Cold Iron

Cold Iron, which has been shortlisted for the Aurealis Awards, Australia's national science fiction and fantasy awards, is part of a trio of fairytale novels: the other being CARABAS (also to be published in the USA as SERAFIN in 1999-2000) and CLEMENTINE. Cold Iron is set in a fairytale world---a kind of parallel Elizabethan period. It is based on the English fairytale Tattercoats(which is a kind of Cinderella story)and Shakespeare's beautiful play, A Midsummer Night's Dream.It enters the fairy kingdom of Titania and Oberon, and takes the reader into the vivid world of Elizabethan England.

Tattercoats is the neglected, beautiful grand-daughter of the rich Baron of Fisher Forest, who is inconsolable because of his daughter's death in bearing Tattercoats.Her father has gone away; and so the only friends Tattercoats has in the world are the servant girl Malkin and Pug, a lame, flute-playing gooseherd.One day, the Baron receives an invitation to go to the birthday ball of the Earl of Malmsey, at Elizabeth's court; and Tattercoats desperately wants to go.But her grandfather does not want to let her.It is up to Malkin and Pug to find a way..

And so begins a magical journey, where nothing is as it seems and danger as well as delight await the companions..


Some comments:

"In Cold Iron, Masson has been somewhat of a magician: to transform a slip of a tale into a full-length novel with all the colour and intrigue of an Elizabethan costume drama is literary alchemy, is it not?" - Viewpoint magazine, Australia

"Malkin is a strong, well-defined character...conmplex plot..all the old magic is there, even the hapy-ever-after ending, but it is worth noting that some mystery remains." - Magpies magazine, Australia

"I thought that this book was excellent, it has many surprising events and is very unusual" - Miranda Boal, student, in React magazine

"The power of Sophie Masson's writing oozes from this book, a fascinating revisting of classic stories, mixed into a wonderful fantasy tale" - Northside Chronicle, ACT, Australia

Where you can order the book:

• The Australian Online Bookshop:
• The Well Bookshop
• Hodder