Haunted Warriors by Lian Tanner
The Rogues book 3. Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN:
9781760293543. 315pp.
(Age: 9-13) Highly recommended. Six warriors - Duckling, Pummel,
Otte, Sooli, an enchanted chook and a cat along with Alms - mistress
Krieg and Grandpa (Lord Rump) travel by magic tarpaulin blown along
by Grandfather Wind. Their dangerous mission is to go back to a
massive castle known as the Strong-hold in the cursed city of Berren
in the country of Neuhalt. Their quest is to get to the Strong-hold,
find out who raised the evil Harshman from the grave and send him
back to the grave. They aim to restore the rightful heir, Otte, to
the Faithful Throne and remove the curse from the city.
This fantasy has all the medieval trappings - the castle, baileys,
keeps, towers and chambers together with the people - the cooks,
chambermaids, nobles, simpering courtiers and soldiers. Other
characters are from Tanner's imaginary fantasy world - the Margraves
and Margravines, the Bayams, Harshman and the warriors themselves
with their magic powers. The warriors are haunted - each in a
different way and they are not without their own flaws and difficult
pasts. The haunting is part of their special identity and gives
individual (and complementary) magic powers which come in handy for
their survival.
The strong-hold court rituals, the formal protocols of respect and
address, the structure of life are reminiscent of military, royal,
religious and other institutional organizations where an
understanding of the way things work is vital. There is a real sense
of power and manipulation. Our heroes have to work smart using their
wits and special skills to win back control from their foes.
Haunted Warriors is a classic tale of the fight between good
and evil in the fantasy genre. Sacrifice, togetherness,
protectiveness, courage and most of all the power of the bonds of
love overwhelm evil in the end. The reader is exposed to the
concepts of " . . . love and friendship and
comfort-in-times-of-trouble . . . " versus ". . .graves and rotten
fruit, and murder and loss and dispossession . . . " and are granted
a window into what the misuse of power can look like.
Action-packed and magical, this book (and the highly acclaimed
series) is highly recommended for 9-13 year olds.
Wendy Jeffery