Joseph Priestley

Read this in about 48 hours. For those who say this is framed around an unrealistic conversation, I agree. The literary device used to allow our protagonist to narrate his life is contrived but I don't think Winton really hides from this, it's a clear plot device that at times is played with. But the picture painted is rich, it is believable, and I suspended reality quite easily as I walked around a Moorland devoid of birdlife in baking summer heat. It definitely genre-hopped, which I enjoyed as the pace would change markedly.

It's a shame for everyone else that Tolkien created as near a perfect fantasy series as one could hope to read in a lifetime. Without the existence of the Lord of the Rings, this would be a good read. With it, it appears a pale reflection of a very similar character arc, narrative plot and worldbuild, which ultimately lacks the deep character depth and gravity of Tolkien's work. I find it stunning that someone could write this book, read it back and not think it a retelling of Lord of the Rings. As others have said, I really detest the petulant band of brats who are at the centre of this tale. They are quite 2 dimensional! Magic within the world has a CGI feel, though I've been spoilt by Brandon Sanderson's thought out magic system, which has a level of realism that I need to suspend disbelief. All that said, this is a huge work and the author should be credited for the odd storyline or innovation within the tome. Some of the description is quite wonderful and at points, particularly at the beginning, I was really caught up in the tale. But the middle loses focus and does disservice to a climactic end.