Five Worst Fathers in Australian Fantasy

Father's Day is come and gone, and I've decided to incorporate this into my next article; the five worst father or father figures in Australian fantasy. Why the worst? Because whinging about things is easier than praising them, obviously.

To be fair, what's happening here is
only partly due to StarDrifter's
absentee parenting...

Remember, these are not the King Magnuses or StarDrifters of the world. These are not fathers who tried their best, but made mistakes or bad judgement calls. These are the fathers that either didn't give a damn or went out of their way to make their kid's life hell.

Remember,*SPOILERS BELOW*. 

***

5. Galen Flint from The Last Stormlord
He's a minor character who only appears in the first book, but I argue he is indirectly responsible for every bad thing that happens in that series. His solution to abject poverty is to drink until he forgets about it and his reaction to his son's god-like power is to terrify him into hiding it. If this guy had been even remotely supportive, Shale would have showed his abilities to the Rainlords, the Rainlords would have taken him to the Cloudlord in time to learn rain summoning properly, and Taquar would never have got his greasy mitts on the throne. There's a lesson here; good parenting can save the world.

A naive, lonely sorcerer
with god- like power and
daddy issues..just what every
demon wants!

4. Michael from Mage Heart
How to mess up a kid; buy her from her desperate mother, lie to her about the circumstances, teach her to fear and despise her own gender, isolate her within her own culture, then die leaving her alone in the world. Small wonder Dion keeps playing around with demons; she is so deeply confused about her own sexuality I'm surprised she doesn't have a breakdown every time a man stops to ask her the time.

3. Longfield from Tender Morsels
Honestly, this guy doesn't even merit the title of father. Abusive rapist jerkass that deserves to be eaten by a bear is closer. You know what, on second thought, I'm taking Longfield off this list and saving him for that 'most contemptible characters you'd like to bury in a swamp' list I'm working on.

3. Battu from Prophecy's Ruin
Another text-book demonstration on how to screw up a child. Granted, we can't quite put the blame for Losara and Bel's severing on Battu; he wasn't even in the same country when that happened. But we can blame him for stealing a child from loving parents, raising him in an atmosphere that's by turns neglectful and oppressive, grooming him for a battle quite literally against his own self, and attempting to manipulate his affections for Battu's own selfish agenda. Luckily Losara doesn't have any pesky 'feelings' and manipulates him right back. Happy Father's day, Battu. You deserve everything that comes to you.

Not only did Gayed raise a
fanatically loyal psychic
assassin, he was genre
savvy enough to die before
she inevitably turned on him.

2. General Gayed from the Mirage Makers
This guy is clearly taking notes from Battu and Michael. He also steals a child from loving parents, brainwashes her to serve his own agenda and turns her against her own identity in fundamentally damaging ways.
The difference is he's actually good at it. Considering Ligea is psychic, the fact that he has her so twisted round she believes he loves her is kind of impressive... in a sick, horrifying, you-bastard kind of way.

1. Everyone from Evil Genius
And for the winner we have a group nomination; Cadel's adoptive father, his secret imprisoned father, and his psychologist father-figure. All of them work together to manipulate Cadel in deliberate, callous ways and screw him up severely. Really it's mostly luck that he didn't turn out a raving psychopath like they were hoping. Fortunately he has the sense to go find himself a healthy father-figure elsewhere or we'd have a lot more to worry about than a toddler playing god with the Sydney public transport system.

So there you have it - the five worst of the worst fathers in Australian fantasy. This will either destroy your faith in fatherhood or make you appreciate the one you have. One of the two.

Stormlord's Exhile by Glenda Larke

Stormlord's Exile was everything I was hoping for.

This finale to the Watergivers trilogy pays off on existing storylines and while following the usual form of fantasy novels, managed to do a lot that was new and different. It's one of the things I can always count on Glenda Larke for, to give me a traditional fantasy with non-traditional elements. (For an example on how to bore me to tears, see Eregon).

One positive aspect I mentioned in my review of the first novel was the world-building, and that hasn't changed. I love this world's distinctive culture and priorities. It's definitely not the usual medieval-style world. In fact, I believe it's meant to be futuristic Australia, which is probably why it resonates so deeply with me. If I were a mad genius that could engineer humans to have a super-power to survive the fall of the civilization, the ability to manipulate water would be top of the list. (That or immunity to any kind of venom - the number of times I came close to being bitten as a kid kind of freaks me out in retrospect...)

Moving on, the characters are straightforward while losing none of their complexity. Jasper's feud with his brother ended in an unexpected way that was oddly satisfying, and I enjoyed the twist in the storyline involving Laisa and Senya. Laisa is the most perfect villain ever, because she's not really a villain; she's a survivor. At one point in the book, someone muses that while Taquar has no true moral code, Laisa does, but is perfectly capable of putting it aside when it conflicts with her self-interest. Senya could be taken as a deconstruction and reconstruction of the annoying two-dimensional love-rival cliche. No spoilers, but a lot of things I found previously irritating about her are explained here.

I can't go into much more details without ruining the plot, but I was very happy with how this trilogy turned out. It's the kind I'd love to see turned into a movie or mini-series. George Miller would direct, Claudia Black would be Laisa, Rose McIver would be Ryka. I give this book a big red stamp of approval.

One thing I should note is that Stormlord's Exhile was rather hard to find. I eventually hard to order in from Pulp Fiction in the city (FYI, they are amazing. Very friendly and very reasonable prices). Apparently there were only 11 copies left with Harper-Collins and it's no longer in print, so if you want a brand new edition, you'd better hop to it.

"We have lived too long attached to our past, a past that should mean nothing anymore."

Master Post - High Fantasy

See below my masterlist of fantasy I've read (not comprehensive - still updating). Those marked in red have been reviewed, those in black haven't been. Links are included. 

I've split this list into separate sections, to make it easier to navigate. Enjoy!

Epic:

Books or series in the style of Tolkien or Robert Jordan where the world-building is vast and the action is big. 


The Broken Well trilogy by Sam Bowring - An interesting deconstruction of the black and white encoded morality common to high fantasy. Contains a very genre-savvy villain, for a given value of 'villain'.

Strange Threads by Sam Bowring - Series featuring a very disturbing villain, but has an interesting take on magic as an aberration rather than a natural phenomenon.

The Black Magician by Trudi Canavan - A series about a low-born girl who discovers she has forbidden magic.

The Bitterbynde by Cecilia Dark-Thornton - The first book of this series contains fascinating ideas about memory and identity, but the second and third are a huge letdown. Recommended cautiously.

Battle Axe by Sara Douglass - First book of the Axis trilogy. A fairytale on a bad acid trip and my first love in high fantasy. Also see the sequel Enchanter and Starman. 

The Wayfarer Redemption by Sara Douglass - Sequel series to the above Axis Trilogy, wherein every bad decision comes back to haunt the characters. Cruelly knocks down every trope set up in the prequels and makes me love it anyway.

Beyond the Hanging Wall by Sara Douglass - Stand-alone book. One of Douglass' early works. A decent read about restoration of the rightful ruler to a land.

DarkGlass Mountain by Sara Douglass - Series that's both sequel and canon-welding for the Wayfarer Redemption and Beyond the Hanging Wall. A definite must-read for any fans of the previous trilogies, but anyone else should probably avoid.

Medalon by Jennifer Fallon - I had some serious problems with the brother-sister relationship, as outlined in my review. I'm much more fond of the sequel Treason Keep, which introduces the very likable Princess Arina.

Symphony of Ages by Elizabeth Haydon - The main female character was a moronic twit, but everyone else was fine and the world-building was original. A friend of mine with usually good taste loves this series, if that makes a difference.

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan - Gorgeous writing of a world where reality is not quite what it seems. Deals with nasty topics like rape and incest, but doesn't fetishize them.

The Quickening by Fiona McIntosh - No, not the Highlander phenomenon. Though I guess it does have a few things in common. The magic in this series is simple, logical and wreaks an almighty amount of havok. Highly recommended. 

Valisar by Fiona McIntosh - I never got beyond the first book, however, she has done great things with other series, so it may have improved.

Fisherman's Children by Karen Miller - Some nice world-building, but the main character really annoyed me.

Power and Majesty by Tansy Raynor Roberts - I avoid the sequels, but the first is a fantastically entertaining piece of decadent world-building.

Splashdance Silver by Tancy Rayner Roberts - One of the few comedies on this list, in the style of Terry Pratchett. Riffs high fantasy so hard it will have you in stitches. Also see the sequel Liquid Gold.

The Dark Griffin by KJ Taylor - A well-thought out take-that at bond animals with an omniscient morality licence. Tackles themes of discrimination and racism. 

Daughters of the Storm by Kim Wilkins* - First book of an unpredictable tragedy with characters that are neither good nor evil, and leaves just enough threads dangling for the sequel Sisters of Fire. Can't wait to see where this series goes.

Non-Western:

Books or series that have imaginative world-building - not the usual Western medieval fare. 

Born of Empire by Simon Brown - Has some great world-building, but falls down in plot, characters and just about everything else.

Threshold by Sara Douglass - Depicts a very problematic relationship with serious issues of consent, but still an extremely entertaining read about an Eldritch abomination trying to devour a world resembling ancient Egypt.

Tales of the Otori by Lian Hearn - A beautifully written depicting of changing times within a Japanese-like culture.

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff - A book about an assassin school set in a civilization reminiscent of ancient Rome. By turns hilarious and tragic. Thoroughly recommended.

Watergivers by Glenda Larke - A power struggle set in a barren world where the aristocracy has the ability to manipulate water. Thoughtful exploration of the harsh realities of this system.

Mirage Makers by Glenda Larke - A great main character with an interesting mix of honor and underhandedness, torn between the culture she was born into and the one she was raised by. I've read the first book, but am struggling to get through the second.

The Aware by Glenda Larke - Contains a kick-ass female protagonist. Not my favorite book, but a good way to spend a few hours.

Havenstar by Glenda Larke - Walks a fine line between science fiction and magic in a dark dystopian future. Great story with a very sensible, cynical protagonist.

Godspeaker Trilogy by Karen Miller - Vivid characters struggling through a brutal, violent world. Though the first book was set in a fascinatingly different culture, the second and third revert to standard medieval fare (but are still very good!).

Romance:

Books that focus mostly on romantic relationships. 


The Last T'En by Cory Daniells - A combination romance and political thriller, where the last of an ancient bloodline must seduce a conqueror to save her kingdom. A little trashy, but very addictive.

The Devil's Diadem by Sara Douglass - Also could fit into the alternate history list below. Features fairies and demons and deadly family secrets.

Medair by Andrea K. Host - Deals with cultural imperialism and loss. Is one of the few books to have a main character's triumph be about accepting failure.

Seven Waters by Juliet Marillier - Nicely written series about Celtic myths. The point-of-view characters are all-perfect Mary-Sues who never make a mistake or a misstep but if you can ignore that, they're a good read.

The Captive Prince by C. S. Pacat - A gay romance political thriller. Yes, it is all of those things. This restored my faith in romance after the beating it took from Twilight.

Mage Heart by Jane Routley - The first half is fantastic, the second half focuses way too much on the yawn-worthy romance. Also see the rather violent sequel Fire Angels.

Shattered Court by MJ Scott - A light, fluffy romance with some interesting ideas below the surface. Very easy read and good for a lazy afternoon.

Giants of the Frost by Kim Wilkins - A reincarnation love-story with vikings. Switches between the modern world and the realm of the gods, so falls into high fantasy by default.

Historical: 

Series or books that take place more or less in our own history, even if it's an alternate version of history.

The Troy Game by Sara Douglass - You will either love this or hate this quadrilogy. It melds fantasy, myth and history into a two-thousand year old competition to control a powerful labyrinth within London. Characters are born over and over against to scheme and betray each other. A guilty pleasure of mine, but my brother loves it too, so make of that what you will.

The Crucible by Sara Douglass - Unless you have problems with alternate depictions of Christian beliefs, you need to read this trilogy. It's smart, subversive and just damn fun to read.

The Ancient Future by Traci Harding - Is this a good time to admit I don't really enjoy Traci Harding's work? Probably not - I'll just go skulk in a corner and hide my face in shame...

The Autumn Castle by Kim Wilkins - A combination of Narnia and high-octane nightmare fuel. Switches between the modern world and a magical alternate reality.



Teens:

Series or books aimed at teenagers or young adults. Non-explicit violence or sex, or simply avoids it altogether. 


Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody - The first book was the best. After this they started dragging out and the author hasn't even gotten around to completing the series yet.

The Witches of Eileanan by Kate Forsyth - Imaginative fantasy world with likable characters. Had the occasional bit of graphic violence, so may not be for every teenager. Recommended with caution.

A Dark Winter by Dave Luckett - A deconstruction of high fantasy's obsession with magic and warfare. A great read for both teenagers and adults.

Silver Brumby by Elyne Mitchell - Beautiful classic series about a lineage of wild horses in the Snowy Mountains. Every child who ever wanted a horse should read these.

Sabriel by Garth Nix - Best teen series ever, full stop. Good for both adults and teenagers. Everyone should read this, along with the sequels Lirael, Clariel and Goldenhand. 

Song of the Summer King by Jess E. Owen - Griffins and cultural imperialism. Fairly simplistic plot but imaginative premise.

The Last Wizard by Tony Shillitoe - This was a pretty decent read, with a protagonist who refreshingly didn't have or need a romance story-line. Definitely for teens though; some of the aesops were a little anvilicious.

Stone Mage and the Sea by Sean Williams - The story drags a little but has some very non-conventional world-building.