Occupation Writer Nationality South African | Name Cat Hellisen Role Author | |
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Born 31 May 1977 (age 46) ( 1977-05-31 ) Genre Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade Notable works When the Sea is Rising Red Books Beastkeeper, When the Sea is Rising Red, House of Sand and Secrets, Mother - Crone - Maiden | ||
Cat Hellisen (born 31 May 1977) is the South African author of fantasy novels When the Sea is Rising Red, House of Sand and Secrets, and Beastkeeper..
Contents
Biography
Cat Hellisen was born in Cape Town and has lived in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa and Nottingham, England. She currently lives in Scotland.
Awards
In 2015, Cat Hellisen won the Short Story Day Africa award at the Ake Arts & Book Festival in Nigeria, presented by Prize judge Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, for her story "The Worme Bridge".
Works
Novels
Short Stories
Reception
Publishers Weekly writes of When The Sea Is Rising Red, "Hellisen's style features evocative descriptions and unflinching detail, drawing readers into the unusual and intriguing elements that make up Felicita's socially complex world," while Kirkus says that "the worldbuilding intrigues, and the open-ended conclusion begs a sequel." In a starred review, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books writes, "Dark, foreboding, and not entirely redemptive, this is an intense look at the seeds of rebellion and the individual consequences they sometimes reap."
Kirkus calls the narration for Beastkeeper, “...thoughtful and lyrical. Figurative prose is memorable yet never flashy.” in a starred review. Publisher's Weekly also gave it a star, saying, “Blending modern-day problems and ancient magical curses, Hellisen’s (When the Sea Is Rising Red) novel sparkles like a classic fairy tale, even as it plumbs unpleasant truths.” The Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books suggests in a starred review that "older fans of fairy tales and their retellings will revel in this poetic, tragic, epic story of a girl who is faced with the worst of what people can choose and instead decides to step outside of the curse and make her own way." Voya gives another star and writes, “"Beastkeeper is a bright, beautiful sliver of a novel ... Every page shimmers with magic."
The judges of Short Story Day Africa 2015 said of "The Worme Bridge": "The story works effortlessly to construct an other kind of reality while grounding itself in the real world. The writing is compelling: the reader is drawn into this family and the strangeness that overtakes them. We found this a powerful piece of writing that continues to haunt the reader afterwards.”