Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody - Fantasy - SFBookcase.com - Reference of Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels/Authors.

Series: Obernewtyn Chronicles
Volume: 1
Genre: Fantasy
ISBN: 0812584228
Pages: 246 pages
Publisher: Tor Books
Price: $6.99
Reader Rating: 9 out of 10
Votes: 29

Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody

Description: With a setting reminiscent of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover novels, language as fluid and memorable as Lloyd Alexander's, and a mixture of genre tropes worthy of Andre Norton's best work, Obernewtyn begins the powerful saga of a world struggling back from the brink of apocalypse - and one young girl who holds the key to its salvation.

In the times following the Great White, life is harsh. Radiation has swept the land and those living on it, bringing death and decay. As society pulls itself together and makes a new life, children are born with enhanced mental abilities caused by the fallout from the Great White. But because of their association with the dreaded holocaust, the Council that rules the land condemns people with these abilities as Misfits and burns them to prevent further contamination.

Elspeth Gordie is a Misfit. Raised in orphanages for most of her life, desperate to receive her certificate of normalcy, her only chance at survival is secrecy, and she vows never to use her mental powers. But her abilities seem to have an imperative of their own, and soon she comes to the attention of the Council.

Unaware of the extent of her powers, the Council sends her to the remote mountain institution of Obernewtyn, where escape is impossible. There, Elspeth must come to terms with her abilities and throw off her safe cloak of concealment - for at Obernewtyn there are not only friends but enemies, evil people who intend to use the Misfits' mental abilities to resurrect the terrible forces of the apocalypse.

Only then will Elspeth learn what she is and the destiny she must survive to fulfill...