At Last Pt. 2

Ah, now where was I? Conference is over, time to get back to business as usual…until next week and Thanksgiving that is. OK…

The second book in the Touchstone Trilogy, Celandine, takes us into the past. We learn more about the circumstances that have led to the five tribes living in the wood atop Howard’s Hill. We learn about Celandine, and others in Midge’s family. Glimpse subtle, but intriguing instances that make you wonder....enough that I had to go back and re-read scenes in the first book to see if there were clues.

It is a wonderful story of a girl who must go off to boarding school for the first time, dealing with bullies, misunderstandings within her family, a beloved brother who has gone off to war, and haunting memories of little people living in the mysterious wood near her home among whom she has dear friends with whom she would rather live.

It is also the story of Una, a young Ickri, daughter of the leader, who must convince her people to journey far to reunite the Touchstone with the mysterious Orbis. That together these two objects form a device that will allow them to return to the far-off home from whence they came. Hers is a story of heartache, treachery, intrigue, and much mystery.

[That just reminds me that I didn’t get into any of the stories within the Various, only the human element. I didn’t tell you about Little Marten, or Henty, or the cats. The old, and cracked Queen, her advisers, and especially the really interesting Maven the Green (she’s a mysterious one)….not even the Touchstone....none of that…..Guess you’ll just have to read it, huh?]

The third and final book of the trilogy is called Winter Wood.

We find ourselves back in the present day, with Midge beginning to put more pieces of the puzzle of her Great Aunt Celandine’s story together.

We have assumed that Great Aunt Celandine is dead, but maybe not?

We also assumed that Scurl is gone….maybe we shouldn’t make assumptions.

It is winter, and though the wood is now safe from being sold, there are still shortages and strife between the tribes. The leadership of the tribes is in question. Pegs has some really surprising revelations to share. We learn more about the fate of Una. Will Henty and Little Marten be allowed to be together?

This is my favorite book of the three. I cannot begin to tell you how much I loved this book. Not only is it very well written, they all are, but the story has twists and surprises that keep you hooked until the very last page (and then some). I wanted it to go on, but was also very pleased with the ending. I would love to hear your thoughts. Has anyone out there read them? If not, read them! : ) You can also read them in German, and soon, French.....if you want. At least the first one, not sure if they've done all three. (I know, where is the research? I'm slacking.)

This link will take you to Steve Augarde's Amazon page....the U.S. one. This is his blog, which is fun and interesting, and not all about books.