Book 4 - The Stone Key

The Stone Key was the book I waited 8 years for. And I think it was worth the wait. It's book 5 in the Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody, and you really do have to go out and read the other four first. Which you should anyway, they're really good books.

The series is set in a post-nuclear holocaust world which has essentially reverted to a medieval way of life, complete with oppressive rulers and religious fanatics. The protagonist, Elspeth Gordie, is an orphan and a Misfit - she has a range of psychic talents including telepathy and beast-speaking. Misfits are burned at the stake - or sent to Obernewtyn, which is where Elspeth ends up. As the series progesses she and a group of misfits take control of Obernewtyn and gradually set about redefining the power structures of the land and the place of Mistfits in it. Elspeth also has a secret destiny - to find and destroy the Machines that created the holocaust in the first place - and a secret nemesis who wants to finish what the holocaust began.

Obernewtyn was Isobelle Carmody's first novel, and it's fascinating to see her growing sophistication as a writer. The plots of each book grow increasingly intertwined and complex (not to mention long) and the enormous cast of characters display complex motivations. Not the least is Elspeth herself. Being the narrator, the reader has the greatest insight into her thoughts - and yet she is definitely not 100% perfect or even that likeable. That said, she - and the books - are most definitely compelling. The Stone Key is no exception - as I mentioned earlier I blew through all 1000 pages in a week, and that's pretty unusual even for me. So get out there and read these books!