The Halfmen Of O

 The Halfmen Of O
Maurice Gee



(Sorry for the terrible picture.
My copy is too battered,
ripped and torn to share.
It's a second hand book I still love.)

"Our story begins one Lodestone Creek one summer holiday. Or at least, Nick's part in it starts there. Susan had been involved for her whole life, though she did not know it. And Jimmy Jaspers, with his nose for an easy dollar, had been working for the Halfies since he came to the creek in spring."
The Halfmen Of O is a young adult book, mainly for 11-15 year olds, and if you don't mind a quick easy read, can be read by all ages 11 and up. And the moral of the story is still the same.

The story focuses on Susan Ferris, a teenage girl who lives in Lodestone Creek, south of Collingwood, Golden Bay, New Zealand and her cousin Nick, whom she doesn't really get along with. Susan has a strange birthmark on her wrist, two parts, two teardrops. One bright red, the other golden brown, put together like a yin-yang symbol, two halves of the same shape. The birthmark was given to her by a strange old man when she was a baby, and he was found dead the next day, and nobody in the family understands what it is supposed to mean.

When Susan is taken from her home in New Zealand and thrust into the world of O, she is given a choice. After seeing the evil cruelty or the half men, and the kindness of the other creatures in the land, Susan must decide her fate.

Given the choice of accepting her birthmark and finding, and rejoining the halves to make the Halfmen whole again, or returning to her own land, Susan embarks on a journey that teaches her the true meaning of friendship, forgiveness and family, bringing her not only closer who her true purpose but also to Nick.
However there is a greater evil in the land, one who seeks to stop Susan and to bring destruction to all of O, and once complete, even to Earth. Susan faces a race against time, against the otherworldly forces, and against herself. For in doubting herself and her strength, risks the lives of all the creatures in O.

A book whose morals and values make you question your own, it is a read for all ages, even if it is just a day or two of light fluffy(ish) reading in between the likes of The Inheritance Cycle (Christopher Paolini) and Lord Of The Rings (J.R.R Tolkien), it is well worth checking out.

Review ONE of FOUR for NZ book month. Sorry if they are intresting but hard to get hold of in other countries. Try Amazon perhaps?

Until next time,

Atra du evarinya ono varda,
(May the stars watch over you)

Samantha.