David Clement-Davies
Encyclopedia
David Clement-Davies is a British writer of fantasy
fiction. He is best known as the author of the animal fantasy books The Sight, Fire Bringer
and Fell (sequel to The Sight).
and Edinburgh University where he read History and English Literature, specializing in the Italian Renaissance
, and Russian Literature and Society. He began his writing career as freelance travel journalist
, and his first novel, Fire Bringer
, was published in 2000. It was followed by The Sight and Fell
(sequel to The Sight). He has also written a musical, two adult novels, and is currently working on a play, set in the present and the 17th century, called Startled Anatomies, alongside his children’s books.
Clement-Davies lived in the Andalusia
region of Spain
, and lives in London
on the same night that his father was murdered. But Rannoch is no ordinary deer; he is special, for he bears a white mark on his forehead resembling an oak
leaf. To the Herla, as the red deer called themselves, this white mark holds great meaning and power, for it was stated in a prophecy that the deer who was born with the mark would bring freedom to all Herla in the future, and that the bearer of the oak mark would have the ability to communicate with all animals.
First however, Rannoch must survive. Bucks formerly brawled and fought for the leadership, but that way was erased completely, instead replaced by a Lord of Herds, Drail. His helper, Sgorr, who has militarized the herd by making the stags sharpen their horns, training and drilling the young bucks, and will take no resistance. He realizes the threat Rannoch poses to his leadership. Rannoch escapes from the herd, but deep down in his heart, he knows that he must return, in order to unite the deer, and end Sgorr's reign of terror.
Richard Adams, author of the classic Watership Down called Fire Bringer 'one of the best anthropomorphic fantasies known to him'. It was Long-Listed as a first novel for the Carnegie Medal
in the UK and that and The Sight have received starred Kirkus Reviews, Famils Awards in the US, and made him a Booksense 76 Collection choice.
(modern-day Romania
), and is about a pack of wolves, seeking shelter from the harsh winters in the shadow of an abandoned castle (named the "Stone Den"). Palla, the alpha female of the pack, is about to give birth to a litter. They are being pursued by Morgra, Palla's half-sister, and her raven, Kraar. Morgra possesses the gift of the Sight, a strange power that gives her many abilities, among them the power to look through the eyes and mind of birds. It is revealed to her that one of the cubs born to Palla (Larka), has the gift of the Sight, only far more powerful than her own ability. Morgra wishes to use this power, to take control of this world and the next, but the pack she hunts is only brave and loving. They will do anything, and everything, to protect one of their own, even if it sets in motion a battle that will involve all of nature, including the creature the wolves fear most: Man.
The Sight was inspired by Clement-Davies' travel to Romania in the winter, 1990, where he learned of superstitious tales and local folklore
(such as Dracula
).
, except that he wears a golden mask and has a tremendous ambition for power and knowledge.
Mardak’s obsessions have already resulted in the imprisonment of the Lord Alchemist, his arch rival. Now nothing, no one, stands in his path except for young Silas Root. Small and determined Silas sets off for Barbal armed with but a simple stone talisman and control over his own destiny. On his incredible journey, he encounters a winged demon and even an army of lost souls.
Can Silas muster the ultimate courage to confront and defeat such evil and the man behind the mask? Well - the future of magic depends on it.
With only two other novels The Telling Pool was short-listed for the Tir Na Nog prize for best foreign language novel set in or related to Wales.
"dress as a boy and work twice as hard as one".
Even stranger is the odd power Alina holds. The girl possesses the Sight. As the truth comes to the surface Alina finds herself on a journey of self-discovery just like Fell but not entirely willingly. Instead with the bounty of a King on her head she is forced to set off on a journey where her path is crossed by a strange, lonely black wolf, Fell. Her journeys consist of hardship and heart-loss as she learns the true history of her past, and the secrets of life itself.
Like The Sight, Fell further explores the relationship between man and animal in this successful continuation of his original story though travels a different path than the first novel making for a new, intriguing tale of this strange anti-hero.
In 2009, out of a publishing battle in the US and now 'disillusioned with so much of the climate of modern publishing' David Clement-Davies took back the eBook rights to his novels from all his publishers, in the UK and US, and founded his own Press - PhoenixArkPress - 'The Storyteller's Publisher', founded by writers and artists, for writers and artists. He started a blog, to tell some truths about books and publishing, to create 'cultural essays' and to give readers a novel 'as it is written' - "Dragon in the Post".
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
fiction. He is best known as the author of the animal fantasy books The Sight, Fire Bringer
Fire Bringer
Fire Bringer is a young adult fantasy novel by David Clement-Davies published in 1999 in the United Kingdom and 2000 in the United States.- Plot :...
and Fell (sequel to The Sight).
Biography
David Clement-Davies was born in 1964 and went to Westminster SchoolWestminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
and Edinburgh University where he read History and English Literature, specializing in the Italian Renaissance
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
, and Russian Literature and Society. He began his writing career as freelance travel journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, and his first novel, Fire Bringer
Fire Bringer
Fire Bringer is a young adult fantasy novel by David Clement-Davies published in 1999 in the United Kingdom and 2000 in the United States.- Plot :...
, was published in 2000. It was followed by The Sight and Fell
Fell
“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
(sequel to The Sight). He has also written a musical, two adult novels, and is currently working on a play, set in the present and the 17th century, called Startled Anatomies, alongside his children’s books.
Clement-Davies lived in the Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
region of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and lives in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Fire Bringer
Fire Bringer is a novel about Rannoch, a red deer, born in ancient ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
on the same night that his father was murdered. But Rannoch is no ordinary deer; he is special, for he bears a white mark on his forehead resembling an oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
leaf. To the Herla, as the red deer called themselves, this white mark holds great meaning and power, for it was stated in a prophecy that the deer who was born with the mark would bring freedom to all Herla in the future, and that the bearer of the oak mark would have the ability to communicate with all animals.
First however, Rannoch must survive. Bucks formerly brawled and fought for the leadership, but that way was erased completely, instead replaced by a Lord of Herds, Drail. His helper, Sgorr, who has militarized the herd by making the stags sharpen their horns, training and drilling the young bucks, and will take no resistance. He realizes the threat Rannoch poses to his leadership. Rannoch escapes from the herd, but deep down in his heart, he knows that he must return, in order to unite the deer, and end Sgorr's reign of terror.
Richard Adams, author of the classic Watership Down called Fire Bringer 'one of the best anthropomorphic fantasies known to him'. It was Long-Listed as a first novel for the Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
in the UK and that and The Sight have received starred Kirkus Reviews, Famils Awards in the US, and made him a Booksense 76 Collection choice.
The Sight
Clement-Davies's second novel, The Sight, is set in TransylvaniaTransylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
(modern-day Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
), and is about a pack of wolves, seeking shelter from the harsh winters in the shadow of an abandoned castle (named the "Stone Den"). Palla, the alpha female of the pack, is about to give birth to a litter. They are being pursued by Morgra, Palla's half-sister, and her raven, Kraar. Morgra possesses the gift of the Sight, a strange power that gives her many abilities, among them the power to look through the eyes and mind of birds. It is revealed to her that one of the cubs born to Palla (Larka), has the gift of the Sight, only far more powerful than her own ability. Morgra wishes to use this power, to take control of this world and the next, but the pack she hunts is only brave and loving. They will do anything, and everything, to protect one of their own, even if it sets in motion a battle that will involve all of nature, including the creature the wolves fear most: Man.
The Sight was inspired by Clement-Davies' travel to Romania in the winter, 1990, where he learned of superstitious tales and local folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
(such as Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
).
The Alchemists of Barbal
His third book, The Alchemists of Barbal, is an adventure story about a bold character named Silas Root.Synopsis
The walled city of Barbal lies in the middle of the desert, where Mardak the Dark reigns supreme over the land. There is little knowledge of this mysterious master of AlchemyAlchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
, except that he wears a golden mask and has a tremendous ambition for power and knowledge.
Mardak’s obsessions have already resulted in the imprisonment of the Lord Alchemist, his arch rival. Now nothing, no one, stands in his path except for young Silas Root. Small and determined Silas sets off for Barbal armed with but a simple stone talisman and control over his own destiny. On his incredible journey, he encounters a winged demon and even an army of lost souls.
Can Silas muster the ultimate courage to confront and defeat such evil and the man behind the mask? Well - the future of magic depends on it.
The Telling Pool
Clement-Davies varied slightly from his animal tales when he published The Telling Pool in August 2005. The Telling Pool tells the story of Rhodri Falcon and his crusader father who become entangled in the war of a king and the machinations of a seductive sorceress - one who literally steals men’s hearts. Rhodri must discover the hero within him, a hero the amazing magic of the Telling Pool links to ancient heroes and even more ancient faiths. While finding powers within him that he had no idea about Rhadri must reclaim his fathers heart before the damage is undoable.With only two other novels The Telling Pool was short-listed for the Tir Na Nog prize for best foreign language novel set in or related to Wales.
Fell
Fell, released in October 2007, is a sequel of The Sight. In this continuation of the original story the complexities of Larka’s brother, Fell, are further explored nearly five years following the initial story. Fell, now a ‘Kerl’ or loner, having been on a long spiritual journey in search of answers, has instead found himself another task for his lasting youth supposedly preserved by the strange power of the Sight. A human girl, Alina Sculcuvant, is strangely connected with the past of the black wolf now feared as a ghost or legend. Rescued from the snows as only a child by the shepherd Malduk, who throughout her growing years makes her"dress as a boy and work twice as hard as one".
Even stranger is the odd power Alina holds. The girl possesses the Sight. As the truth comes to the surface Alina finds herself on a journey of self-discovery just like Fell but not entirely willingly. Instead with the bounty of a King on her head she is forced to set off on a journey where her path is crossed by a strange, lonely black wolf, Fell. Her journeys consist of hardship and heart-loss as she learns the true history of her past, and the secrets of life itself.
Like The Sight, Fell further explores the relationship between man and animal in this successful continuation of his original story though travels a different path than the first novel making for a new, intriguing tale of this strange anti-hero.
In 2009, out of a publishing battle in the US and now 'disillusioned with so much of the climate of modern publishing' David Clement-Davies took back the eBook rights to his novels from all his publishers, in the UK and US, and founded his own Press - PhoenixArkPress - 'The Storyteller's Publisher', founded by writers and artists, for writers and artists. He started a blog, to tell some truths about books and publishing, to create 'cultural essays' and to give readers a novel 'as it is written' - "Dragon in the Post".