Australia Books

Imagine being stranded on a remote small South Pacific tropical island with 20 or so others, with no police, no laws to follow and no food, water or shelter other than that what you have built or can get by yourselves, no means to go anywhere else and little chance of being rescued (indeed being found would mean execution). Add to this the fact that your fellow castaways are a mixture of Europeans (all men) and Tahitians (men and women) and the fact that some of the Tahitians were taken to the island against their wishes. This is the position the Bounty mutineers found themselves in 1789 on Pitcairn island and what follows is a true life (adult) version of lord of the flies ending in the death of all but one of the original mutineers.

The authors style is to tell the story of the settlers of Pitcairn in mainly chronological order from the original mutiny through to settlement, the subsequent murders, rediscovery by the rest of the world, abandonment followed by resettlement o fhte island. The main body of the book is only 150 pages and written in clear and easy to read text - I personally finished it in a couple of days.

The most interesting part of the book is the mystery of what happened to most of the original settlers and why. The only male survivor of the originals who came to Pitcairn was an English sailor called John Adams. He eventually established a little stable community from the descendants and it is version of the events is the one most often told. He retold several different versions of events but always he paints himself as the good guy. On the other hand, the stories of some of the native women who the mutineers took with them differ from Adams'. The author uses logic, his own judgement and circumstantial evidence based on the reports to make his own conclusion. He also points out other possible scenarios for what happened, and at the end we are left with a true whodunit where the reader is left to make up their own mind.

There are few illustrations but the book has no large maps or family trees (of the islanders) which would have made things a little clearer as the story and characters involved is very complex. I personally book marked page 51, which gives the list of main characters and which I needed to refer back to as the book progressed.

This book was written in 1988, well before the recent rape and sex scandals, which have given a higher profile to the island in the last year or so. The book stops around the late 19th century and portrays the society they have created as very moral almost puritanical. Whether this was the reality or the society always has always had unacceptable sexual behaviour commonplace I guess is a matter for another book.

Excellent, exciting story of what happened AFTER the Mutiny on the Bounty. The author, using original source material, did extraordinary detective work to draw conclusions from limited sources about how the mutineers ended up slaughtering one another, as well as a few sympathetic natives who escaped with them to the miniscule island of Pitcairn--not even on the map at that time. Only one of the original white men survived (having killed or watched the killing of all the others).

It's a sordid story of swapping "wives," drunkenness on home brew, murder, rape and the survival of the fittest--here the most devious and cunning. That did not include the famous Mr. Christian who was among the first to go. Gripping story and a good read.

Most readers would have a reasonably good knowledge of the events that took place on HMS Bounty in 1789 and they might even know the details of why the Bounty sailed and what happened to Bligh after he and those of the crew that didn't mutiny were set adrift in the Bounty's long boat. I would guess however that only a handful of people anywhere in the world would have an idea of what happened to the mutineers after they landed on Pitcairn and burnt their only means of escape-the Bounty herself. Trevor Lummis has done a tremendous job of research by stringing together all the odd bits of scattered information in order to present the whole bloody, sordid story of the events that ultimately left only one male alive on the island plus a number of Polynesian women who were part of the original group. What happened to the mutineers and the Polynesian men that went with them to Pitcairn is the subject of this book and what an extraordinary story it is! Hollywood missed it by building a movie around the mutiny-they should have filmed the story of the events after the mutiny. Anybody with even a miniscule curiosity about the incidents on Pitcairn owe it to themselves to savor this wonderfuly readable story.

Funnily enough the really interesting story of the Bounty begins after most movies have 'faded into the sunset' and the credits start to roll. This is what Lummis has picked up - and this book "Pitcairn Island, Life and Death in Eden" is the story of just that. What happened to the Bounty mutineers. It is an awful lot more interesting, bloodthirsty and downright fascinating than the story of the Bounty mutiny itself.

Lummis seems to have done his research too. He has tracked down all the accounts available, and compared them with one another. He clearly points out the strengths and weaknesses in each account and how he has reached his own conclusions about the actual story. In this way he makes his deductions, and the story far more transparent for us - and makes it all the more believable.

As most people know the mutiny on the bounty as about the uprising of a group of sailors led by acting Lieutenant, Fletcher Christian against their captain, Bligh. Lummis discusses the mutiny and the events which lead up to it, putting it perspective of the times and the problems which Bligh had had to deal with before hand (especially through the incompetency of the admiralty in delaying his sailing to Tahiti in the first place.) There is also a brief history of the English encounters in Tahiti prior to the arrival of the Bounty.

The most interesting part is really what happened to the Bounty muntineers once they sailed away from the Bligh. Some went reluctantly and stayed in Tahiti when the Bounty returned there. However Christian and a few others knew that they would never be safe unless they stayed out of range of the long arm of the British Navy. They therefore found the most remote island possible - Pitcairn - and settled there.

Then followed almost 20 years in which there was no contact with the outside world, just a handful of bounty mutineers, 6 tahitian men and a handful of Tahitian women. At the end of those 20 years just one of the men was left, John Adams. His story of what happened to the other men was at first straightforward. However as more people visited the Island his story started to become more complicated and even contradicted itself. It seemed that there must have been at least one catastrophic massacre of some sort. Yet they were all living in this peaceful and ideal society.

Lummis gleans the truth of the fate of the men of Pitcairn through the various accounts Adam's gave, as well as accounts given by one of the women, Jenny, and one of the eldest sons after Adam's died. In fact it seemed that Adam's himself had triggered the entire debacle. This I found the most fascinating part of the book - the careful unravelling of various stories by comparing them with others, and with logical progression.

Lummis completes the book with the fate of the islanders up until recent years. The gradual deterioration of the island, the move to Norfolk and the return of some of them to Pitcairn.

This book is well worth reading if you enjoy the story of the mutineers. It is also an interesting insight into pre-European Pacific culture, and it proves to be a darn good mystery as well....

Peter Dallman, a retired pediatric doctor and docent at Strybing Aboretum in San Francisco, California, spent many years
studying plants and traveling the world to see them where they grow in the Mediterranean climate areas of the world. Prof. Robert Ornduff, the late director of the Univ. of California Botanical Garden, encouraged him to write about these
plants and his travels. The result is a book giving the reader the best armchair picture of the vegetation of a very special part of the world.

This book falls into a category somewhere between botany, climatology, and geography; it looks at several different types of "mediterranean climate" around the world, and describes the different vegetational types within each region, explaining (in a scholarly but accessible way) why these plant communities look the way they do.

It's beautifully produced, with both climate maps and full-color illustrations of plants and plant communities. I know of no other book that explains the relationship between geography and botanical ecology this elegantly; it's a lot of fun to browse, and I would recommend it *very* highly to armchair travellers with botanical inclinations.

This book is great. It has plenty of pictures, diagrams and drawings. Most of the pictures are not in color, however, which is its biggest downfall. It is not a detailed evaluation of mediterranean climates nor is it a good plant ID book, but provides an excellent overview for both the layman and scientist. It provides informatin on the plants that make the mediterranean climate unique and the typical plant communities that are found in them. It is great for someone who doesn't want to get bogged down with individual species and wants to see how all the parts fit together. I first checked this book out of my local library and felt it would be such a good reference book for work, play and travel that I had to have it. The book uses the most scientific and inclusive use of the term Mediterranean which means you are going to get descriptions of plant communities from San Diego to Sacramento to San Francisco. For those of us that prefer the more exclusive definitions it may come as a shock that San Francisco and Sacramento could be considered mediterranean so I'm warning you now. I am currently using this book to help plan a trip to Australia as a supplement to Lonely Planet's travel guides. This book has inspired me to visit all the world's mediterranean climates at some point in my life and I'm not even a plant lover.

Peter Dallman's Plant Life In The World's Mediterranean Climates covers plants of California, Australia, South Africa and the Mediterranean, and will prove more accessible to general audiences studying plants. Here are photos, charts, and a host of details on plant communities and plant life common to this climate, with chapters providing both individual regional details and links between plants of each area. This is a highly recommended pick not just for specialty libraries, but for general collections.

This is a really excellent book, especially for those people who loved the first story about Pollyanna. The first half of the book is a wonderful reintroduction to the little girl Pollyanna and the second half is the story of Pollyanna-grown-up. Her manner of talking has matured with her, but she still plays the Glad Game in a way to win over even skeptical readers. Altogether, it is a most satisfying conclusion and a book I would recommend to anyone who loves the winsome character known as Pollyanna.

"Pollyanna Grows Up" is the sequel to the 1912 classic, Pollyanna and it is surprisingly just as wonderful as the first. Eleanor H. Porter mantained all the magic of the original novel in this very exciting continuation which takes us far away from our well known town of Beldinsville to the grand City of Boston, where little Miss Pollyanna Whittier arrives to cheer up some new friends.

Fully recovered from her previous automobile accident, Pollyanna returns once again to the city of Boston, in request of her kind nurse, Della Wetherby. This last has a sister by the name of Ruth Carew, who is miserable and depressed as a consequence of a great loss, a young nephew by the name of Jamie who was taken away by his father, the woman's brother-in-law and who was never seen again. Della Wetherby's sorrow was just as grand, but her career as a nurse allows her to forget, while Ruth Carew lives alone in her big house in Commonwealth Avenue with nothing else she does or wants to do but to think of the lost Jamie. However, with her visit, Pollyanna soon changes things around, at first driving Mrs. Carew mad but soon she enters her heart.

Pollyanna finds a lot of new friends in Boston, beginning with the servants in Mrs. Carew's own home, Jerry, a young newspaper selling boy, Jamie, a crippled boy who Pollyanna is sure is the lost "Jamie," and Sadie Dean, a homeless working young girl. In Boston Pollyanna spends most of her time trying to locate Jamie, in desperate hope to please Mrs. Carew, but of this I shall say no more, the surprise twist is for the very reader to discover on his or her own.

The second part of the book may not arrive too welcomed by some readers, like Jimmy 'Bean' Pendenton stated, we readers weren't ready to see little Pollyanna grow up. However, although Miss Pollyanna Whittier has indeed grown up, she has managed to mantain her usual personality, even if some of her more innocent charm is gone. Pollyanna indeed needs her gladness and her famouse Glad Game to be able to survive the terrible dark times that have arrived at the Harrington homestead, where she grew up with the strict, but changed Aunt Polly, who has gone almost back to square one.

In conclusion, if you've enjoyed the first part of this story, then you will definitely enjoy the further adventures of the glad girl and all of her old and new friends. Definitely a great sequel to an unforgettable classic!

I love this book!!!! It's just as good as the first one. My sixteen-year-old older sister kept this treasured book in her shelf and urged me constantly to read it. I brushed her off saying that I didn't have time and that it looked boring. One day, I had nothing to do so i picked up the well worn book and began reading. Surprise! I couldn't put it down. Not because it was exciting or suspenceful, but simply because it's one of those feel-good, sweet and uplifting books. On first examanation it doesn't seem deep or like it would have something important to teach, but after a closer look you find what a beautiful message it has to share. A girl, who with her kindness and ever cheerful outlook on her surprisingly hard life, make her a role model for any one. This is a perfect book for any girl who likes a delightful story and a sweet romance. I aggree with the other reviewer about Aunt Polly. She is quite exaperating, but the other wonderful charatures make up for it and she keeps it interesting. So, get a cup of hot chocolate and snuggle down by a warm fire with this book and be prepared for a wonderful time!

This is a pretty good story. A little more romance than I expected, but well written. Although grown up, Pollyanna is still her normal optimistic self and her Aunt Polly is really exasperating sometimes. It's a book to read when you just want to relax.

When are we going to get another wonderful novel for older children from Alison Lester! I read this book with my eight year old and we both found it gripping. We were sad when we had finished the book. This is a great example of the wonderful childrens literature that comes out of Australia. Please, Please, Amazon.com, get hold of more of this good quality Australian literature for us.

Excelent book. It is perfect for the age group. Perfect for a good night story. It gave a wonderfull scense of adventure. The discription was great I felt like i was there. I defanitly recomend this book

This book was really inspiring, it was such an excellent read, I couldn't put it down! The first chapter really gets you into the story, and it was so dramatic that you just had to find out what was going to happen next! The book is divided between the lives of totaly different characters. The first is a nine year old girl named Biddy, who lives on a cattle ranch and has her own pony, Bella. The second is a boy called Joe, who was brought to live in the wild with his young mother, Joycie, when he was just a baby. They both have interesting and mysterious lives which meet when Bella gets stuck in quicksand, and Biddy and her family are forced to leave her. I would definitely recommend this book to all ages, you will really enjoy it!

This is Lester's first novel for young adults, but I hope not her last. The Quicksand Pony is a gripping adventure story about two young people living on the Australian coastline. Biddy's live revolves aroung a loving cattle-ranching family and Joe has lived in hiding, in the wilderness, with his emotionally distrubed mother for as long as he can remember, having no contact with the outside world. After the death of his mother, Joycie, Joe decides that his need for human companionship is greater than the fear his mother has instilled in him of people. The actions of Biddy and Joe lead the reader on a breath-taking adventure of self-discovery and mystery as these two young people battle not only the natural elements of the wilderness but their individual emotions. This is a heart warming story that I find easy to recommend to readers.

This book had already been out of print, and when it can be reprinted? I can hardly find it.Why it is out of print????
This person died last year and I am looking forward to the new biography of him coz he is such a great man to me. Anyway, I will buy the second-hand book first here.Thanks for sending me the Email!

Kerry Packer is the businessman' businessman. Takes no prisoners and runs his business with an iron fist. Plays polo. He is the man. I had to get a friend of mine from Australia to find me this book. Thanks Rejskes

A remarkable bio, of one of Australia's leading business leaders. Worth an update, written about 1993, and this review was writen in 2001, the book is complete with well researched, and objectively portrayed material. The author critically sets out to explore who and what Packer is, and I feel comes to respect Packer. The book is well worth the journey.

One of the best examples of the emotional extremities. From a surprising sense of loyalty and generosity to an unforgiving cold-hard nature. That's exactly how you have to be when your seated at number one on the rich list of Australia or any rich list for that matter. The book is extremely black and white, just like Kerry Packer himself. Plays hard ball and does not beat around the bush. Paul Barry the author, I think has done a clever recollection of the big man's endeavours as he is a very private man and hates hearing his name in prime time. From the first quote in the book from Kerry Packer's mouth, you get a sense of what he is all about. Inherited a small printing establishment and television station from his father, who said that Kerry would never run the fort. He changed that small media inheritance to a multi billion dollar empire, and still making more. He is impatient at times, suffers horrible mood swings and is dislexic. He always does things differently and looks "beyond the square." He does not expect people to like him and doesn't give a damn what anyone else thinks!

What is relegion? Why do we believe what we believe? These are important questions since all of us look for meaning within our existence. This book offers valuable insight into those issues. Not just a travel book.

This well written book takes you deep into the South Pacific like no other book I have read before. In many ways this book transcends the travel category and takes you into the relm of relegion and theology as well as anthropology and a little political science thrown in too just for good measure. I was very pleasantly surprised.

I also like the way this book helps to educate us on a part of the world that is so far off the beaten path, at the edge of our existence, that we ignore it. Huge mistake. Read this book, ponder the issues it brings up, and you will learn a lot.

As a correspondent I was in the Solomons for most of the key moments - and many of the darker moments of the civil war on Guadalcanal. Montgomery, whose original motivation was plainly to write some kind of family travel account, was deeply changed by what he saw and felt. As were we all. I never met him during the dramas, suggesting he kept away from the media events linked with it all. For this we all owe a very deep debt of thanks; he has bought a powerful light to parts of the story that needed to be illuminated. The horrors of Harold Keke and his gang, off set by the glories of the Melanesian Brothers. This is a major Pacific work; something to be celebrated and cherished.

We're all interested in God. (Even atheists make a theological statement when saying there is no god; and presumably, they've said so based on an informed consideration of some sort.) Montgomery takes us on an extra-ordinary quest in pursuit of God-knowledge. And he does so in the footsteps of his great grandfather, who was a missionary to the people of the south sea islands. He starts as a well-studied skeptic on a grand adventure. Along the way we encounter history and myth surrounding magic, cannibal stories, hallucination, faith, and genuine self-sacrifice. And we see our stalwart tour guide grow as a result of his quest. His appreciation for the power of myth expands to reveal the truth that it can convey. And his spirituality makes a significant transition from that of someone inquiring into the basis of religion -- to observing its significant influence on the human family, in practice.

There are occasional sentences written in a creole which might require a bit of a stretch for some readers -- but it really is English if you sound them out carefully. (Let your eye and ear work together to parse those words, out loud, if necessary.) The editors would have done well to include a glossary for those who are intimidated by foreign-looking words. But please don't let this discourage you from this very enjoyable book which tracks a coming of age from spiritual infancy into a dawning maturity.

~eric.

Having a missionary ancestor is a fine prompt for travel. Most early missionaries, to justify their existence and purpose, were dogged journal keepers. Montgomery's grandfather was no exception. Rev. H.H. Montgomery had not only kept extensive notes, but much of that collection and other thoughts were produced in a book, "The Light of Melanesia". Discovering that account led Vancouver-born Charles to light out to the Pacific to see the results of his grandfather's and other missionaries' endeavours. In keeping his own records, Charles has produced a 21st Century adventure yarn of captivating interest.

If there is a pivotal point in this book, it is the 1871 "murder" of Bishop John C. Patteson. The bishop seems to have died happy - martyrdom has an appeal to some religious folk. The century following may have justified his bizarre view, since his death has become a symbol to the local people. For one thing, they are able to brag that "we don't kill white folks any more". The author has some reason to doubt this claim as he travels through Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. He has trouble separating the various Christianities spread throughout the islands. A good many of them are still practising various forms of ancient witchcraft as part of their new religious activities.

Montgomery sets himself a quest to find Melanesian witchcraft in its pure form. This is easier told than accomplished, since today's missionaries, and many of their converts, hunt down the practitioners. Sometimes with violence. The islanders, however, have a long warrior tradition supporting their activities and working out winners and losers is challenging. Still, for him to unearth the ancient practices, he must trek deep into mountain hideaways, convince those claiming to hold special powers that he won't reveal them to Christian authorities, and come away unscathed. If the Melanesians don't do him in, the weather is always waiting for its own chance. "Getting there is half the fun" as the author haunts docks and ships seeking elusive transport. Ships run weekly, monthly, or when fuel money is produced. His persistence ought to be worth some kind of award.

His luck might be due to some recognition, as well. In the islands, the witchcraft Montgomery seeks is based on "mana". Mana is the life force and may be transferred from one human to another - by head hunting [cognitive scientists take note]. The more exalted the victim, the greater the mana. The missionaries, and the military forces they frequently called in to support them, sought to quell the practice. Their substitution was "Christian love", which often took a beating when the islanders objected to their land being taken or their wives and daughters raped. Montgomery laces the history of missionary work with his personal account seamlessly. Daily confronting the results of what the missionaries imposed [this book was originally titled: "The Last Heathen"] Montgomery's scepticism of their work can only be enhanced. Belief, however, is an immense force among humans. Montgomery realises he cannot dismiss it thoughtlessly. The result of his quest results in a fascinating essay on what "religion" has come to mean to the Pacific Islanders. It's far from what the missionaries intended - and intend - but it's demonstrably real. The book is a valuable social commentary, both about the Pacific islands and our own culture. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

This man can write! Riviting plots and good writing makes Disher a real find. I have read all his books published in the U.S. and can't wait for the next one.

I'm always looking for something new to attract my eye in the crime genre and I've been attracted to the publisher of the "Soho Crime" books. These stories take place in foregin locales and Mr. Disher's Detective Hal Challis stories take place in Austrailia. I've now read the first three in the series and each one is better than the last. Hal Challis plays the world weary police detective that has survived an assisination attempt by his wife who wanted him dead so she could be with another man only to have her heap guilt on him as she constanly calls him from prision to beg his forgiveness. Challis works with an assortment of well fleshed out characters from his female partner struggling with her attraction to Challis and a broken marriage to another cop; a bright, young upwardly mobile woman constable who spends her off time surfing and is stuck with a neanderthal, overzealous copper as a partner; and the ever insufferable Chief who stands in the way of Challis pursuing a killer that just might be his son-in-law.

Terrific prose, a well-conceived plot with a smashing and very believable climax and fleshed out characters make this a series worth checking out. Start with the first in the series to get the background but make your way to this book. It's off the beaten path but well worth the journey. The 4th book is out in hardcover and I've already ordered it.

Australian author Disher opens his latest Hal Challis procedural with a murder victim driving nervously to the scene of her execution, her 7-year-old daughter by her side, triumph on her mind. Point of view switches to the hit man and his dismayed slacker driver as the gruesome scene unfolds, culminating in the escape of the little girl into the woods.

Tense pandemonium breaks out in Challis' Mornington Peninsula homicide squad. The dead woman is the daughter-in-law of loathed Police Superintendent McQuarrie, who seems immediately intent on deflecting the investigation and shielding his son from police attention.

But the child is a surprisingly calm and observant witness and when the murder team discovers that the victim had secretly taken pictures at the sex parties her husband dragged her to and sent them to prominent participants (including her husband), murder for hire looks increasingly likely. And the husband, as cold and dislikable as his wife - she was a psychologist with a confrontational approach - is looking better and better as a suspect.

Fans will be pleased to find Challis' team intact. Hal himself is no longer seeing the local newspaper editor Tessa Kane, but has turned a guilty eye on his sergeant, Ellen Destry, unhappily married to a bitter traffic constable. Destry returns the regard, though both hold back.

Young Pam Murphy is still partnered with rude, misogynistic John Tankard, whose psychological counseling, mandated after last year's shooting, seems to have scrambled his brain. They're on a traffic assignment - driving around in an unmarked sports car rewarding courteous drivers - and provide as much comic relief as they do accidental aid, red herrings and missed chances. Scobie Sutton still chatters ceaselessly about his amazing little daughter and plugs away at his job wishing he had more of Challis' intuitive spark.

Before it's all over, more will lie dead on Australia's Peninsula coast and the lives of several of the continuing characters will have taken major turns. Disher delivers another fine story in an atmospheric, realistic, character-driven series.

-- Portsmouth Herald

Australian Garry Disher spins his first US release in "Snapshot", a slick little noir jewel from down under reminiscent of Ian Rankin and his Scottish detective John Rebus.

Off to a fast and sordid start, yuppie psychologist Janine McQuarrie succumbs to her husband's pressure and joins the swinger set, joining Melbourne's sex party crowd. Taking time out from the panting and rutting, she takes some clandestine cell phone snapshots of her groping buddies. Shortly after, she is gunned down on a deserted Mornington Peninsula suburb in front of her seven-year-old daughter in an apparent contract kill. Turns out her oversexed husband is also son of the local metropolitan police commissioner, adding a heavy dose of office politics to the baffling murder mystery that Inspector Hal Challis is trying to unwind while the senior McQuarrie does his best to thwart Challis' efforts and keep his son's reputation clean.

Disher's story moves briskly, chock full of cops chasing crooks through dead ends and plot twists while leaving enough time for them to fantasize and occasionally act out their own sexual trysts. You may want to hang out an extra couple of nights at your local Outback to get familiar with the Aussie lingo, unless "chuffing the weed", "sea fret", or "pittosporum" roll naturally off your tongue. And then there's a less-than-subtle dose of left-leaning politics injected unnecessarily into a story that doesn't need embellishment.

In the final analysis, though, "Snapshot" is a unique peek under the covers of southern Australian culture - a steady mystery and solid police procedural well worth the time.

I am a new science teacher. I have found this book to be a necessity in my classroom. In talking with veteran teachers, they also see this book as vital to any biology teacher. It is easy to use and provides many innovative ideas.

This is one of three essential source books that includes A Sourcebook for Elementary Science and Geology and Earth Sciences Sourcebook (out of print). Professionals in business, science, engineering, agriculture and K-12 & university education keep these sourcebooks close at hand. These are the "how to" methods of science. You are cost-effective by efficient use of equipment, glassware, reagents and specimens. I regularly give the Sourcebook for the Biological Sciences as a gift to those I work with.

After majoring in biology decades ago, there are only two books that I did not sell. This is one of them. It is truly a "keeper". As a science teacher, I continue to find it useful every year.

The wealth of information encompasses such diverse topics as the solving of biological problems using the chi-square, the making of stock solutions (for example, Lugol's solution), examinations of onion cells, the testing for Vitamin C content, field classification of conifers, and the culturing of live animals in the lab or classroom. The latter include earthworms, daphnia, hydra, Drosophila, and brine shrimp.

A great resource for science methods and information.

I loved the entire Well of Echoes series. I picked up Geomancer while on vacation in Canada a few years back, and loved it so much that I ordered the rest of the series (Tetrarch, which wasn't available in the US at that time, then Alchymist and Chimaera) from Amazon UK. Ian Irvine writes fantasy that doesn't fit the traditional fantasy mold. No junior heroes with undiscovered powers, no evil bad guys, elves, dwarves, magical swords, or anything else that you've already seen a hundred times before. I'd highly recommend it if you're looking for something new and different and wonderful.

the well of echoes quartet is the best book series i've ever read, i've nearly finished the chimaera and im sad that the story is ending but it is good that nish's tale continues.
From the moment i started i got sucked in and felt like i had become part of the story

Best books in the world
congratulations Ian Irvine

This is a great book, the first book was good but this is even better. I'm just starting to read the third book. This book has everything you ask for in a book. It's just fanastic!

Tetrarch is the second book of 'The Well of Echoes' tetralogy. Sanethar is inhabited by old humans as well as creatures out of the void when the Forbidding was broken centuries ago. The old humans, unwilling to share their world with another species are at war with the 'monstruous' lyrinx (intellegent creatures who have mastered the art of flying using the Secret Art). This book focuses on the main character, Tiaan, a young woman who posesses extraordinary skills in the art of Geomancy. Being the holder of the highly sought after Ampliment (a priceless crystal used in the making of Clankers, as well as for Geomantic purposes), making her the main target of her pursuers - human and lyrinx alike. This book continues with Tiaan's remarkable journey, as well as the tough choices she is forced to make.

What I think...
I have always been a fan of Irvine's books, mainly because he is a fantastic Sci-Fi author. Looking back on the previous books he has written, I believe that Irvine has greatly improved on his style of writing and what he puts in his books. Although I cannot deny that the first book of his tetralogy 'The View of the Mirror'(A Shadow on the Glass) didn't quite make a lot of sense, I have to congratulate Irvine on his fantastic story weaving in Tetrarch. Once you start reading, it's almost impossible to put the book down. I even carried this book to all my classes so that I could sneak in a bit of reading whenever possible!

This is a great book that deals with coming to terms with family rules and boundaries. It also has images about going to the hospital and getting stitches. A fun read.

This book has been the favourite in our house for a long time.It has been read so many times, it is known by heart. A great book to share with the 3-8 year olds.

In my view, this book is about power and sorting out boundaries.Being a little kid sometimes makes you feel powerless: everyone is bigger and can do more things than you. Imagining yourself , or an ally , to be equally or more powerful is part of growing up. It is also fun to imagine a world where there are no limitations e.g. you can eat cake all the time. And instead of being scared by noises at night on the roof, it is much more comforting to imagine that it is your big powerful friend, the Hippo. That's why kids love this series of books about the cake-eating hippo.

Simplicity with layers underneath is the essence of a picture book and this book has both. I don't want to read War and Peace with our kids. I want to share a story which seems simple on the surface, is heaps of fun, but which gives you something to talk about with your kids. Our children both LOVED Hippo on the Roof and they came back again and again to the concept of the kid's alter ego having all the freedom she craved. They even picked up on the fact that the cake and other things she wanted were not always that good for her. (I swear I didn't coach them...) Lots of kids have imaginary friends, not many of them have hippos on their roof. I bet they wished they did.