Trudi Canavan was born in Kew, Melbourne, on the 23 October 1969, and grew up in Ferntree Gully, a suburb at the foothills of the Dandenongs. She always loved painting and writing. Perhaps her interest in other worlds was fuelled by the detailed work she did for Lonely Planet Publications as a designer, illustrator and cartographer. That was her first job after full time studies.
She gradually moved on and in 1995, she began working for Aurealis, a magazine of Australian Fantasy and Science Fiction. After 9 years she resigned and started The Telltale Art so she could concentrate on her part time writing. In 1999 she won the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story with "Whispers of the Mist Children".
She followed this with the Black Magician Trilogy
This trilogy was first published in Australia as adult fiction and then in the UK Orbit produced the same book for a teenage audience. You will therefore discover 2 different cover designs; one for adults and one for teenagers. Don’t be fooled, the content is identical.
If you visit Trudi's website (external link) you will discover she has many talents, including cartography and painting. There is also a wealth of information on her blog about the writing process and what helps and hinders.
Title:Magicians Guild (First book of the Trilogy)
Category:Teenage Fiction
ISBN No.:9781841493138
Published:2004
For as long as she can remember, Sonea has witnessed the annual “purge”. This is when the magicians of Imardin gather together to purge the city streets of vagrants, urchins and miscreants. The reason for this has been lost in time, but the magicians have always been protected by the magic of their shield.
This year however the impenetrable surface of the magicians’ shield is broken by Sonea. In her anger she releases magical powers she never knew she had and breaks the magic shield with a single stone. The magicians realise that there is an outsider who has magical powers unknown to them. She has to be found, her powers disciplined and herself protected from harm.
In this first book of the trilogy we are introduced to Sonea’s friends, her enemies and potential protectors. The author creates a very believable world interlinking the ordinary everyday business of life with the extra ordinary world of the magicians. You must read the book to discover what befalls Sonea and her friends. Be enchanted by the magic of creating light in dark places and circles of warmth to protect against icy winter winds.
Title:The Novice
Category:Teenage Fiction
ISBN No.:9781841493145
Published:2004
By now Sonea has understood why the magicians needed to protect her from her very considerable magical powers. Other novices are from wealthy families and she is singled out as different. Were it not for her mentor and guardian, Rothen she would have lost the will to become an excellent Novice.
Other characters emerge in this second book and we are treated to the expertise of mind reading and truth finding. These are very scary and uncomfortable situations for novices and even established magicians to experience. Secrets about the guild develop as the story unfolds and Canavan once again brings the reader into this incredible world, which you don’t want to leave behind.
Older teenagers can identify with the issues Sonea has to face and come to terms with; being bullied, ignored and even hated. She learns gradually and not without difficulty what is her true identity and purpose.
Title:High Lord (Third Book in the Trilogy)
Category:Teenage Fiction
ISBN No.:9781905654093
Published:2004
Sonea has learned much at the magicians' guild and the other novices now treat her with a grudging respect. In this final book in the trilogy dark secrets are revisited which could lead to the downfall of the guild. The reader is left wanting more and so Canavan’s publisher has asked her to write both a prequel and sequel to the trilogy.
The prequel “The Magicians' Apprentice” is to be published in 2009
Title:Priestess of the White (Age of Five Trilogy)
Category:Teenage Fiction
ISBN No.:9781841493862
Published:2006
Auraya has been named as the one to protect the gods. She is called “The White Priestess” and is one of 5 such servers of the gods. She travels far from home to gather other supporters of the White, encountering dangers and characters that test her skills. She has to be careful not to lose support of the rest of the Whites when she befriends an outcast sect of sorcerer-healers.
Book 2 Last of the Wilds
Book 3 Voice of the Gods