The Wicked Wood (Tales from the Tower #2) – Isobelle Carmody & Nan McNab
Allen & Unwin, 2011
356 pages
RRP: AU$27.99
ISBN: 978-1-74237-441-3

Reviewed by Liz Grzyb

After reading the first instalment in Isobelle Carmody and Nan McNab’s stellar reworked fairytale anthologies The Wilful Eye, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on The Wicked Wood. This volume certainly didn’t disappoint. With a selection of retellings that were generally less recognisable than the first, this anthology really opened my eyes to the possibilities offered by revisiting some of the old tales.

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The Wilful Eye (Tales from the Tower #1) – Isobelle Carmody & Nan McNab
Allen & Unwin, 2011
302 pages
RRP: AU$27.99
ISBN: 9781742374406

Reviewed by Liz Grzyb

The Tales from the Tower duet are a collection of revisited fairy tales from Australia’s best-loved fantasy authors. Collected by Isobelle Carmody and Nan McNab, the first instalment, The Wilful Eye, takes a new look at “The Tinderbox”, “Rumpelstiltskin”, “The Snow Queen”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Babes in the Woods” and “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”. I’ve always been a sucker for retellings of fairy stories, and these were no disappointment.

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Sharp Turn – Marianne Delacourt (Tara Sharp #2)
Allen & Unwin, 2010
288 pages
RRP: AU$29.99
ISBN: 9781742370033

Reviewed by Liz Grzyb

Tara Sharp, a private detective who can see auras, is the protagonist of Marianne Delacourt’s captivating, funny and exciting series that started with Sharp Shooter. Sharp Turn is an excellent continuation of the series, following Tara as she falls in and out of trouble, becoming more used to using her abilities in investigating.

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Instructions – Neil Gaiman, Charles Vess
Bloomsbury Allen & Unwin, 2010
40 pages
RRP: AU$24.99
ISBN: 9781408808641

Reviewed by Liz Grzyb

Instructions is a lovely picture book for young children. It takes the reader (or listener) on a journey through a fairy tale world and back again, where some of the instructions are familiar and reminiscent of favourite fairy tales, some are new, and some are just good manners!

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All Clear – Connie Willis
Allen & Unwin, 2010
656 pages
RRP: AU$32.99
ISBN: 9781741758429

Reviewed by Kate Smith

After having read Blackout, it was with some trepidation that I picked up All Clear. Blackout had not left me with a desperate desire to continue the story or find how it concluded, and as I trawled through the first half of the text I was not encouraged. As a reader who usually finds it difficult to put down a novel, in this case I found it difficult to pick it up between chapters. I was a little disappointed also with a few stereotypical plot devices and phrases at certain times but this was due to my feeling that Willis’ story was something different from the mainstream and I may have expected more from it because of this. These small negatives, however, do not mean that All Clear should be avoided. There is no doubt in my mind that Willis is a very good writer and the plot in overview was what piqued my interest in the first place.

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Blackout – Connie Willis
Allen & Unwin, 2010
504 pages
RRP: AU$32.99
ISBN: 9781741141979

Reviewed by Kate Smith

When I read the back of Blackout I immediately and excitedly wanted to begin the story.  However, while the premise was excellent, I found the execution was a little underwhelming.  The story progressed very, very slowly and eventually I was waiting (and hoping) for everything to begin to come together and surprise me with some fantastic realisation.  Sadly, it did not.  Disappointingly, after finishing the book I discovered that any conclusions would be made in the next book.  However, while I do not feel the need to chase down the following text in order to discover the fate of the central characters, Blackout was generally an enjoyable read.

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Reign or Shine – Michelle Rowen
Bloomsbury Allen & Unwin, 2010
288 pages
RRP: AU$16.99
ISBN: 978-0-8027-9534-2

Review by Liz Grzyb

Nikki Donovan is a typical teenager. She’s just moved to a new town and a new school after her mother married husband #4, and the Winter Formal is coming up! However, her dreams of the most popular boy in the school are disrupted by a strange boy who seems to be stalking her telling her bizarre stories about her father being a demon king.

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Worldshaker – Richard Harland
Allen & Unwin, 2009
384 pages
RRP: AU$17.99
ISBN: 9781741757095

Review by Liz Grzyb

Worldshaker is the story of Colbert Porpentine, heir to the position of Supreme Commander of the juggernaut Worldshaker. Unsurprisingly with a name like that, Colbert is one of the Elite class who live in the upper levels, lording it over the Filthies who occupy the bottom desk and do all the work. Col’s world is shaken up somewhat when he meets Riff, a Filthy who has escaped from the lower decks. She educates him in the true nature of the moving monolith they live in.

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The Crowded Shadows – Celine Kiernan (Moorehawke Trilogy #2)
Allen & Unwin, 2010
518 pages
RRP: AU$19.99
ISBN: 978-1-74175-870-2

Reviewed by Liz Grzyb

The Crowded Shadows is a well-written second instalment in the Moorehawke Trilogy. Like the first novel, this has lovely characterisation, pacy action and interesting ideas. It does, however, suffer a little from being the middle child, as the story doesn’t come to a satisfying conclusion in this book, needing the third to finish the story.

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Eric – Shaun Tan
Allen & Unwin Children’s, 2010
48 pages
RRP: AU$9.99
ISBN: 978-1-74237-292-1

Reviewed by Liz Grzyb

Like all of Shaun Tan’s picture books, Eric is exquisitely produced. It is a beautiful small hardback, illustrated mostly in black and white.

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