Metro Winds by Isobelle Carmody

Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781865084442.
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. From the award-winning author of the Obernewtyn Chronicles, this is a collection of short stories. A girl is sent across the world to discover her destiny in the dark tunnels of the Metro. Another seeks a lost sister in a park where winter lasts forever. A young man fulfills a dying wish. A mother works magic to summon a true princess for her son. A man seeks an ending to his story. An old man goes in search of his shadow.
Isobelle Carmody, the talented Australian author of the young adult classic Obernewtyn, has released a collection of short stories. Except they aren't all that short. In fact, one of the stories, The Wolf Prince, is just under 150 pages long. All of the stories are very well written, as is to be expected from one of the best young adult authors in Australia. The writing is detailed and lyrical and the stories are inventive and original. One theme that runs throughout the whole collection is a sort of magic realism, that idea of worlds that are just on the other side of reality. Most of these stories involve ordinary people thrust into extraordinary situations. It's always a pleasure to read Isobelle Carmody's work because she manages to combine reality and fantasy in interesting, original ways.
For fans of Isobelle Carmody, or really anyone who likes wonderfully inventive fantasy stories, this is a must.
I highly recommend this book.
Rebecca Adams (Student)