Fairy Revel

Title: Auralia’s Colors
Author: Jeffrey Overstreet
Genre: Fantasy

Sometimes the Fantasy genre (or any genre, I suppose) gets so caught up in trends that one can almost lose hope. Right now a certain sparse writing style seems to have preempted the delectable prose of writers like McKillip, Kushner and similar, let alone Tolkien. A lot of series are never-ending serials, often involving a magical detective, with writing that’s the equivalent of a one-two punch. Written in first person perspective with sarcastic voices, these books don’t usually have a lot of substance and just generally get on my nerves.

When I opened Auralia’s Colors and saw that author Jeffrey Overstreet thanked J.R.R. Tolkien and Patricia A. McKillip (among other great writers) in his acknowledgements, I felt a tentative hopefulness.

Auralia is an orphan discovered by one of the Gatherers, a criminal class exiled from the fortress of House Abascar because of their misdeeds. Krawg finds the infant on the riverbank, sleeping in the footprint of a mysterious creature, and sneaks her into the Gatherer camp where she will be raised alongside the other Gatherer orphans until she is old enough to attend the Rites of Privilege. There, she will be tried to see if she is worthy to enter House Abascar. As she grows, however, Auralia has no desire to leave her forest, where she seeks out all its colors, crafting gifts from them for her friends—certainly not to live in House Abascar, where colors are surrendered to the palace and the people live a drab existence under a proclaimation called the Wintering of Abascar. When Auralia finally accepts her calling to show Abascar the colors she’s discovered, a chain reaction begins that will change the lives of the people of Abascar—and their prince, Cal-raven—forever.

This book has just about everything a really good fantasy should have: Beautiful writing that evokes a sensory and emotional experience; a deceptively simple yet riveting story; a well-rounded cast of characters who are at once human and archetypal; and layers of meaning so one can go back to the story again and still find new questions to ask. Truly excellent fantasy asks the deeper questions about the things that matter, without obviously asking any questions at all, and touches the unseen. Not mere stories, the best fantasy is threaded through with the numinous. At the same time, there’s a warmth about this book, a lack of pretension, that makes it approachable.

I can’t think of another book I’ve read with heroic characters who are truly good, yet without any unmitigated villain. Every character has something redeemable at their core, but you’re never confused about right and wrong. Auralia is the archetypal “free spirit”, handled much better here than in other books I’ve read. Auralia isn’t just a feather-headed dreamer; something about her is purposeful and even valiant. The ale boy seems to be pushed into events by happenstance, and yet it becomes apparent that something unseen moves him into place time and time again. Prince Cal-raven is admirable and yet has a certain humility which makes me admire him all the more. And then there is The Keeper, a shadowy presence that makes itself known in dreams . . .

Ultimately, Auralia’s Colors is a book about the relationship between faith and creativity. What are we here for, and how do we use our gifts? How does our artistic vision connect to and reflect the bigger picture? What do artists owe others, if anything? How do we respond when others reject the light that we’re revealing?

I don’t give stars or hearts or anything here at Badgerish.Net, but with this book I’m going to start awarding “Desert Island Keeper” status to books that I think are exceptional (and would want to have with me if I was stranded on a desert island). That way, people can find my top picks by clicking the tag. (Read more about Desert Island Keepers.)

Purchase Auralia’s Colors at Amazon.

(It looks like the Cover Attractions meme is no longer happening, but that’s okay. I’ve been posting covers—oddly enough, on Wednesdays—since way back on an old blog of mine, so I’m going to keep up the habit.)

“On the Cover” is my weekly occasion to post an eye-catching cover. The covers I post may be from books I own, something I’ve recently wishlisted, or just a cool cover I really think everybody should see. Sometimes I may have something to say about the artwork itself, but I’m not an art major or anything so please keep that in mind; I’m just trying my best to get the idea across.

This time, I’m featuring two covers for the same book. I just couldn’t choose. I saw the UK cover first, and fell in love with the candy colors and the topsy-turvy through-the-looking-glass typeface:

I went searching for the book on Amazon, and found the US edition, which was so charming. It’s active and whimsical, and is more clearly Middle Grade fiction. The colors streaming through the glass onto the clever-looking little hero captivated my imagination and made me want to read the book, even though I don’t normally read in this age group.

Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones.

“Aidan Cain has had the worst week of his life. His gran died, he was sent to a foster home, and now malicious beings are stalking him. There is one person Gran told Aidan to go to if he ever got into trouble—a powerful sorcerer who lives at Melstone House.

But when Aidan arrives on the doorstep, he finds that the sorcerer’s grandson, Andrew, has inherited the house. The good news is that Aidan can tell immediately that Andrew’s brimming with magic, too—and so is everyone else at Melstone. The bad news is that Andrew doesn’t remember anything his grandfather taught him. Chaos is swiftly rising, and he has no idea how to control it. A sinister neighbor is stealing power from the land, magic is leaking between realms . . . and it’s only a matter of time before the Stalkers find Aidan.

If Aidan and Andrew can harness their own magics, they may be able to help each other. But can they do it before the entire countryside comes apart at the seams?”

Alexandra Bracken is hosting a contest for a free copy of her fantasy novel Brightly Woven, and a bunch of other prizes!

When Wayland North brings rain to a region that’s been dry for over ten years, he’s promised anything he’d like as a reward. He chooses the village elder’s daughter, sixteen-year-old Sydelle Mirabel, who is a skilled weaver and has an unusual knack for repairing his magical cloaks. Though Sydelle has dreamt of escaping her home, she’s hurt that her parents relinquish her so freely and finds herself awed and afraid of the slightly ragtag wizard who is unlike any of the men of magic in the tales she’s heard. Still, she is drawn to this mysterious man who is fiercely protective of her and so reluctant to share his own past.

The pair rushes toward the capital, intent to stop an imminent war, pursued by Reuel Dorwan (a dark wizard who has taken a keen interest in Sydelle) and plagued by unusually wild weather. But the sudden earthquakes and freak snowstorms may not be a coincidence. As Sydelle discovers North’s dark secret and the reason for his interest in her and learns to master her own mysterious power, it becomes increasingly clear that the fate of the kingdom rests in her fingertips. She will either be a savior, weaving together the frayed bonds between Saldorra and Auster, or the disastrous force that destroys both kingdoms forever.

I’ve been looking forward to this book! Head on over and enter!

Last night I tried to start work on one half of the story that was Amaranth, pulling out the crucial pieces and renaming it Evening Primrose. I’m hoping a re-christening will give me a fresh perspective.

I shouldn’t be stressing yet. But last night a question occurred to me that is causing me some consternation. The first inklings of this novel in my imagination consisted of three elements: a forbidden love, a medieval cozy mystery with fantasy elements, and a castle full of inhabitants who all play a part in the story, including servants.

The troublesome question is this: It feels like a series to me, and I have never read a mystery that wasn’t part of a series. (As for “fantasy-mystery”, which this book is, I have no point of comparison by which to judge.) But if it’s to be the beginning of a long series, I want to pace the forbidden love element out to span the series. In otherwords, the characters involved shouldn’t marry in the first book; I want the feeling of sustained tension. However, the way I was taught to write (and the stance I generally agree with) is to never save anything “for the next book in the series”, because that next book may never be written.

So I’m in a bit of a quandary. Maybe I can resolve smaller questions about the relationship during the course of this book? But how to create the necessary dramatic tension to break the reader’s heart?

I will miss the title Amaranth, but I think it may be best to leave it behind, at least for now.