I've begun several series this year -- much to my chagrin, they are all new(ish) and therefore I'm having to wait on the Kindle versions (or even paper versions!) to come out at the library. It's painful.
BUT it is exciting that the slump of children's literature (or at least the perceived slump -- excluding the Harry Potter series, of course -- a definite literature life-saver) from the Noughts Decade (2000-2009) has receded and we are left with some true gems.
Foundling (Book 1) is one such gem -- it was utterly fascinating.
Rarely have I found a fantasy world that feels so real. There's even a glossary at the end, complete with maps, pronunciation, measurements and descriptions. While there is so much background information, the book is in fact quite easy to read (which is somewhat rare in very detailed fantasy worlds -- at least from my experience).
It is in fact so intriguing that I would (if I had the money -- which, alas, I do not...until Friday...) snap up the next two books wherever I could find them in paperback.
I want to know more about the unfortunate boy called Rossamund (I'm sure that's a foreshadowing of some kind! How thrilling!) and his new life outside the orphanage. And the monsters! How is he going to avoid getting chomped in his dangerous new job? And will he deign to serve someone who kills those who are, perhaps, misunderstood?
There are several things to chew on here -- racism (without sounding trite), society and the way it intertwines with our fate, and even freedom vs. safety (political and sociological). All without being dry and dusty and tasteless.
It's amazing how much you can pack into a child's story.
Which is what made me want to write in the first place.
Have you read anything by D.M. Cornish? Did you enjoy it? What other fantasy worlds are real to you? Which books make you want to pick up a pen and write?
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