Antipodean, The Secret of Mirror Lake

by Theresa Williamson “Antipodean” (an-ti-POH’-dee-an) showcases Bensman’s writing skills. “Antipodean” isn’t her first book, but of all her projects, it’s perhaps the one longest in the making – 24 years, according to Mary Lee. The result of the completion of this item on her to-do list is a delightful novel in the genre of fantasy fiction. Bensman has created a world inhabited by “flameheads,” who measure time by “dances of the moon.” Their homes are made of large leaves. They don’t have ears; but they perceive sound through their “hearing sensors.” And flameheads don’t shake or hold hands; they “coil” tentacle-like arms. Obviously Bensman has taken care to give her flameheads specific physical and cultural characteristics, complete with a unique flamehead vocabulary. The characterizations are part of what makes the reader want to continue the story. As in any good story, conflict is immediately introduced. The flameheads are in trouble; their land is turning to stone. Nobody in the flamehead world has – or ever should – venture over the border of Antipodean into the evil place called the Dismal Swamp. But that changes when the novel’s first dramatic incident occurs – on page 9 – when we see the king of Antipodean getting swallowed into the Dismal Swamp. That incident leads to the turning-to-stone situation and a number of other problems for Antipodean. The story is told by Mila (MEE’-la), a gentle healer who is on the mature side, but gets pulled into going along on a rather challenging trek to Mirror Lake to save Antipodean. The adventures of Mila and her group, like those of Tolkien’s Bilbo Baggins, are highly entertaining, and leave the reader constantly wondering what will happen next. The book has all the elements of good well-developed characters, serious conflict and lots of suspenseful moments which prevent the reader from stopping at one or two chapters at a time. Bensman uses dialogue to effectively move the story. Bensman’s charming ch