Review of The Chronicles of Klarin

Andrews fantasy trilogy, The Chronicles of Klarin, was reviewed by Ian Keast in Studio magazine, Number 148, 2020. The review begins:

One of my earliest memories of childhood is my father reading The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis to me. Favourite sections were read, again and again. So began a lifelong interest in the genre of fantasy.

Andrew Lansdown is a familiar name to Studio readers. We associate him as the poet whose writing has graced the pages of this journal for many years. What is not as well known is that he has written three fantasy novels: With My Knife (1992); Dragonfox (1997); The Red Dragon (2006); and now they have been republished in this trilogy, The Chronicles of Klarin. Having read them as separate novels when they were published, it is a great pleasure to re-read the trilogy. Like all worthwhile fantasy, they offer much from re-reading their rich imaginative worlds.

In 2001, Lansdown published an essay, In Defence of Fantasy. As the title suggests, he wanted to present a lucid defence of the integrity of the genre. After all, as he states, it has seen notable practitioners—C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and George MacDonald—to name a few. Fantasy is defined as, extraordinary and remarkable. Fantasy stories go beyond everyday realities and may often transcend the laws of nature. They portray things that do not normally happen and worlds that do not actually exist … It is the unexplained, unembarrassed presentation of the extraordinary that separates fantasy from all other types of literature … Yet while fantasy writing depicts the extraordinary, it also celebrates much that is ordinary: trees, stones, horses, hearth-fires, bread—all somehow become solid and important in fantasy writing … 

This quotation serves to introduce us to The Chronicles of Klarin. There the “extraordinary” and “remarkable” abound—dragons, other worlds, dragonettes, foxes and the like, appear across the pages. The “ordinary”, both in setting and many of the characters is alongside. And this mix is driven along by a strong, taut, and thoughtful narrative. …

Continue reading Ian Keast’s review here.

Amazon.com review of Beyond the Open Door

 

 

Beyond the Open Door is the American title for Andrew’s fantasy novel, With My Knife. (Andrew reluctantly agreed to Scholastic New York making this change on condition that the text remained unchanged.)

An lovely reader review of Beyond the Open Door was posted recently on Amazon.com:

Don’t pay $335 for Andrew’s Novel, With My Knife

A British seller on Amazon.com.uk is currently (as of 5th February 2019) offering a used copy of Andrew’s fantasy novel, With My Knife, for AUD $335 (GPD £181.19), plus postage. A second British seller is selling a used copy for AUD $270 (GPD £146.23)

An American seller on Amazon.com is currently offering a used copy of With My Knife for AUD $70 (USD $49.95), plus postage.

Four other American sellers on Amazon.com are offering new copies of Beyond the Open Door, the American edition of With My Knife, for AUD $70 – $75 (USD $49.95 – $52.22), plus AUD $35 (USD $24.95) postage.

While the With My Knife is worth every penny (at least, according to these sellers — not to mention the author!), there is in fact no need to pay such high prices.

After being out of print for nearly a decade, With My Knife is now available in an omnibus book that also contains Andrew’s novel Dragonfox and The Red Dragon.

This three-novel volume, titled The Chronicles of Klarin, was released by Rhiza Press in November 2018 and can be purchased for (a mere!) AUD $24.95, plus postage.

The Chronicles of Klarin can be purchased through this website, or though the publisher’s website, or though your local bookshop.