Sometimes it's all in the name. And author Isobelle Carmody has a talent for them. Take the heroine of Night Gate, for example. Who doesn't immediately become intrigued by a name like Rage Winnoway? The minute I heard the name, it conjured up all sorts of images in my mind. And I'm glad to say that Rage lives up to the name she was given. Night Gate is the first book in a fantasy trilogy by Award-winning Australian author Isobelle Carmody. While her books are not as well known in the States, this will hopefully change as more of her exceptional work is made available here.
At it's heart, this story is a fantasy quest that starts in the contemporary world. Rage Winnoway's mother is in the hospital in a coma. Convinced her mother needs her, Rage recklessly decides to go to the hospital herself. But when she leaves, her four dogs and the neighbor's goat tag along on the trek. On her way, Rage encounters a strange creature called a firecat who tells her the only way to save her mother lies in running an errand for a wizard. To do so she must step through a mysterious gate that transports her to another world. Her animal friends are transported along with her, but each of them has been transformed into a human, or human like creature. But the firecat's quest is not so simple as it seems, and to save her mother, Rage may also have to save a dying world where the magic is disappearing. It's a fast moving tale in a world where oppressive order in a male dominated city is set against free spirited magic of the female led wildlands. Rage must find a way to navigate through the cast of characters to find her answers to the firecat's riddle. There's some decent world-building and character building in this story. While I felt that the "oppressive patriarchy" got a bit overdone and simplified at times, the author did not allow her characters to fall into stereotypes of good and evil. Rage's companions are especially vivid in their depictions, and Rage comes to understand both their joy and sadnesses in life, in turn understanding her own life better. While this remains a quest fantasy, part of the story is about Rage's own understanding of her childhood and family history, and how caring for others can change entire worlds.
What Ms. Carmody does exceptionally well is that she breathes life into her words and weaves familiar elements into new shapes. The story itself may be conventional, but the characters and the telling of it make it something new again. It's a good example of female protagonist fantasy fiction for the 9-14 year old age range. This is clearly the first book of a trilogy, but the story told in this book wraps up nicely by the end, so that while we know there's more to come, readers aren't waiting to find out what happened to their characters at a cliffhanger moment. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and the progress of the characters and felt satisfied at the ending. I can't give it quite five stars, but I'm hoping that the next book in the trilogy, Winter Door, will be better than this first.
Readers who like this quest fantasy series may also want to check out Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins or, for a classic series, try The Dark is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper. If you're looking for more of Ms. Carmody's work, be sure to check out her Obernewtyn chronicles: Obernewtyn, The Farseekers and Ashling. These post apocalyptic SF are for a slightly older crowd, but well worth a read.
Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad
