Author: Patricia Wrightson
Published: 1973
Target Audience: Ages 10-14
It was night when the Nargun began to leave. Deep down below the plunging walls of a gorge it stirred uneasily. It dragged its slow weight to the mouth of its den; its long, wandering journey had begun.
'The Nargun and the Stars' is a children’s fantasy novel written by Patricia Wrightson in 1974, and set in Australia in the Hunter Valley region.
It tells the story of Simon Brent; a lonely, recently-orphaned city boy who comes to live at Wongadilla, a sheep station owned by his distant relatives Charlie and Edie. At first, Simon is resentful and withdrawn, unhappy to be among strangers with dull and different ways, in an unfamiliar landscape of rock and forest-covered ridges, with a still silence so unlike the city clatter he's accustomed to.
Yet slowly, day by day, he explores Wongadilla, and develops a comforting familiarity with the mountain, the swamp, the daily routine of life with Charlie and Edie, and he meets the spirits that have always lived in the rivers, trees, and caves. The Potkoorok plays tricks on Simon, the Turongs interfere with local construction workers equipment, and the Nyols rustle deep inside the mountain. But one day, Simon stumbles across something different. Something ancient and volatile. Something primal, something hungry. The Nargun has arrived at Wongadilla.
Excerpt:
He kept still, leaning against the cliff and wondering what to do. He must be at least halfway down; perhaps he could jump. But he would need to spring clear of jutting rocks, and he was much more likely to fall. While he was perched there thinking about it he thought he heard a whispering in the rocks.
‘Don’t be mad,’ he told himself. ‘There’s enough trouble without going crackers.’ He eased one foot gently in its crack.
But the whispers went on, with sometimes a soft rumble of laughter. Little dry hands clutched at his ankles - his wrists - his hair. He kicked them as much as he could without falling. They began to tug, quite strongly, and the chuckles rumbled again. Simon was pulled and tugged into some invisible opening in the rock. There was darkness like a bandage about his eyes.
‘Hey!’ he shouted. ‘What’s going on?’
The chuckles rumbled in front and behind, echoes falling away and coming back in the dark. Now he could see a little: a shadowy space, a crowd of shadowy forms, and everywhere the crystal gleam of eyes.
'The Nargun and the Stars' is an enthralling story that captures the wonder and curiosity of a young boy settling into his new home, while a creeping eeriness slowly builds around him. It is slow and contemplative in parts, rich with description of nature in a manner reminiscent of Tolkien's 'The Hobbit', yet has an interesting way of balancing a sense of normalcy with a haunting, growing urgency. Furthermore, it features a trope that is often uncommon in children’s fantasy stories, where the adults in the story actually listen to, believe, and actively work together with the child protagonist to find a solution.
'The Nargun and the Stars' was the winner of the 1974 Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book of the Year Award for Older Readers, and was among the first Australian books for young readers that drew on Aboriginal Dreaming. It was also adapted into a five part mini-series which aired on the ABC network from September 1981.
'The Nargun and the Stars' is a captivating, beautifully written story for young and older readers alike. I highly recommend checking it out!