Ship Kings Andrew McGahan Allen and Unwin, $22.99
A SEA shanty with a mythical whirlpool at its heart.
Miles Franklin-award winning author, Andrew McGahan, has continued on his merry way, working through every genre known to readers, by embarking on a four-book fantasy series.
The Coming of the Whirlpool, book one of The Ship Kings is about Dow Amber, a boy destined to become a timber-cutter until he hears the siren-song of the sea.
He wants to sail forth, but discovers the seas are ruled by the Ship Kings, and there is also something in the ocean that frightens those who would think to try their luck.
Phew! Can a boy overcome all that and get through to the second book?
McGahan lives in Melbourne now, spent his youth in Darby, on the wheatfields of Queensland, then lived in Brisbane, where he wrote his tragic and funny novel, Praise.
He has not stopped since, eventually winning the Miles Franklin with a big ambitious politically-anchored saga called The White Earth. He says he’s always loved sea shanties, and associated folklore, so this fantasy series came to him as a pleasure to write.
Fantasy readers, who are often young people, are choosy, but once they accept a writer, they stay with the books, so it will be interesting to see if this series is welcomed among the fantasy brigade.
He has always had critical approval: can McGahan now capture the popular support he has long desired?
Also to look out for: the authorised biography of the band, Powderfinger, the last hurrah of a band claimed as Australia’s most admired. Footprints (Hachette, $45) , written with the assistance of Dino Scatena, promises new photos, if not revelations, about how a band from Brisbane took on the world.
And it’s due very soon, the new MasterChef Australia Cook Book (HarperCollins, $39.99). They are promising Billy’s Swiss Roll, Dani’s curry, Kumar’s baklava and Michael’s vanilla-poached lobster.
– Rosemary Sorensen
