Product Description

A gritty and captivating story of courage and strength against terrible odds, this is the story of Midge, abandoned with her eccentric uncle during the holidays, and her adventures with the Various, a band of earthily realistic fairies. The existence of the Various, who are strange, wild and sometimes even deadly, has been kept secret since the beginning of time, but when their world begins to clash with that of human beings, their livelihood is threatened with extinction. This is a wonderfully imaginative story of love and loyalty, and is the first in a powerful trilogy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #154472 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-05
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 259 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The idea of a race of little people (fairies) living secretly among us has had a powerful hold on the imaginations of writers from Shakespeare to Terry Pratchettand Eoin Colfer. In The Various, Steve Augarde has used this fascination brilliantly to craft the first novel of a trilogy full of breathless action and wonder. When 12-year-old Midge is sent by her concert-violinist mother to spend the summer at the farm of her sweet but bungling Uncle Brian, her initial resentment gives way to delight in the freedom of exploring the countryside. When she discovers a tiny winged horse lying wounded in an outbuilding, she is awestruck to find out that he comes from a civilisation of five various tribes of little people living in a nearby wood—-something readers will have already learned from alternate chapters set in the fairy world.

Disaster threatens when Uncle Brian plans to sell the wood to a developer, and Midge and her cousins find (to their peril), that some of the little people are not as helpless as they seem. Steve Augarde draws on his visual and auditory skills as a BBC animator and picture book author/illustrator for vividly realised detail--the dumpy and addled fairy queen, the smells and moods of the English summer, the sharply differentiated accents and personalities of each of the five tribes--in an entrancing debut fantasy. The book is recommended for ages 10-14. --Patty Campbell, Amazon.com

Red House Books (readers reviews)
'The Various is the best book in the entire universe.' (Naomi Vibert)

The Guardian Ostober 25 2003
...the narrative pace never falters...the reader is drawn gladly into the enchantment.

Customer Reviews

A magical and wonderful book
The Various was a most amazing read! I couldn't put it down from the first page -- the story sucked me in from the opening chapter. The heroine of the book, twelve year old Midge, is a bright, sensitive girl who is unknowingly drawn into a magical and dangerous world of a tribe of mystical little people who have lived amongst her family for years and years in the adjacent woods on her uncle’s farm. These are The Various – a group of two foot tall creatures consisting of a class system parallel to real life -- the Ickri – or the hunters and ruling class, the Tinklers – artistic cave dwellers, and the Troggles, who were considered the lower rung of society. But all existed peacefully together in their common struggle to survive in a modern, ever-changing world alongside the humans, or Gorgi giants as they are humorously called by the author, without being detected. Every single character was original and distinct and made an instant impression. The tale begins with Midge’s discovery of an injured tiny winged horse in an old barn on the property and takes the reader on an incredible journey from that point on. Will she discover the secrets of The Various? Will she help them survive? Or will they turn on Midge and her family as the enemy? The author is a master of setting up a scene and then drawing out suspense. There was an element of fear in some sections which had me on the edge of my bed, biting my nails, but nothing that would frighten a child…it was more like ghost story scary. I turned page after page, wondering where it all would lead. and I never had a clue as to where it was headed, which added to the great enjoyment I had as a reader. This book has everything – it’s chock full of beautiful images, unique and startling characters, and dialogue that was offbeat, brilliant, and at times, very funny, making it one of the best I've ever read and I highly recommend that you pick this one up, whether you are an older child or teenager or even an adult.

a wonderful read
I was attracted to this book by its cover and by the Somerset setting- I deliberately don't say "background" because the landscape in this book is almost a character in its own right. . Suffice to say that Midge, a contemporary girl, encounters a winged horse in a disused barn. . .and nothing will ever be the same again. There are fairies galore, and none of them is of the glittery Disney variety-they are the genuine article-British fairies,many of whom are squat, grotesque and hairy whilst a few are unnervingly beautiful. Both Midge's world and that of the "Various" are rendered in superb and lively writing.The landscape of field and forest is rendered beautifully, as is the Somerset dialect that the fairies speak.

I'm very much looking forward to the remaining books of the trilogy.

One of my favourite books this year
Other reviewers here have well covered the plot. I would simply like to add that this is a fantastic book. The cover is lovely - it stood out on the bookshelf and made me pick it up - and the story, characters and style are wonderful.

I didn't want to finish it but at the same time couldn't put it down. Now I cannot wait for the follow up book. It will be well worth the wait I'm sure.