Jo's Old Site

This is the fourth book in the very popular Obernewtyn Chronicles that Isobelle Carmody wrote, and was first published by Penguin Books in 1999, but the version that I’ve read was published by Penguin Group Australia in 2007. Also the book’s ISBN number is 978 0 14 029579 5 and in The Keeping Place Elspeth Gordie is at Obernewtyn while she and others awaits the return of Rushton that never comes.

But the master has last sent them a message saying that he was returning to Obernewtyn sometime ago and he was expected to be back by the start of their Moonfair but then later on another message was found that a dead bird was carrying telling them that they have to take their part in the war or their leader dies. And as the people at Obernewtyn were determined to find Rushton they do so but then no amount of their scrying could locate him.

The misfits that were assigned to a rebel leader called Malik also had to go along with his plans only to discover treachery on his part as he told the misfits to lead the soldierguards into a trap in White Valley where he and his men were expected to be but when they were there he and his men of course remained hidden.

Elspeth and the other misfits then realised that Malik and his men tried to get the soldierguards to get rid of them.

As when Malik didn’t go through with what he said he would do it put the misfits in danger, and their were loss of life which Malik didn’t care about and he rode off with his friends leaving the misfits behind. They then all met up in Sutrium where Elspeth got her chance to say something about what happened in White Valley and also Malik’s treachery and a trial is going to be held later on.

But then they discover that something had happen on the West Coast, and they can’t go there yet because their boats are burnt.

Then after all that they discover more prisoners abandoned and Rushton is found among them. But after they discover where Rushton was held Maruman urgently tells Elspeth to return to Obernewtyn.