Celine Kiernan

I thought it would be nice to recognise all the people who take the time to write and let me know what they think of The Moorehawke Trilogy, and so here are a few of my favourite e-mails and letters. Thanks so much to everyone who writes to me. I love to hear my reader’s opinions, whatever they might be.
Unless you state otherwise, I’ll only print the first names and general locations of the correspondents, but if for any reason at all you don’t want your letter or e-mail posted online just let me know.( Just to say, sometimes people write very private and personal things in their letters. Of course, you can rest assured that I won’t put any of these personal confidences online. Though I may thank you for your letter)

*****

(Bettina – ireland)

loved the first book, can't wait to read the second - even though I certainly don't fall unter "young adult" anymore:))

*****

(Stephanie in Cork) (mild spoilers for Poison Throne)

Dear Celine Kiernan,

I recently read a copy of your debut novel, ‘The Poison Throne’ on holidays and I fell in love with it! The detail and intricacy and obvious amount of effort you put into it shone through. Sometimes, particularly at the start, I felt like I was being submerged into an entirely new world and had to come up for air once or twice! I started reading it in the afternoon and couldn’t bear to tear myself away from it at all ( only very reluctantly doing so when my dinner turned up!)

I though the characters were great – especially Christopher Garron and Razi! Christopher made me laugh nearly every time he turned up, with his practical earthy view of the world and watching Razi’s character develop was so sad especially when he had to torture the poor assassin. Lorcan’s friendship with Jonathon felt so real and I loved the way it seemed to move above the worries and protocols they had to deal with and just seemed like two men with a lot shared talking to each other. Even when you described people reacting to each other ( like when Christopher said Wynter’s arse looked better in a pair of trousers – I loved Lorcan’s reaction there! ha-ha!) it seemed so natural, not forced or fake – just real.

I think the way you described the world is brilliant. Sometimes, when people write stories set in court, they forget about how precarious and oppressive it can be. But you managed to convey it greatly ( in a great way?) in the way Wynter and her friends act, with the plots and blackmail and the masks. It’s like you lived through it!

I honestly don’t think there’s a single weak point in this entire novel. The only bits I didn’t really take to were the dreams, but then I don’t take to dreams that much anyway. Apart from that minute detail, I thought the plot was tight and well written and certainly not lacking drama, humour or … anything!

Without a doubt this book has jetted up to one of my top-ten favourite reads in the past few years.

I can’t wait for the next book in the trilogy and will definitely be looking out for it! Good luck with it!

*****

NOTE FROM CELINE to (Anna in Ireland)

Anna sent me a very lovely letter thanking me for a talk I gave in her school. I just wanted to acknowledge how much it meant to me to hear from her. There were many personal things in the letter and so I won’t put it on-line, but thank you so much, Anna. I found your letter very moving and I’m delighted to hear that my talk made such a difference to you.

*****

(Kerri in Germany blog link)
( major spoilers for Poison Throne: Be Warned!)

Hi Celine,

Well, I just finished reading The Poison Throne, actually inhaled it would be more of an apt description. I couldn't put it down. First, I'll let my Americanness take over and say, "It was like, so awesome!" Whew! Glad I got that out.

I'll try not to gush, but it's going to be difficult. I really enjoyed the book and your writing. It's third person but sometimes I felt as if I was Wynter, experiencing her hurt, anger and sadness. It's very rare that I feel that way when reading a book. The subtle shifting of scenes was very natural. The way you handled diverse subjects from torture to omens (ravens, sky, etc); it was subtle and vivid at the same time. I think you are the Mistress of Foreboding, equal only to my favorite author, Mr. Poe.

That brings me to my greatest irritation, Lorcan. You took me on such and emotional roller-coaster. So many times I thought he'd die and then he survived. I was so certain that he'd die just as she was leaving. And what happens? He makes the greatest sacrifice a parent can and pushes her away. That was worse than his death. As a mom, I can only imagine the pain he felt, yet the firm resolve that he was sending her to safety. It was unexpected and heart-wrenching. So yes, you made me cry.

Do you know who my favorite character is? Jonathon. He's enigmatic and real. I really want to know why he changed and what happened with him and his sons. What's the history with his sons' mothers?

I have so many questions (rhetorical of course)- Where did Christopher go? What's going to happen to Razi? Will Wynter be able to say goodbye to Lorcan? I'm ready for The Crowded Shadows. It's finished, right?

My mom and her friends haunt my blog (it's actually very sweet) and now they all want to read it. This was the conversation:

Mom: "I've heard about that book."

Me: "I'm really enjoying it."
Mom: "I'd like to read it, but..."
Me: "But what?"
Mom: "Well, Kerri, I'm almost 52 years old."
Me: "And I'm 35."

Mom: laughing, "Okay. Oh! R wants to read it, and B and...and..."

So my question to you is when will it be released in the US? I also got an e-mail from someone in Australia and I referred them to you website and publisher, is it going to be released worldwide?

It really is a fantastic book. It reminds me of one of my favorites, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell in that after I read it, I felt like it all happened, that this story was about actual people. Maybe their stories were forgotten over time but found and told to the world. Congratulations on a great book and I really can't wait to read more.

*****

(Jane in USA)
I just finished The Poison Throne and wanted to write and say... When is the second one being published? :o)

I really enjoyed it, your writing is lovely to read, descriptive without being too wordy. The characters well thought out and interesting. I am dying to know what happens next, although there were some hints in the summaries at the end of the book...;o)

I hope it's doing really well for you, it's a marvelous read and I am sure I'm not the only one looking forward to the next one!

*****

Eamonn ( Belfast) (This mail refers to the short story The Risk Of Tuppence)

Just read your Christmas story - loved it!

A Dublin Dickensian classic: evocative, compassionate, human - I could almost hear the consumptive coughs from the urchins in the crowded tenements. Just brilliant!

*****

(Sheona in Germany) (spoilers for Poison Throne)

I tend to read very quickly when I want to know a story, so I have done that with The Poison Throne. (not as quickly as Harry Potter because I forced myself to slow down)

Anyway - I'll be reading it again shortly and may see other things that I want to say. But for now...

On page 47 there's a strange "Razi" for no reason about a quarter of the way down the page, right at the end of the line.

On page 170 - when we have the bit about the chap who tried to kill Razi being chased through the woods - you have the word assailant twice within one paragraph. Now - I only spotted it because assailant is a good word to use, and in fic-writing my beta used to beat me up something rotten about things like that. (and I'm only mentioning it because for me, the editor should have maybe mentioned that - on the other hand, perhaps you wanted it like that in which case, what do I know?)

On page 383 - where Christopher is describing his father's death there is a whole swathe of italics. Now normally they have been used to indicate either internal dialogue or for emphasis. Was it supposed to be like that? I read the paragraph twice because at first I thought he was thinking that, but then I realised he was telling Wynter.

That's enough of that (and nothing else jumped out at me)

I really liked the slow reveal, and how we're kept guessing about the Bloody Machine. The torture, btw, made my hair stand on end (really vivid imagination) and I absolutely loved some of the minor characters who you have drawn in with really very few words, but completely vividly. The description of the kitchen at the beginning is fantastic. I loved the little spit boy, and the way Razi was taking care of him. Nice touch.

The cats... hmmmm... having read the extract ( on your website), that turned out to be only a dream, I was expecting a lot more of the cats. That's misleading and that's perfectly ok for me. But the cat appearing right in the opening paragraph, and Wynter's dismay at the non-communication with it made me expect more disappointment from her about the lack of cats. When she found out two of the old ones were still around, I thought she might want to go and see them. So I was beginning to get really miffed about the lack of cats - when ol' ginger turns up and is a complete pain in the arse of a Cheshire cat and i liked that.

:-)

You know what this put me in mind of? Gormengahst - with all the protocol and mad titles for everyone. The difference being I really didn't like any of the Titus Groan novels and this one I loved.

The scene where Christopher leaves was lovely, as was the bit where Razi's real note to Wynter turned up nearly made me cry.

What else strikes me... oh yes, it's difficult (although there are a few helpful reminders) for me to remember that the dad is 11 years younger than me.

Oh yes! The whole apprentice thing with the badges, laces etc etc. Brilliantly done!

Right I'm done gushing (probably not, actually - tell me if you want me to go away now)