Building Fantastic Worlds Follow Up: They’re Reading Our Books Everywhere
In the powerpoint presentation for my National Writers’ Forum masterclass on Building Fantastic Worlds, I used images of bookcovers to illustrate many of the overheads.
In one (No. 35 to be precise) all the seven covers featured were of New Zealand-authored Fantasy novels where the book has been published abroad, either exclusively or in addition to being published here in NZ.
I promised, in the aftermath of the masterclass, to feature the seven books again on my blog, so here they are now.
Dreamhunter / Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox
The Dreamhunter /Dreamquake duology has been published by HarperCollins in Australia, Faber & Faber in the UK, and both Farrar, Straus, and Giroux and Square Fish (Macmillan) in the USA. Elizabeth Knox is one of NZ’s most well-known authors and is arguably best-known for this duology and her debut novel, The Vintner’s Luck.
Dreamhunter was nominated for (the former) Montana New Zealand Book Awards in 2006, and was an American Library Association best book of 2007. Dreamquake was a US Michael L Printz Award Honor Book in 2008.
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
Juliet Marillier is an expatriate New Zealand author who now lives in Western Australia. Wildwood Dancing is published by Pan Macmillan in Australia and the UK, and Knopf in the USA, as well as being published in translation. It has won awards in both Australia and the USA.
The Loblolly Boy by James Norcliffe
The Loblolly Boy is published by Penguin Books in New Zealand, Allen & Unwin in Australia, and Egmont in the USA, although retitled as The Boy Who Could Fly. James Norcliffe is a well-known NZ children’s writer, editor, and poet who lives in Diamond Harbour.
The Loblolly Boy won the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards’ Junior Fiction Category in 2010.
Heartwood by Freya Robertson
Heartwood is an epic fantasy novel by New Zealand writer Freya Robertson, who hails from NZ’s Far North. (AKA the “winterless north” for any Northern Hemisphere-ites reading this. 😉 )
Heartwood and its sequel, Sunstone, were both published by the UK’s Angry Robot Books. Heartwood won NZ’s Sir Julius Vogel award for Best Novel in 2014.
The Bridge by Jane Higgins
Jane Higgins is a Christchurch writer and her debut novel, The Bridge, won Australia’s Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing in 2010 and was subsequently published by Text (The sequel, Havoc, 2015, is also with Text.)
The Bridge was a 2012 Storylines Notable Book. It was also an Honour Book in the 2012 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards as well as winning the YA ‘Children’s Choice’ Award.
Across the Face Of The World by Russell Kirkpatrick
Another epic fantasy, Across the Face Of The World was published by Harper Voyager in Australia and Orbit in the USA. Although resident in New Zealand at the time the book (and series) was published, Russell Kirkpatrick now lives in Australia.
According to Wikipedia, Across the Face of the World was the biggest selling debut fantasy in the United States in 2008.
Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey
Karen Healey not only lives and works in Christchurch, but Guardian of the Dead is largely set in the (pre ‘quake) Garden City. It was first published by Allen & Unwin in Australia and subsequently by Little, Brown & Co Books for Young Readers in the USA — and it’s won more awards and accolades than you can shake a stick at , including in NZ, Australia, and the USA.
Spark by Rachael Craw
Spark is YA science fiction and its published by Walker Books in Australia — where the legions of Rachael’s fans are known as the “Spark army.” w00t!
It’s also available on this side of the Tasman as is only fitting since Rachael, who originally hailed from Christchurch, now resides in Nelson.
So you see, these books may be homegrown, but people really are reading and loving them in a great many other places. Go Kiwi. 😉
“Guardian of the Dead” by Karen Healey is a very good dark fantasy.
The book cover gives it the impression of “horror”, but it is more a “Dark Fantasy” imo.
I agree, June; it’s definitely not Horror.