Oddney’s Otherland by Rodney Matthews and Sarah Matthews
Fans of fantasy books and world building are in for a treat with the guest blog from Sarah Matthews, wife to acclaimed fantasy illustrator, Rodney Matthews. She shares some insights and illustrations into Oddney’s Otherland.
Oddney’s Otherland: Chronicles from Beneath the Shed
In Search of the Two-Headed Firedrake
As a child I loved to read stories of fantasy and adventure, none more so than Enid Blyton’s series The Magic Faraway Tree. I bought the collection in one book as an eight-year-old, on holiday on the west coast of Scotland. It was a large book shop, but it was this one book with its delightful front cover that stood out for me: three children watching in anticipation as a tiny, wild-haired elf removes biscuits (Pop biscuits in fact) from her stove. Oh, and a smiling moon looking in through the window. I holed myself up in our caravan and could not put the book down. On this beautiful sunny day, Mum would check in on me. Back outside, I’d hear her say, “she’s still reading!” And then Dad, and Granny, and Granda. “She’s still reading,” they’d repeat to each other. I mean why would I stop, when I was perfectly happy at the top of the Faraway Tree in The Land of Do-As-You-Please or the Land of Birthdays?
Moving on thirty years, I found myself in my very own fantasy adventure, married to my husband, illustrator Rodney Matthews. When we met, at one of his art exhibitions, I had no idea that he was actually quite well-known … across the world! Apparently, his fantasy illustrations had appeared on posters, book covers and album covers and in video games. He’d even made his own children’s TV series, ‘Lavender Castle’, with the legendary Gerry Anderson, known for futuristic TV shows featuring puppets.
Everyday life with Rodney is like living at the top of the Faraway Tree. His imagination is out of this world and his mind is continually bubbling with ideas of what we could do next. Some years ago he presented me with a project that he had started several decades back, originally titled A Field Guide to Nasties. As a child Rodney always carried an Observer’s book to help him identify the flora and fauna of the countryside: The Observer’s Book of Birds or The Observer’s Book of Wildflowers and so on. He wanted to replicate these with a book of fantasy creatures, filled with illustrations and detailed descriptions. He had, however, changed his mind. Instead, he wanted these weird and wonderful beings to become part of a story.
Rodney came up with the idea that these creatures could be the residents of a whole new world – Otherland – just waiting to be discovered at the end of a tunnel beneath a humble garden shed. But, he thought, Who would be willing to go there? An adventurer of sorts, perhaps even a naturalist? And so Professor Clive Oddney was created and his friend Magnus, the magpie (more of that in a moment). Upon Oddney’s retirement they would move to his late Uncle Cuthbert’s cottage, where they would also discover a strange journal of bizarre beings, enticing them down the tunnel in search of one in particular – The Two-Headed Firedrake.
Ah, the magpie, yes, it may seem like an unlikely pairing but like all the best stories it stems from an element of truth. Rodney, as a child, had a pet magpie. Its name was Mickey. The bird was free to come and go as it pleased but it just so happened that it chose to stay with Rodney. Mickey perched upon Rodney’s head and the two went for walks, as if this was a normal thing to do, in the same way as you or I may take a dog for a walk.
Over many years, in between his commissioned work, Rodney would find the time to illustrate another scene for what he now called Oddney’s Otherland: Chronicles from Beneath the Shed. Having amassed quite a collection of artworks, he turned to me a couple of years ago and asked, “Would you write the story?” Handing me an outline and piles of detailed notes, I said, “Erm, yes.” I shut myself away at my computer, writing drafts upon drafts, which I’d then read in our greenhouse (I think best in the greenhouse, surrounded by our home-grown tomatoes.) Every so often, I would call for Rodney to come and listen, wearing out my voice as I read the whole story to him each time with perhaps an extra paragraph or two added on.
We thoroughly enjoyed building the personalities of the individual characters. We were very much in agreement of what each one might say or do and reminded each other frequently, saying, for example, “that sounds a bit too cheeky for Magnus” or “the professor wouldn’t think that.” We knew we had to get the bond between Oddney and Magnus just right. In doing so we could explore their emotions, share their fears, their excitement and their humour. I think we got there.
Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Federation.
