Masha du Toit

I’ve just used my birthday gift voucher from Vega to buy the latest in Steve Augarde’s “The Various” series. He is an illustrator – writer. Here is a link to his site.This is the third book in the series, called “Winter Wood”

It follows on from “The Various” and “Celandine”. These books have overcome my severe (trance scene induced) prejudice against anything to do with fairies, little folk, pixies and so on.

from fantastic fiction

So far I have only read the first two of the series:

The story follows two girls – Celandine and Midge – and their interaction with the “little people”, The Various. The structure of this story is fascinating. The first book is set in contemporary England and the second about a century earlier. This means the story goes simultaneously backwards and forwards in time. Midge and Celandine are separated by time but not by space, and both of them meet and interact with The Various, and have points of connection with one another although they could never meet.

The books are gritty – these little people are very far from cute – and quite frightening at times. There is a scene from The Various in which Midge is being chased by the Ickri which scared my silly. The writing is visceral and delicate at once.

And like all good fantasy, it resonates with questions about race, class, gender, individual freedom – take your pick.

Cant wait to read the third one. Here is a link to an interview about the series.