Medalon - Softcover

The ninth child in a family of 13 girls, Jennifer Fallon was born in a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. After living in various areas of Australia, including Canberra, Darwin, and a remote mining settlement, Fallon settled in the Northern Territory in 1980. She has two daughters and a son. She has had 32 foster children and friends refer to her home as "the ashram" due to the large number of stray teenagers that still inhabit her house at irregular intervals.

Fallon has worked as a youth worker, a store detective, shop assistant, an advertising sales rep and executive secretary, among other things. She has managed two hire car companies, an ISP, and a video shop, as well as founding the Anzac Hill Gymnastics Club in 1991. She is a member of the Business & Professional Women's Association and is often in demand as a guest speaker.

Fallon started writing when she was about 14. Her mother, who died when Fallon was 13, was an aspiring children's writer who encouraged her daughter to write. She started writing fantasy in 1990 when she decided she would be better off writing something for herself, rather than trying to please everyone else. In 1995, Jennifer vowed to either get published by the year 2000 or give up writing and get a real job. Her first novel, Medalon, was released in Australia in August 2000 and hit the bestseller list the first week it was released, as well as being shortlisted for the 2000 Aurealis Awards as the best Fantasy novel.

"The fantasy genre has its baggage--Renaissance fairs, role-playing games, Christopher Lambert. So credit Fallon for exploring themes like dirty politics and religious tolerance for the launch of her Hythrun Chronicles series, a bestseller in her native Australia . . . an intriguing soap opera of espionage and family revelations."--Entertainment Weekly, 4/30/04, Nisha Gopalan

"This is a powerful, solid, imaginative, sometimes brutal fantasy novel with a splendidly worked out cast of characters."--Piers Anthony

"A sparkling high fantasy debut. Fallon ponders all these possibilities and more in this satisfying melodrama, stocked with well-developed characters with clear motivations that carry them through a series of byzantine plots and counterplots, a mini-rebellion and even face-to-face contact with a variety of gods."--Publishers Weekly

"MEDALON is an intriguing, intelligent and fun read with a refreshing take on female characters so often not seen in the genre."--Elizabeth Haydon

"Fallon brings a fair quota of wit and a healthy dose of realism . . . engaging."--Kirkus Reviews

"Medalon starts with a bang and just keeps on going with very few places to take a breath. It starts almost immediately with a murder and other intrigues and plots go from there. Jennifer Fallon does an excellent job of painting a complex system so that it all comes across simply and clearly. The high adventures are well written and loads of fun. I would class this tale on a level with Robin Hood as it shows that not all people are alike but many of their dreams are. Jennifer Fallon's characters are rich and full and whether they are nobility, warlord, sailor or salt of the earth they ring true. This book is a wonderful import from Australia. Jennifer Fallon has included everything that a fantasy epic needs; it has heroes, love, honor and terrible loss. As I came to the end of Medalon, I kept thinking "Oh, it can't end now!" Ultimately, of course, it has to, but at least I can look forward to the next installment. Since the entire trilogy has already been published in Australia, it's not likely that I'll forget this story before that happens, but even if I did, this is one book I wouldn't mind rereading."--SFRevu, Karey Herriman

"A warm and intriguing book with all-too-human characters who draw you in more deeply with each page."--L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

"A gripping tale of warring ambitions, politics, and real people. The characters (and even the gods!) spring to vivid, believable life, making Medalon a great read. More, please!"-Ed Greenwood