugely over rated.

[estara.livejournal.com]

Rachel, since this is about apocalypse, YA and Australia - and kids with psychic powers, I can't help but point out that Andrea Höst's And All the Stars is available in ebook for $1 all of February. May you enjoy it more!