Darkfall (Carmody novel)

Darkfall

Second edition cover
Author Isobelle Carmody
Cover artist Janet Woolley
Country Australia
Language English
Series Legendsong Saga
Genre Fantasy, Science-Fiction, Parallel universe, High fantasy
Publisher Viking Australia
Publication date
 1997
Media type Print (Paperback)
Pages 555
ISBN 9780670866489
OCLC 38415549
Followed by Darksong
For other uses, see Darkfall (disambiguation).

Darkfall is the first novel in the Legendsong Saga series by Australian author Isobelle Carmody. Carmody wrote the first drafts for all three books in the trilogy concurrently whilst living in Prague. It was published by Viking Books in Australia in 1997 and shortlisted for ‘Best Fantasy Novel’ at the 1998 Aurealis Awards and for ‘Australian Long Fiction’ at the 1998 Ditmar Awards.

This parallel universe, high fantasy novel is set primarily in the world of Keltor.

The book has also been published in braille and in Chinese.

Composition

Carmody wrote the first draft for Darkfall and its sequels Darksong and Darkbane at the same time.[1] These were written whilst the author was living in Prague, Czech Republic.[2] Carmody took a year to write the first draft of Darkfall and another four years to revise and rewrite the novel.[3]

The author has commented that she writes the books as they come to her, without a particular target audience in mind. It was for her publisher to decide which market, children or adult, the books were best suited.[4] Much of the novel's grappling with both the beauty and evil in the world come from her own reflections and experiences. [4]

Carmody has also drawn from aspects of classical mythology in the work, including myrmidons, from the warriors of the same name who accompanied Achilles, and sylphs, whom she calls silfi.[5]

Synopsis

Voice and Setting

The story is told in the third-person through the protagonists, Glynn and Ember Flanders. These Australian twin sisters are drawn separately through the portal from Earth to the world of Keltor and the plot follows their parallel journeys. The narrative alternates every few chapters between each sister's events and perspective.

The story begins briefly in Greece on Earth, where the sisters are holidaying. However the majority of the narrative is set in Keltor, a small pre-development parallel world of seven islands in which the Legendsong Saga is set.

Plot summary

Main Story

After Glynn is transported to the world of Keltor, she is rescued by an Acanthan Windwalker named Solen, who despite his apparent indifference, is heavily involved in the complex politics of Keltor. Glynn pretends amnesia and slowly learns that the independent Isle of Darkfall and its sisterhood of soulweavers are falling out of favour with rulers in Keltor. Unfortunately, her athletic build, sense of honour and independence make her resemble the Myrmidons, amazon like women who are the sworn protectors of the soulweavers, who are also out of favour. Unbeknownst to Glynn, her twin sister Ember, in trying to save her from drowning was also transported into Keltor. She is rescued by the Soulweaver Alene and her Myrmidon protectors Feyt and Tareed, who harbours a nagging suspicions as to whether Ember is the "Unraveller" as predicted by Lanalor, the very first Holder(King) and the only male soulweaver. Ember is dying from a large tumour in the frontal lobe of her brain. She is half blind and does not have long to live.

The entire plot is a result of Lanalor's trickery in which the Unykorn/Firstmade was captured by the Chaos spirit so that Lanalor could be with his love, Shenavyre, who incidentally committed suicide when the Firstmade was imprisoned. Lanalor prophesized an Unraveller would come to rescue the Unykorn and free Keltor, although most Keltorians have lost faith in this prophecy. The arrival of strangers (People from Earth), Lanalor promised, would be a sign that the Unraveller would come one day. He gave the description by which the Unraveller would be identified: half blind yet seeing all (half blind), mark by visioning though without the Darkfall mark, lives yet sings the deathsong (dying), born yet not of the Song of Making (not from Keltor), a gift from the great water (from the portal in the water, thus washed up to shore) and crowned in bright flames (many take this as red hair)

In an attempt to get currency to pay for a ship fare, Glynn is captured by members of the Draaka cult, who drug and enslave her. The Draaka cult preaches to the Chaos spirit though this is not known to all of Keltor. The Draaka seek to ultimately rule the world in Chaos. Glynn is saved from being a drugged drone by Bayard, a loyal Draaka follower who does not agree with the drug taking that the rest of the cult does, when her pet, the fienna, gets attached to Glynn. Bayard wanted Glynn as her servant instead of a drone as she believed that Glynn could help the fienna give birth to its final offspring (Glynn portrays herself as a Fomikan who came from an aspi breeder's farm whose parents are disappointed with her, in order to survive).

Through a vision, Ember saves the Holder's life from an assassination attempt by Coralyn, who wants to put her other son Kalide on the throne. Her friend Bleyd is framed and tortured and a daring rescue attempt brings Ember face to face with the paradoxical manbeast Ronaall who predicts Ember's death if she does not leave the Isle of Ramidan within the night with Bleyd. Ember's tale ends with her smuggled on a ship heading to Darkfall so she can seek answers and healing for her ever-worsening brain tumour. Alene gives her own a'luwtha as a gift, the playing of the music to unlock her memory.

Bayard falls overboard and drowns on the way to Ramidan and Glynn helps the fienna give birth, assisted by Solen, who she reunites with on a ship after his faked death. The mother fienna enhances Glynn's latent abilities so that she can save the last offspring (the mother and 2 of 3 offspring die), and in doing so, helps fill the grey void in Glynn. She is now connected to the he-fienna. In the morning, as Glynn's ship pulls into the harbour of Ramidan; unknowingly she watches Ember's ship departing.

Segue Chapters

The novel also interconnects characters on Earth to those in Keltor in "Segue" sections. These characters include Faye and Tabby (Implied mirrors of Feyt and Tareed), a mysterious comatose manbeast by the name of Ronaall, the male nurse who cares for the comatose man who also cared for Ember, a clarinet player and his comatose mother, a security guard, a policeman named Johnny, the blonde jogger who finds Wind's suicide note and various others.

Themes

A significant part of the intricacy of the plot is Carmody's detailed consideration of religion, philosophy and politics.[6]

You are born with the yearning arrow, my Glynna, though you are not yet fully aware of it. It is not a happy thing to possess, for nothing on earth — no goal, no person how ever beloved — will answer it. It points to the sky and to the heavens and the stars and when it cannot reach them, it must fall back to pierce your heart.

Isobelle Carmody, Darkfall, Penguin Books 1998

Darkfall also contemplates the duality between the beauty and evil in the world. Carmody commented in an interview that she "lives in one of the most beautiful places on earth doing what [she] love[s] doing and getting paid for it and in the same world there are people who are getting shot, who are starving, who are suffering tragedies, kids dies because some brute bashes them. There is this terrible unease in me".[4] She also said that she feels she has had had a very lucky and happy life but "[she] is interested in the finer spark of human beings...the thing that makes us at our best is almost always dark, difficult and painful".[4]

The novel also considers finding meaning and purpose in life. Even before the two protagonists are swept into Keltor, the sisters felt adrift.[7] Ember is dying and believes she has lost the ability to feel emotion; Glynn, while attentive to her sister's needs, lacks her own sense of worth. Additionally, it is revealed that Glynn's boyfriend, Wind, committed suicide some years earlier after struggling with depression and feelings of emptiness.[5]

Reception

Awards and nominations

Darkfall was shortlisted in the 1998 Aurealis Awards for "Best Fantasy Novel"[8] and in the 1998 Ditmar Awards for "Australian Long Fiction".[9]

Publication History

Main Publications

Year Title Country Publisher Media Type Cover Artist Pages ISBN
1997 Darkfall Australia Viking Books Australia Paperback Janet Woolley 555 9780670866489
1998 Darkfall: Book One of the Legendsong Australia Penguin Books (AUS) Paperback 598 9780140278484
1998 Darkfall: Book One of the Legendsong Australia Penguin eBooks E-book - 616 9781742283883

Special Needs Publications

Year Title Country Publisher Narrator Media Type Media Format Pages
1999 Darkfall Australia Louis Braille Audio[10] Caroline Lee Audiobook Cassette -
2006 Darkfall Australia Vision Australia Information and Library Service[11] Audiobook DAISY Digital Talking Book -
2011 Darkfall Australia Vision Australia Information and Library Service[12] - Print Braille -

Foreign Language Publications

In 2008, a Chinese translation was published by Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House Pub. D , entitled 沦落, Volume 1 (Lúnluò = Darkfall). It was translated by 邱望生. [13]

Notes

1.^ The cover illustration is a detail from a painting by American artist Janet Woolley entitled Last Supper.[14] Carmody has commented that she hopes the second half of the painting will be the cover of the forthcoming third and final novel, Darkbane.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Carmody, Isobelle (20 October 2002). Darksong Launch Interview. (Interview). Melbourne. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "Carmody, Isobelle, 1958-". National Library of Australia: Libraries Australia. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  3. ↑ "Carmody Dazzles Canberra Audience". The Canberra Times. 14 September 1997. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "A Fantasy Author Who Draws On Her Own Experiences". The Canberra Times. 28 September 1997. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  5. 1 2 Foster, John; Finnis, Ern; Nimon, Maureen (1 June 2005). Bush, City, Cyberspace: The Development of Australian Children's Literature into the 21st Century. Wagga Wagga: Elsevier. p. 109. ISBN 9781876938789.
  6. ↑ Briggs, Anne (March 1998). "Darkfall". Magpies 13 (1): 37.
  7. ↑ Keks, Fiona (January 2010). "Darkfall". inCite 31 (1/2): 32.
  8. ↑ Mark R. Kelly and the Locus Science Fiction Foundation. "Aurealis Awards 1998". Science Fiction Awards Database (sfadb). Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  9. ↑ Mark R. Kelly and the Locus Science Fiction Foundation. "Ditmar Awards 1998". Science Fiction Awards Database (sfadb). Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  10. ↑ "1999, English, Audio book edition: Darkfall [sound recording] / Isobelle Carmody". National Library of Australia: Trove. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  11. ↑ "2006, English, Audio book edition:Darkfall [electronic resource] / Isobelle Carmody.". National Library of Australia: Trove. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  12. ↑ "2011, English, Book, Braille edition: Darkfall [braille] / Isobelle Carmody.". National Library of Australia: Trove. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  13. ↑ "2008, Chinese, Book edition: Lun luo = Darkfall / Yishabeier·Kamodi zhu ; Qiu Wangsheng yi.". National Library of Australia: Trove. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  14. ↑ Carmody, Isobelle (1998). Darkfall. Penguin Books Australia. p. Copyright Details. ISBN 9780140278484.

External links

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