Landovel by Emily Rodda

Title: Landovel

Author: Emily Rodda

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 1^st October 2024

Format: Paperback

Pages: 944

Price: $39.99

Synopsis: An epic ‘three parts in one’ fantasy quest, in a unique, irresistible package. Compulsive reading from the author of one of the most successful children’s fantasy series ever published, Deltora Quest.

A hero fights against the tide,
Companions battle by his side.
Danger, magic, secrets, lies,
A tyrant King who never dies,
A Prophecy that must be cheated,
Evil that must be defeated,
The menace of the fabled El…
This is the tale of Landovel.

From the legendary Emily Rodda comes an epic adventure unlike any you’ve read before.

Derry knows no other life than that of a captive on Cram’s Rock, shunned by the other young prisoners for being Cram’s poison taster. Until the day everything changes, when a traveller arrives, on the run from the sinister El executioners. She leaves Derry with a magical notebook full of secrets, secrets that might hold the key to Derry’s destiny – and his past.

Once you enter Landovel, you won’t want to leave. So let Emily Rodda, bestselling author of Deltora Quest, take you on the whole thrilling adventure. In an unprecedented publishing event, Landovel‘s three parts are available together – and only together – in one unique, irresistible package, ready for you to binge from start to finish. Presented in a stunning embellished giftbox containing all three books with colourful sprayed edges, Landovel is a special keepsake, the ultimate fantasy quest, and the perfect way to ignite young readers’ passion by giving them the entire story to devour at once.

~*~

Landovel – a land divided into True and Free, with lots of legends and myths. In book one we met Derry, who has no memory of his life before Cram captured him. Since then, Derry has been Cram’s poison taster and reader. But his reading skills are kept secret in a land where reading is seen is dangerous and something feared. Yet, Derry was captured when fleeing True Landovel – a split country that many have relegated to a world of myth and history. Once he’s rescued by a strange traveller, he finds out that things he that he thought to be myths are real. And this is where the real adventure begins, leading Derry, Cat, Num, and Straw on a journey to find out who they are and where they come from. These are mysteries and secrets that evolve across the series, with little hints and elements released to readers as they need to find out.

The first book in Emily Rodda’s new trilogy, which is being released as a boxset is brilliantly written. It builds slowly, allowing us to get to know the characters and who they are. Derry is the focal character, so we see much of the action and understand what is going on through his eyes. It’s the start of an epic quest that will span three books, and where we meet characters we can trust, characters we can’t trust, and characters we’re unsure about. As this is the first novel in the trilogy, I am sure there will be more to find out about these characters and their motivations. Here, we are presented with a group of prisoners who have been treated badly. Even between these people who have suffered greatly, there are tensions. Not everyone had the best time under Cram, and some of them see the role Derry had as a sort of betrayal. Digging down into the why will be interesting across the trilogy. Moving into book two, the journey has switched to True Landovel.

And then, once Derry and his friends arrive in True Landovel, things start to get hairy. They meet Nissa, whom Cat isn’t sure of, and he still doesn’t trust Derry. In this book, things start to ramp up and get exciting as Derry starts to recover his memories. True Landovel has triggered things for him, yet he still keeps people’s secrets. He doesn’t want to rock the boat either, and is trying to help find Free Landovel’s rebels break the spell that King Greville has over True Landovel. Things are not as perfect as they seem, and Derry and his friends are set to learn who they can trust and why as the story heads into dangerous territory and fractures friendships, where people we thought we could trust are no longer trustworthy, and we have to realise that Derry could be the only reliable one in the whole group as the story shifts towards the palace and the dangers to come for the group there. Everything changes from this point onwards and into book three as Derry and his friends navigate the dangers of True Landovel to find out the truth. There’s more to what’s been going on than they’ve been told in this quest to uncover dark secrets and save their beloved land. It’s an epic journey for Derry and his friends. A journey like this is common in children’s books, and the way Emily Rodda built up to it and allowed her heroes to go on their journey worked exceptionally well, and delivered a wonderful story.

Releasing a new trilogy all at once is new, and an innovative idea to get readers excited about it. These days, people can binge entire seasons of television on streaming services. With a book series, there’s often a few months to a year for readers to wait for updates. Having grown up during the years where we waited a week for a new episode of television, and months to see a cliffhanger could leave multiple lives in jeopardy resolved, I am used to waiting and feeling that anticipation and build up. At the same time, there was always the need to be reminded of what happened – and this is where the previously bit worked well. These days, people are not used to waiting as much. Being able to read this trilogy one book after another without waiting was fun and interesting. The difference in waiting for a cliffhanger and being able to continue reading without waiting a year between release means you don’t forget what happens, and can in a sense, binge read. I think this is an interesting way to read the series, because you get to find out what happens and uncover the secrets very quickly.

At the same time, there was a part of me that missed the anticipation of waiting for the next book. There is something delightful knowing that another book is coming. As a reader, I have had many series where I eagerly await the next book, especially if I have read from the beginning. And I have also read series where I am able to read all the books one after the other. Both are fun ways to read a series, and this new venture from Emily Rodda and Allen and Unwin invites readers to binge read, to read each book as you finish the next one. This is an epic adventure and fantasy quest that will enthral readers. Landovel is an unprecedented publishing event – and you can only buy them as a boxset. I loved reading this and returning to the worlds of Emily Rodda, whose books have been part of my life for over twenty years. Her books have traversed crime, mystery and fantasy, and have had varied storylines and each book delivers something unique and interesting for readers. I loved this experience, and I think it will be a great way to get kids excited about reading.