Category: Entertainment

Christopher Paolini
The Fork, the Witch and the Worm
Penguin Books
$24.99
4/5

THERE is always a moment in the life of a budding literary fiend that can be traced back to where their passion to read comes from.

For me it was the Inheritance Cycle series written by Christopher Paolini.

From the moment I picked up the first book, Eragon, I was sucked into the fantasy realm of Alagaesia that house elves, dwarves, urgals, dragons, werecats and other mysterious creatures ruled over by the evil king Galbatorix.

One of the most vivid memories I can recall is finally meeting Paolini at a signing in Perth for the final book Inheritance in 2011.

With my book clutched in my hands like a lifeline, I timidly walked up to my idol author and as he was signing my book (which I still have proudly sitting on my overstuffed shelves at home), I asked if he would ever write another book about Alagaesia.

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he said while handing the book back to me with a smile and a wink.

And near on seven years later, the announcement was made that The Fork, the Witch and the Worm would be published.

Of course every giddy feeling a teenager can feel when ‘fangirling’ over their favourite author resurfaced in one simple social media post.

After finally picking up a copy nearly four months after it hit bookshelves, I managed to spend a few days to sit down and immerse myself back into the world of Dragon Riders.

As with the other Paolini books I have devoured in the past, TFTWTW was just as lyrical and vivid in its descriptions of landscapes, the use of inner monologues to develop depth in character and traces of humour were all nostalgically present.

On second glance at the first short story in the book, the layers of Paolini’s story started to fall into place.

With each chapter Paolini paints the picture of a young hero struggling with the weight of responsibility.

And to give advice on what path Eragon should take or to bring him back to earth, a variety of characters present short stories or snippets of the outside world that impart kernels of wisdom reminiscent of Aesop’s Fables.

The issues presented in TFTWTW are much more complex than the average 13-year-old reader may comprehend, with connotations of acceptance of death and love over the madness of revenge and hatred, and the age old David and Goliath-esque battle of dominance between foes.

Younger readers may be enchanted by the tales weaved by Paolini and just read the surface narrative while a more advanced reader may be able to pick away with strands of colour and texture to come away with a more enlightened reading.

My personal favourite part of the novel was straight after an event that rocked Eragon’s confidence as a leader and described the story of Ilgra, who seeks to avenge her father and her people after a dragon ravages her village for years.

The simplicity in language that represents the urgal language and culture is offset by the depth of pain, anguish and pure anger at her situation that leaves you breathless after every page.

The one minuscule complaint I could make about the book, and it really is small, is that it finishes too abruptly.

The last book in the Inheritance series sat at 860 pages, which was the fattest out of the four, while TFTWTW was a total of 288 pages.

As every good fantasy writer does, there was one hell of a cliffhanger and in the spirit of being spoiler-free, I won’t mention it.

However, the abruptness in which Paolini finishes the book is like your mum ripping the doona off you in the middle of winter to get ready for school.

Cold, disorientating and a bit annoying.

The transition of tale to afterword is not as seamless as he has written in the past and makes me wonder if there was more story to tell that didn’t make the editor’s cut.

Regardless of that small complaint, as ever, I loved the book.

As the elves say during the series, atra du evarinya ono varda.

May the stars watch over you.

ANZAC-inspired arts installations keep rolling out in Albany, with a new exhibition now planned to tell the story of how two Australian generals and their troops saved the world’s best butterfly collection from almost certain destruction.

The Weekender can reveal that the Butterflies of Corbie exhibition is planned to emerge from its chrysalis at Mount Adelaide on November 1.

The exhibition, subject to a $20,000 funding application to the Federal Government, is slated to tell how at the French village of Corbie Eugene Boullet amassed the finest known butterfly collection in the world.

In April 1918, the collection faced devastation during some of the most pivotal battles of World War One.

But Australian commander Brigadier General Harold ‘Pompey’ Elliott – passionate and headstrong but facing his own personal battles – became the collection’s unlikely saviour.

A City of Albany document seen by The Weekender explains that Lieutenant General Sir J.J. Talbot Hobbs and his division also helped save the collection.

The planned exhibition consists of letters and diaries, watercolours of the butterflies, and a selection of the butterflies themselves.

“These small objects – the butterflies and the letters – have a large story to tell about the strong and enduring relationship between the people of Australia and France and our collective history,” the City document promises.

The exhibition, planned to run until Anzac Day 2020, is expected to feature a short film documenting the story of Monsieur Boullet’s butterflies.

DENMARK singer Willow Sukys, 15, lives and breathes music.

Her family jokingly says she started singing the second she was born and was writing songs before she could talk.

And it’s not an unbelievable claim.

Sukys has been surrounded by music from day dot, with her father and uncle current-day musicians (Denmark outfit Evergone), her mother an enthusiast of music, and her younger brother a secret singer.

She’s escalated through Perth singing schools and choirs, performed at multiple Albany and Denmark venues, and last year recorded a song for the Sounds of the Great Southern album.

Most recently, Sukys landed herself a new type of gig – being one of four Great Southern singers selected to perform at the inaugural Tasty Tapas and Tunes on Stirling Terrace in Albany in April.

‘Moody pop’ is how she describes the sound people will hear from her.

“When I was told I got it, I was crying,” Sukys laughs, reflecting on learning that she had landed the Stirling Terrace gig.

“It was so crazy! “I was like, ‘they want me? Oh, my gosh!’”

Although her set list for the show is still on the drawing board, Sukys says some of her original work is on the cards.

She’ll have plenty of opportunities to fine tune the list over the next few weeks, with performances lined up for this weekend at the Denmark Arts Markets and at Six Degrees on January 20.

“My music isn’t all up and down like some pop,” Sukys says.

“Some of it’s emotional…my inspirations are Twenty One Pilots and Billie Eilish and Lorde.”

Sukys says that, so far, her songs have been about romance and love – some of it unrequited– and they’ve gained her a bit of local fame.

“The kids at school often sing my lyrics to me,” she chuckles.

“The boys at school say I’m a meme, which is totally a life goal.”

But for Sukys, meme status is not her only dream.

“It might be a bit far- fetched, but I’d love to play at big arenas to lots of people,” she says.

“I really want to build on my live performances…I definitely want to work on my guitar and I want to learn piano.”

Sukys will be joined by Albany musician Blake Grobbler at Tasty Tapas and Tunes on April 13.

LAWYER-turned-dance teacher Antonia Grasso has accomplished her dream of having a bricks and mortar dance studio to call her own in Albany.

Entering the realm of ballroom dance at a later stage in her life, Grasso said dance provided a much-needed outlet from her strict work regime in family and general law.

She decided after nearly a decade as a full-time lawyer that she wanted to embrace her dancing hobby permanently.

“I always wanted to dance but I never had the guts to go on my own,” Grasso said.

“One day I just decided to go…but I had no partner.

“So, I got partnered with the teacher and they asked me how long I’d been dancing for, and they didn’t believe me when I said I’d just started.”

Two years later in 1995, Grasso trained as a dance teacher and worked at the Perth studio where she had commenced dancing.

She moved to Albany in 1999 and dabbled in other creative pursuits.

“I always wanted to do theatre so I joined the Albany Light Opera and Theatre Company and I did some chorus work and choreography,” Grasso said.

“I was in Les Miserables, 70, Girls, and The Gypsy Baron.

“But I missed dancing, so I started my own studio in 2016.”

Grasso said her weekly classes consisted of private and group lessons, and involved about 30 people.

However, having no permanent studio to herself, she regularly battled against clashing schedules and hall restrictions in venues across the city.

Last year she decided enough was enough and in December took a lease on her own building on Lockyer Avenue.

She and her husband, woodcarver Len Radcliffe, have been at the new studio “all day, every day” for the past month getting it up to scratch before the official opening in February.

“Len’s made the stage,” Grasso said.

“We’ve got two tonnes of fl or to put in a sprung floor – a sprung floor is important in dancing.

“We’re installing fans and benches and curtains and two chandeliers…it’s so exciting.”

Grasso said she wanted her studio to be a place for ballroom lessons, and a “hub” for other types of dance and fitness and social events.

She said yoga instructors keen on hiring the hall have already come forward, and that interest has grown over her “musical soiree” idea.

“It will be a chance for people to come together on a Saturday night and listen to some singers, bring their own nibbles and sit and relax, and if they want to dance, there’s a 130sqm dance floor,” Grasso explained.

“I’m aiming to hold them once a month…I already have one act booked and that’s Big Ted and The Humbuckers.”

Grasso will add a four-week beginner’s ballroom course to her list of regular classes, commencing February 12.

Her new studio at 129 Lockyer Avenue, behind Lovett Muay Thai, will be unveiled on February 8 at 7pm.

She said Evan Ayres and The Swing Kings would perform and there will be champagne and light refreshments.

The $25 entry tickets can be bought by calling Grasso on 0417 948 155, messaging the studio’s Facebook page or at the door on the night.