Often featuring strong female protagonists, Fisher's stories are heavily influenced by Britain's past, for instance, her novel Corbenic retells the story of the Holy Grail as a modern-day teen named Cal is transported back to King Arthur's time while on his way to live with an uncle in Chepstow. Released to the United States readers as The Oracle Betrayed, Fisher's 2003 novel sets the pace for two other volumes in her 'Oracle' trilogy, and also shows that her many other fantasy novels for teen readers are worth seeking out. She is eager to share her experience, sometimes gives lectures, and also worked at the University of Glamorgan, currently the University of South Wales, Glamorgan, Wales, as an Instructor in writing for children.įisher is currently a full-time children's book author. Nevertheless, she worked as a primary school teacher, broadcaster, archeological digger, and lab technician. (Mar.Catherine Fisher is an author and teacher.

Fisher's story is just dark enough to stand out from the fantasy pack, and positive and exciting enough that it may well send readers scrambling for other texts on Celtic legends. ' Rob's skills as an artist land him a job working on the group's archaeological dig, which in time uncovers a mysterious tree that is growing upside-down, into the earth, planted 4,000 years ago as 'an axis, a pole linking this place and the Unworld.' Vetch turns out to be much more powerful than Rob first imagined a journey to the Unworld below leads to a confrontation with the King that holds Chloe's psyche captive-and not, it seems, entirely against her will. Vetch speaks in ominous tones: 'The word is the reason I've come. Rob gets caught up in the rite, and ends up pulling a man named Vetch from a dark ditch in the ground. Her older brother, Rob, the principal protagonist, is goofing off with a friend in a field when he stumbles upon a pagan ritual in progress.

The story opens in Avebury near Stonehenge, where young Chloe has been in a coma for three months, the victim of a horseback riding accident.

) infuses her haunting tale with the Celtic legend of Taliesin and Ceridwin.

Darkhenge by Catherine Fisher