Review: Knights of the Borrowed Dark by Dave Rudden

Denizen Hardwick doesn't believe in magic - until he's ambushed by a monster created from shadows and sees it destroyed by a word made of sunlight.

That kind of thing can really change your perspective.

Now Denizen is about to discover that there's a world beyond the one he knows. A world of living darkness where an unseen enemy awaits.

Fortunately for humanity, between us and the shadows stand the Knights of the Borrowed Dark.

Unfortunately for Denizen, he's one of them . . .

Reading the above blurb you might think that you have seen all of this before. And in some ways you'd be right. Knights of the Borrowed Dark is chock full of the tropes that we have come to know so well in middle grade fiction since Harry Potter burst onto the scene:

• orphaned protagonist? Check
• said orphan has a pretty miserable life? Check
• sudden appearance of a previously unknown relative? Check
• relative is part of a secret society that protects the world from dark magic? Check

The list goes on and on, but the incredible thing is that debut writer Dave Rudden weaves them into his story with such mastery that you could be forgiven for thinking that he was breaking completely new ground. This is a seriously good debut novel, from the first line of its über-creepy prologue, right the way through to its kick-ass ending.

Aside from his obvious ability to write a damn enjoyable story, the quality of Dave Rudden's descriptive writing is the best I have read from a debut writer for years. Knights of the Borrowed Dark is a masterclass in writing for a middle grade audience, or any audience for that matter. Open up the book at pretty much any page and a quick scan will reward you with one of the many vivid descriptions that add detail to his world-building, and further richness and atmosphere to the exciting narrative. And these descriptions are invariably brief and impactful, and never at the cost of pace. I'd love to include a few of these in my review, but my copy is an uncorrected proof so I'm not permitted to do so.

Knights of the Borrowed Dark is written for the 9+ audience, but there is a darkness to the story that may be a little too much for some. The violence within is of the fantasy kind, but may put off some parents. The nature of the villains and the way that monsters come out of the dark, may affect children of a delicate disposition or who are prone to nightmares. The villains of the piece, known as The Clockwork Three, could have come straight out of the world of the Cenobites of the Hellraiser movies, especially the lightbulb-eating woman in white. However, the story also shows that through courage and friendship, light can and will overcome the darkness.

I've not written may reviews this year, and as I mentioned in a previous post, I have been experiencing something of a reading slump as far as children's books are concerned so I have not read as many this year as I might have in the past. However, of the ones that I have read, this is most definitely one of the best and already a strong contender for my book of the year. It has everything that I personally want in a fantasy action adventure story, and it is the kind of book that, had it been published when I was a child, I would have read over and over and over again. My thanks go to the wonderful people at Penguin Random House for sending me a copy.

Review: The Crooked Sixpence by Jennifer Bell

When their grandmother Sylvie is rushed to hospital, Ivy Sparrow and her annoying big brother Seb cannot imagine what adventure lies in store. Returning to Sylvie’s house, they find it has been ransacked by unknown intruders – before a mysterious feather scratches an ominous message onto the kitchen wall. A very strange policeman turns up on the scene, determined to apprehend them . . . with a toilet brush. Ivy and Seb make their escape – only to find themselves in a completely uncommon world, where ordinary objects have amazing powers. The forces of evil are closing in fast, and Ivy and Seb must get to the bottom of a family secret . . . before it’s too late.

I mentioned in the review that I posted yesterday that recently I have been experiencing a reading slump. I have so many children's books in my TBR pile that look wonderful, but every time I have come to select one to read I have just felt meh! and picked up an adult or non-fiction book instead. The last time this happened (a good few years ago) it took the brilliant Small Change For Stuart by Lissa Evans to pull me out of my malaise, and this time it was this wonderful debut novel by Jennifer Bell, followed in quick succession by Gabrielle Kent's second Alfie Bloom book.

Long time readers of The Book Zone will know that  I am a sucker for any children's or Young Adult story that reimagines London in some way or other. Sarah Silverwood's The Nowhere Chronicles, China Mieville's Un Lun Dun and Tom Becker's Darkside series are all books in this vein that I have loved, but I loved The Crooked Sixpence even more. It's as if Jennifer Bell has been able to scoop up all the most magical ingredients of these other books, blend them together and then bake them into a cake that is even better.

I have also mentioned several times in the past that Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere is one of my all-time favourite books, and The Crooked Sixpence is most definitely Gaiman-esque. In a similar way to what Gaiman did in Neverwhere, Bell takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary, and in the process has created a truly imaginative (and more than a little bonkers) alternative London society, hidden away from us mere mortals but also living in tandem with our own. And I can't believe that the Lundinor of The Crooked Sixpence is not in some small way inspired by Neverwhere's Floating Market.

The Crooked Sixpence is the first book in The Uncommoners series, with this particular term referring people who keep the secrets of uncommon objects for all off us commoners. Uncommon objects are everyday objects (toilet brushes, lemons squeezers, paperclips... the list is endless) that hold magical properties as a result of containing parts of the souls of the human dead. Thus we have lemon squeezers that give out light, colanders that filter air and paperclips that work as habdcuffs. Jennifer Bell's imagination is up there with the very best of current children's writers, and she must have had enormous fun coming up with all the different alternative properties of these everyday household items.

Ivy and Seb, the brother and sister protagonists have a very typical relationship, whereby sometimes they get on and sometimes they bicker and disagree, but ultimately will do anything to protect each other from harm. Ivy is most definitely the star of this first book, with Seb being much more of a secondary character; she is brave and resourceful, and has joined Abi Elphinstone's Moll as one of my favourite female characters of recent years.

The Crooked Sixpence has something for everyone: action, adventure, magic, a villainous secret society, a crazy alternative world full of weird and wonderful items, and an ages old mystery that is just begging to be solved by Ivy, Seb and their new uncommoner friends. This is a book that I preordered months ago, as there is been a lot of buzz and excitement about it among middle grade bloggers and book sellers in the run up to its release. It is certainly one of my favourite books of 2016 so far, and should have appeal to readers of all ages. Definitely a must-buy to keep your 9+ kids occupied this summer! 

Review: Doctor Who Time Lord Fairy Tales by Justin Richards

A stunning illustrated collection of fifteen dark and ancient fairy tales from the world of Doctor Who.

These captivating stories include mysterious myths and legends about heroes and monsters of all kinds, from every corner of the universe. Originally told to young Time Lords at bedtime, these twisted tales are an enchanting read for Doctor Who fans of all ages.

I am a lifelong fan of Doctor Who and as a child/young teen I spent may an hour reading as many of the Target novelisations as I could get my hands on (as ever, the local library did not let me down). However, somewhere along the way I stopped reading Doctor Who fiction - I wonder whether it was due to the sheer volume of books that were being published, especially after the show was cancelled by the BBC back in 1989 and writers/published filled the gap with New Adventures and Missing Adventures. I intend to remedy this in 2016 as a friend has recently recommended two books that I really like the sound of: Harvest of Time by Alastair Reynolds and The Wheel of Ice by Stephen Baxter.

But I am getting ahead of myself. A couple of months ago I had a lovely surprise package in the post, courtesy of those lovely people at Puffin. Said package included a copy of Doctor Who: The Dangerous Book of Monsters (devoured in a single sitting btw), and Doctor Who: Time Lord Fairy Tales. It was the latter of the two that really piqued my interest - it is an anthology of fairy tales, each of which has a Doctor Who twist. Most of the classic tales they are based on are instantly recognisable (including Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Three Little Pigs, Three Billy Goats Gruff and many more) but writer Justin Richards has very cleverly twisted them around to make them tales that just might be told to Gallifreyan kids.

I have to be honest, it took me a couple of stories to really get into the book, as it was aimed at a younger audience than I had originally presumed, and the tone of the stories is most definitely fairy-tale-ish in nature. However, once I had got my head around this I found myself really enjoying most of the tales. A number of the stories do not even feature the Doctor himself (and even when he appears it is usually little more than a cameo role to help save the day), but many of the classic Whovian monsters are there in one form or another, including Sontarans, Cybermen and Weeping Angels and some of the less well known to modern viewers, such as the Nimon and the Wirrn. 

Each story comes with its own wonderful illustration by David Wardle, all produced in a classic wood block printing style that perfectly matches the fairy tale theme of the book. Adult readers may recognise the style from the cover of Essie Fox's The Somnambulist, which Wardle also created.

For those of you who love audio books, a little googling has revealed that all of these tales are available to purchase as downloads from iTunes and Amazon, read by the likes of Paul McGann, Michelle Gomez, Sophie Aldred and even Tom Baker. I'm not a big fan of audio books (I have attention span problems), but these sound cracking so I might have to have a listen in the future. It also looks like there is a planned CD release for April, for those of you who prefer a physical copy.

Time Lord Fairy Tales is great fun and deserves a place on the shelves of any fan of Doctor Who, young or old. It has certainly whetted my appetite for more Doctor Who fiction, so if any of you have any recommendations they would be very gratefully received.

Review: The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands

Potions, puzzles and the occasional explosion are all in a day's work for young apothecary Christopher Rowe. Murder is another matter.

It's a dangerous time to be the apprentice of Benedict Blackthorn. A wave of mysterious murders has sent shockwaves through London, and soon Christopher finds himself on the run. His only allies are his best friend, Tom, courageous Molly, and a loyal feathered friend, Bridget. His only clues are a coded message about his master's most dangerous project, and a cryptic warning - 'Tell no one!'

The race is on for Christopher: crack the code and uncover its secret, or become the next victim . . .

Back before, and in the early days of, this blog I enjoyed reading a fair amount of adult historical mystery/thriller fiction. With the Tudor, Civil War and Restoration periods being of particular interest to me I loved CJ Sansom's Shardlake series, S.J. Parris' Giordano Bruno books, James Forrester's Clarenceaux trilogy and Susanna Gregory's Thomas Cahloner series. Sadly, these days I have a lot less time for adult books, but that does mean that when a historical mystery thriller for younger readers arrives in the post it can suddenly find itself promoted straight to the top of my TBR pile. The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands is one such book.

It is thoroughly refreshing to read a straight-up historical mystery story for middle grade readers, that does not have any kind of fantasy element to it. There is no magic, no dragons (or other fantasy creatures), no element of the supernatural, and the book is all the better for it. Although a fan of the period in which it is set, I am certainly no expert so would be unlikely to spot any historical inaccuracies. However, whether accurate or not (and I have a feeling that author Kevin Sands has been very thorough with his research), the setting of Restoration London, and its sights, sounds and smells, rang very true in my mind as I raced through the brilliant story. 

The Blackthorn Key is set in 1665, five years after the restoration of the monarchy in England, and in a period where there is still a great deal of mistrust. People have to be careful what they say for fear that a neighbour or even a family member might report them for treason. It is an era rife with political machinations and intrigue that lends itself perfectly as the setting for a historical mystery story. It is also an era when the role of the apothecary enjoyed a higher status in the eyes of the people, and they were very much the medical practitioners of choice for many. Some of these were probably little more than quacks and conmen, but many considered themselves serious scientists and healers, striving to make leaps forward in medical science.

Christopher Rowe, the hero of The Blackthorn Key, is apprenticed to one such apothecary. His master, Benedict Blackthorn, is kind and generous, traits that were rarely shown by a master to his apprentice in those times. This is all the more fortunate for Christopher, who is an overly inquisitive and adventurous boy - two personality traits that do necessarily mix well when surrounded by chemicals that can be mixed together to create gunpowder and other destructive materials. However, when it appears that some kind of mysterious cult is killing off local apothecaries it is exactly these kind of traits that come in useful, and as the violence comes even closer to home Christopher finds himself tasked with solving a mystery that involves cracking codes, and hunting down the secret to a destructive material that could completely change the balance of power, not just in England but potentially across the whole of Europe.

Christopher is a fabulous character that all readers, young or old, will warm to immediately. The opening chapter, in which we are introduced to Christopher, is one of the best I have read for some time - it tells us everything we need to know about his personality, his relationship with his master and the work they do, and his best friend Tom, in a manner that is exciting and very funny. Its lightness of tone makes the moments darkness and sorrow that follow later in the story all the more heart wrenching, and the story all the more thrilling.

2015 is proving to be yet another golden year for outstanding middle grade fiction, and The Blackthorn Key is another of my favourite books of the year so far. The Blackthorn Key is perfect for lovers of mystery thrillers, and young readers will find the London of 1665 brought completely alive for them as they race through its back streets and alleyways with Christopher. This book was easily as thrilling, fascinating and well written as Sansom's Matthew Shardlake books, and I am overjoyed to discover that it is the first in a planned trilogy. Please can we have more mystery thrillers like this for middle grade and YA readers!

The Blackthorn Key is due to be published at the beginning of September by Puffin in the UK and by Simon and Schuster in the USA. My thanks go to those lovely people at Puffin/Penguin Random House for sending me a copy to review.

Review: The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones by Will Mabbitt

When Mabel Jones unknowingly commits “The Deed” she finds herself swiftly bundled into a sack by one Omynus Hussh – a dastardly silent loris and the chief child-bagger on board the pirate ship the Feroshus Maggot.

Crewed by the strangest bunch of pirates you would ever want to meet and captained by the dreaded Idryss Ebeneezer Split (a wolf with a false leg carved from a human thighbone, a rusty cutlass sheathed in his belt and a loaded pistol tucked in his pants with no fear of the consequences), the Feroshus Maggot whisks Mabel Jones off on the adventure of a lifetime.

This book carries an incredibly important message that all readers, young or old, should heed or face the appalling consequences: if you are in the habit of picking your nose, it would be wise to pick and flick or pick and wipe, but never, ever pick and eat. Unfortunately for young Mabel Jones, she elected to eat the fruits of her nose-picking labours, and as such commits "The Deed". And if you are observed doing "The Deed" by the piratical crew of the Feroshus Maggot then like Mabel, you will find yourself press-ganged, and spirited away to a strange world by the super-silent-stealthy (and we're talking ninja assassin style super-silent-stealthy here) and wonderfully appropriately named loris, Omynus Hussh.

So begins a laugh-out-loud, swashbuckling fantasy adventure, with boisterous and irascible animal pirates, and a gutsy, fiery heroine, albeit a pyjama clad one (but it's ok, as she gets to wear a belt and carry a cutlass, rather than have a leg amputated in order to look more pirate-like). It's also really rather silly, not quite in a Mr Gum way silly, but certainly not far off at times. In fact, if Spike Milligan was alive and well and writing for 21st Century children then there's a damn good chance that this is the kind of brilliant, pants-wettingly funny story he would be producing.

The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones is writer Will Mabbitt's debut book for children, and if it is anything to go by then Mabbitt is certainly one to watch. His writing voice is as infectious as it is off-the-wall bonkers, making the book perfect read-out-loud-to-children material (especially if you can 'do the voices'). There is also just the right level of yuk and gross-out for 8-11 year olds, so have the masking tape and staple gun ready for when their sides start splitting with laughter.

You only need half a brain to realise these days that books like this for this age group are made even better with high quality illustrations to add to the comedy, and those good people at Penguin Children's Books obviously have the requisite 50%+. As well as the brilliant writing of Will Mabbitt, The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones features the wonderfully awesome illustrations of Ross Collins, which bring Mabbitt's colourful characters to life in a style that is somewhere between Tazzyman's crazy energy and Riddell's rich detail. Mention should also go to Mandy Norman for her dynamic, attention-grabbing text design.

The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones is due to be released on 4th June. I believe there is a second adventure planned for Mabel, although I do not know when this will be published, I really hope that we will see more adventures beyond this sequel. I believe there is also an audio book version of The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones in the offing, narrated by the hugely talented Toby Jones (the voice of Dobby in the Harry Potter films, but also an incredibly talented British comedic actor). I've included a trailer below as a taster - this could be one book that needs to be bought in paper-form and in audio form.

My thanks go to the fab people at Penguin Children's Books for sending me a copy.

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary

edit: Rather embarrassingly, this is now a day late, and I've only just realised. Thanks a million Blogger and your occasionally rubbish scheduling facility! However, it does give me the opportunity to say I totally loved The Day of the Doctor. I think that Steven Moffat got it exactly right (for a change) and it was the perfect celebration of a TV series I have been watching since I was five or six. And Tom Baker too as the Great Curator - genius! 

Anyway, what follows is the post I wrote to be posted on the day of the 50th Anniversary:

Happy Anniversary Doctor Who! You have been a part of my life for nigh on 36 years (give or take, and apart from the wilderness years following Michael Grade's and Jonathan Powell's assassination of the show, when my only fix was the few episodes I owned on VHS) and whilst occasionally you have disappointed, I have been more than happy to stick with you through thick and thin.

I'm really not sure how old I was when I first started watching Doctor Who as in those days there must have been many reruns on BBC2, as I have definite memories of watching episodes featuring William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton (both first broadcast before I was born) and Jon Pertwee, whose episodes were first shown when I would have been too young to watch them or remember them. Tom Baker, then, was MY Doctor and I have very vivid memories of many of his episodes, probably starting around 1976 (I definitely remember watching and possibly being a little scared by The Talons of Weng-Chiang). After that, it was pretty much must-watch TV in our household for many years after (yes, even through the Bonnie Langford years *shudder*) and I have memories of scaring the bejesus out of my little brother on many occasions following the final episode of The Keeper of Traken, as my sister and I would sister and I would jump out on him from dark rooms at any given opportunity, repeating The Master's words: "A new body... at last!".

However, not only did I watch a lot of Doctor Who, as a 9+ year old I was an avid reader of the books that were published at the time by Target. I had quite a collection (usually picked up from jumble sales), and I thought they had been lost/given away long ago until I found a pile of them in a box in my mother's loft last year (a few of them are pictured above). I would also regularly borrow piles of them from my wonderful local libraries, and chain read them, ready to take them back a few weeks later in exchange for more. I decided to celebrate the 50th Anniversary in my own way this weekend, by watching a couple of my favourite Tom Baker episodes, as well as reading a couple of these books. 

Do they stand the test of time? Well they date pretty well: Doctor Who and the Cybermen only falls a little flat because when compared with the amazing books written for kids today it is all action and no characterisation, but then again that is  how Gerry Davis wrote his Doctor Who books - his intention was just to recapture the story that had taken place on screen. Next I turned to one of my all time favourite Doctor Who stories, both on TV and in print - Doctor Who and the Daemons - and it still does not disappoint. Next, I'm going to dive into another favourite - the aforementioned The Talons of Weng-Chiang.

If you have an aged  9+ child who loves Doctor Who then you could do a lot worse then get your hands on some of these books. = In 2012 BBC Books re-released a good number of these classic Doctor Who stories that featured the first four incarnations of The Doctor (I'm not sure if they re-released any of the Peter Davison era books). These can each be bought off Amazon for less than the price of a couple of pints, and would make excellent Christmas stocking presents for young fans. Doctor Who books, both classic and more recent, are especially great for fans who are reluctant readers, as they aren't too challenging, but are invariably action-packed, fun reads that Under 14s will love.

There are a huge number of Doctor Who books published these days, and I have to admit that I stopped reading these some years ago. However, I was very excited recently to receive a wonderful volume of short stories, published by Puffin to celebrate the 50th Anniversary. It's called Doctor Who: 11 Doctors, 11 Stories and features shorts by the likes of Malorie Blackman, Eoin Colfer, Philip Reeve, Alex Scarrow and Derek Landy, and I am really looking forward to reading it over the next few weeks, as I dive in between other books.

Before I sign off I just want to make a quick mention about a very special project that is taking place in the Uk at the moment called Target Who. Target Who are a group of lifelong Doctor Who fans who bought 11,000 Target Doctor Who books in an ebay auction. This wasn't 11,000 different titles, but actually multiple copies of 36 titles, including classics like Doctor Who and the Daleks and Doctor Who and the Cybermen, which had been discovered wrapped up in some warehouse or something. Target Who did not purchase the books for themselves - they bought them in order to send free copies out to schools around the country. You can read more about the project here. So far they have sent out more than 4000 books to school libraries, and in doing so have inspired individuals to get involved, and so others around the UK (and possibly the world) have been donating individual copies to school libraries, thus ensuring that these classic stories live on. You can follow their amazing work on their blog, and also follow them on twitter as @targetwho.

Guest Post: Rick Yancey's Top 5 Sci-Fi Books (The 5th Wave Blog Tour)

Today I am honoured to be joined by Rick Yancey, author of The 5th Wave. Rick has kindly joined us here on The Book Zone to tell us about his all-time favourite Sci-Fi books:

1. The White Mountains by John Christopher. One of the best, most “realistic” take on aliens I’ve ever read. Creepy. Moving. It justfeels like a real alien occupation. Find this book and its sequels. Trust me.

2. Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov. The man wrote like a thousand books, so I haven’t read all of them (how did he have time towrite all of them?), but this is hands-down my favourite Asimov. Mind-blowing, complex, so well-structured. A movie could never do it justice.

3. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke. Another landmark work of sci-fi. In this case, the movie does do the book justice.

4. Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle. Forget all the movies. This novel takes the genre, smashes it to pieces and reassembles it into a savage satire and a searing social commentary. The ending is three thousand times more chilling than the original movie’s.

5. 1984 by George Orwell. Okay, I confess most people don’t consider this, the original dystopian masterpiece, a sci-fi novel. But it was set in the future (he wrote it in 1948), and it includes technology that did not exist in Orwell’s time. And, like all great science fiction, it is more about now than some distant future.

And now here is the next extract of the audio book. If you have been following the blog tour you will already know that a different snippet is being released each day - more details can be read on the banner over to the side of this blog, or if that is too small I have included it at the end of this piece.

Book Trailer: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

A while ago my friend Carol at Waterstones, Windsor gave me the heads up on a book that she had just finished reading. She thought it was brilliant and said I had to get my hands on a copy somehow as she thought I would love it. That book's title is The 5th Wave, so I did a quick google and I discovered that its writer was none other than Rick Yancey. I have been a big fan of Rick's work, ever since I read the first book in his Alfred Kropp series, and then of course his marvellous Monstrumologist books. 

There is a lot of hype building as we near the May release of The 5th Wave. I usually choose to ignore hype, but if Carol think sit is amazing then I trust her opinion completely. I'm about to start reading it - I'll let you know how I get on.

The 1st Wave:

Review: Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz

Colin Fischer cannot stand to be touched. He does not like the colour blue. He needs index cards to recognize facial expressions.

But when a gun is found in the school cafeteria, interrupting a female classmate's birthday celebration, Colin is the only for the investigation. It's up to him to prove that Wayne Connelly, the school bully and Colin's frequent tormenter, didn't bring the gun to school. After all, Wayne didn't have frosting on his hands, and there was white chocolate frosting found on the grip of the smoking gun...

I count myself to be incredibly fortunate to work in a mixed comprehensive school which has a fantastic resource unit. For those of you who are not 'in the know', this means that disabled students are able to experience a mainstream education alongside students without disabilities. One of our ex-students, of whom we are incredibly proud, is a multi-Paralympic gold medal winner. As well as students with physical disabilities we also teach students who are autistic and/or have Asperger Syndrome, and whilst it can occasionally be challenging it is also very rewarding to see these students grow up through the school and leave us with GCSEs and A-Levels before they move on into higher education or jobs. I tell you this because the eponymous main character of Colin Fischer by Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz reminds me so much of some of the young people I have had the pleasure of teaching during my career.

Colin has Asperger Syndrome. He hates to be touched, he avoids eye contact with people wherever possible, and he really, really hates loud noises. In fact, he finds it so difficult to cope with loud noises that he starts to bark like a dog. Like many people with Asperger's he also finds it very difficult to 'read' other people, and as such he carries around with him a series of flash cards, each with a small pictogram of a different facial expression drawn on it, which he uses to gauge the emotions shown by his peers and the other people he comes into contact with. 

However, Colin also has some very special talents: he is a genius at maths and he notices things and can make connections. Just like his hero, Sherlock Holmes. Thus, when a gun goes off in the school canteen, and the school bully (who also happens to be a long time tormentor of Colin) is wrongly accused, Colin feels compelled to solve the mystery of who fired the gun, even if it means lying to his parents for the first time in his life, and potentially putting himself into a grave danger.

Colin Fischer is being billed by Puffin as this year's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, and whilst there are some similarities, particularly in the medical condition experienced by the main character, this book is not as deep, and is much, much funnier. In fact, this book is laugh out loud funny in many places, and I loved it. In particular, Colin's approach to physical education, and the scenes on the basketball court with the school's coach are to die for. In fact, said coach reminds me of a number of staff I have the pleasure of working with in the way that he approaches Colin and his special needs and abilities.

As the story progresses we are treated to excerpts from Colin's notebook. Colin has a compulsion to write down a lot of what he observes in his day-to-day life, and the conclusions he draws from the behaviour of others. And when put in Colin's very logical and matter-of-fact way, his peers often seem far more strange than he is. After all, what is the definition of normal, and can anyone really be described as such?

For me, as well as the humour, the other stand out element of Colin Fischer is the characters. Colin's long-suffering but very loving parents just don't know how to react when his investigations lead to what most parents would call poor behaviour  Should they be angry, or relieved that he is acting like a 'normal' teenager? His younger brother seems to take delight out of teasing Colin, but also suffers from jealousy as a result of the attention Colin gets from their parents.Wayne Connelly, the aforementioned bully, really does not know what to think when Colin declares his wish to help prove his innocence. This story is really more about Colin and the other characters than it is about the mystery plot itself.

This book would make a superb class reader for young teens, although there are elements of its US High School setting that may need further explaining to students in other countries. However, dealing with issues of bullying, gun culture, disability, etc. it could generate a great deal of class discussion. The book's plot comes to a natural conclusion, but also leaves things open for a sequel. I really hope we get that next instalment, as Colin is one of my favourite book characters of the past few months and I would love to read more stories featuring him.

Colin Fischer was published in paperback in the UK at the beginning of February. My thanks go to the lovely people at Puffin for sending me a copy to review.

Review: TimeRiders: City of Shadows by Alex Scarrow

Liam O'Connor should have died at sea in 1912.

Maddy Carter should have died on a plane in 2010.

Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in 2026.

But all three have been given a second chance - to work for an agency that no one knows exists. Its purpose: to prevent time travel destroying history . . .

Hunted by cyborg assassins from the future, the TimeRiders must abandon New York and go on the run. They escape to Victorian London and the streets where Jack the Ripper roams. But, before they can establish their new base, they make their most shattering discovery yet - and it will change everything . . .

Are you a fan of Alex Scarrow's TimeRiders series? If the answer is yes and you have not yet got your hands on a copy of the sixth book in the series, City of Shadows, then you must do so immediately. And if you have not yet read any of the books in this series then go out and get the first TimeRiders books as you have one hell of an exciting ride ahead of you.

Over the course of the first five books in this series Alex Scarrow has gradually woven an incredibly intricate plot, creating a multitude of seemingly unrelated threads. This does at times make reading each new book something of a challenge when six months have passed since the publication of the previous book, as the plots are so complex that remembering everything that has gone before is not always easy. For those five books we have been very much like Scarrow's trio of teen protagonists, very much in the dark as to the real nature of their task and finding things out as the story progresses. For those of you desperate to find answers to some of the questions that have been bugging you for so long then prepare to stunned. And shocked. And amazed. City of Shadows is the game changer for the whole series.

The significance of Sal's teddy bear?

The man who gets merged with a horse in The Eternal War?

Who sent the team of assassins after the TimerRider team in Gates of Rome?

Foster's story?

By alternating the story between a variety of different periods in time, and especially the future where we meet Waldstein properly, in this book Alex Scarrow provides answers to all of these questions, although staying true to form, he then goes on and creates even more questions for his readers. In fact, just like the characters we continue to be led to believe one thing, and then suddenly discover that we may have been wrong all along. Yep, this book will seriously mess with your head.

I feel it is only fair to add a small extra comment on this book for those fans who, like me, were looking forward to a story set predominantly in Victorian London, featuring Jack the Ripper. In actual fact, less than a third of the story is set in this era, with most of the narrative being devoted to 2001, and the actions the team have to take immediately following on from the end of Gates of Rome. This books is less about rectifying contamination events in time, and much more about how the characters survive as they have to cut themselves loose from their Brooklyn base. However, I don't think you will be disappointed with the story - I certainly wasn't.

I remember when the first TimeRiders book was published, another author told me that she had wanted to call one of the books in her series Time Riders, but her publisher had asked her to choose an alternative title as they felt that books with the word 'time' or 'time travel' in the title didn't sell. I don't know why they believed this - perhaps they had market research findings that suggested, despite the popularity of Doctor Who on TV, that children and young adults did not find time travel stories particularly cool or exciting? If that was the case then Alex Scarrow has single-handedly injected both of these elements into the genre and made it a very hot property indeed.

The seventh TimeRiders book is scheduled to be published in February 2012, so not too long to wait. Alex recently revealed the title and cover on the official TimeRiders blog and I'm already looking forward to reading it.

Relocated to Victorian London, the TimeRiders joy-ride back to 1666 to witness the Great Fire of London. In the ensuing chaos, Liam and their newest recruit, Rashim, find themselves trapped between the fire and the Thames. They escape onboard a river boat, only to be confronted by an unscrupulous captain with his heart set on treasures of the high seas . . .

Back in 1888, Maddy and the rest of the team are frantically trying to track them down. But with limited resources at their new base, can Liam and Rashim survive the bloodthirsty and barbaric age of piracy long enough to be rescued?

My thanks go to the lovely people at Puffin for sending me a copy of City of Shadows.

Review: Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer

Opal Koboi, power-crazed pixie, is plotting to exterminate mankind and become fairy queen.

If she succeeds, the spirits of long-dead fairy warriors will rise from the earth, inhabit the nearest available bodies and wreak mass destruction. But what happens if those nearest bodies include crows, or deer, or badgers - or two curious little boys by the names of Myles and Beckett Fowl?

Yes, it's true. Criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl's four-year-old brothers could be involved in destroying the human race. Can Artemis and Captain Holly Short of the Lower Elements Police stop Opal and prevent the end of the world?

My review for The Atlantis Complex, the seventh book in the fantastic Artemis Fowl series, was less than glowing. I felt that it just did not match the quality of the rest of the series, and part of me wondered whether Eoin Colfer was running out of ideas. Having now read the final book in the series, The Last Guardian, my feelings about The Atlantis Complex are possibly slightly more negative than they were when I read it - it just seems to be a little extraneous when put into the context of the series as a whole. The Last Guardian, however, if Colfer back on form and is a great final instalment for Artemis Fowl and Captain Holly Short.

Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian finds Artemis and Holly up against their old enemy, Opal Koboi, or is hell bent on bringing about the complete destruction of the human race, and the elevation to ruler of all fairy-dom that such an act is sure to bring for her. In order to do this she devises her greatest plan to date - somehow she must be released from prison, cripple the whole LEP organisation, awaken a squadron of Berserkers from their 10,000 year slumber and reopen a magical gate that will bring about Armageddon for all mankind. For anyone but Opal Koboi this would seem to be an impossible task - it's lucky for the human race that Artemis and his friends are hot on her trail, but will they be in time?

One of the main reasons I fell in love with the first Artemis Fowl book and subsequently the whole series, was the characters. Not just Artemis and Holly, but Butler, Foaly and Mulch as well. They have always been a delight to read, even when the plot was not maybe as strong as it could have been in some of the books, Every one of them has had a part to play in the ongoing saga, and in The Last Guardian it is as if Eoin Colfer does not want to end his series without each of them having one last key role to play in saving the world. 

The interplay between the key characters is as sparkling as ever, and the hilarious banter between them, something that has become a trademark of Colfer's writing, is all present and correct. I can just imagine the fun that Eoin Colfer must have had in writing the dialogue in these stories.

I'm struggling to say much more about the book without giving away information that will spoil it for readers. I know long-time fans had a huge number of questions running into this final book, and I'm not sure every one of them will be answered. I also know that fans have been speculating a lot about a number of things - the relationship between Artemis and Holly being the most popular topic on fan forums - and I know that some of these fans will be a little disappointed come the end of this book. However, I personally feel that Colfer has ended to book brilliantly - as readers we don't always require all the answers, and sometimes it is as rewarding for us to imagine what might happen next.

This is a year for 'last in series' books -  we recently saw the end of the Saga of Larten Crepsley by Darren Shan, a book that ended in a way that had me itching to re-read the whole of the original Saga of Darren Shan series. The final paragraph of Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian created a similar desire in me, and will have legions of fans reaching for well-read copies of the first book in the series. It will have some fans struggling to keep their jaws from dropping, but for me it was the perfect way to say goodbye to Artemis and Holly Short.

My thanks go to the good people at Puffin for sending me a copy to review. This may be the end for Artemis and friends but Eoin Colfer is set to return in 2013 with a brand new series, titled W.A.R.P., the first chapter of which is included at the end of this book. I can;t wait to see what he delivers next.

Review: Willard Price: Leopard Adventure by Anthony McGowan

Deep in the remote forests of Siberia, a mother Amur leopard, one of the rarest big cats in the world, senses danger. Something faster than any human and deadlier than any tiger.

Meanwhile Amazon Hunt, aged twelve, is recruited from England by Tracks in America, ready to take off at a moment's notice to rescue wild animals under threat - no matter how great the danger.

Now Amazon and her thirteen-year-old cousin Frazer must brave the Russian wilderness to save the Amur leopard, before a blazing forest fire wipes out the race - for good . . .

When I was a child I loved mystery stories. Like many people of my generation I grew up on a diet of Enid Blyton, with The Famous Five and The Five Findouters being particular favourites,and as I grew up I moved on to Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators and The Hardy Boys. At the age of about 8-9, when I wasn't reading mystery stories I was devouring Willard Price's hugely exciting Adventure series, and so it was with quite a lot of excitement, and a small amount of trepidation that I jumped at the chance when I received an email from the nice people at Puffin asking if I would like to read and review a copy of Leopard Adventure by Anthony McGowan.

I remember reading in the book press last year that Anthony would be writing a new series of Adventure books, authorised by the rights holders of the original Willard Price series. This prompted me to dig out my old and well-read copies of the original stories for a nostalgic re-read. The fast-paced stories full of boys' own action and adventure brought back many great memories, but also a realisation that they had dated considerably. Back then, heroes Hal and Roger Hunt travelled the globe with the task of capturing rare wild animals, which were then shipped back to their father's collection, before being sent on to zoos and safari parks. Fast forward to 2012 and this kind of activity is not only frowned upon but would be severely criticised in any book released for kids today. I was left asking just how Anthony McGowan would update this for the modern audience, whilst retaining the adventure and wildlife aspects of Willard Price's stories.

The answer of course, is simple. Just as Andy Briggs has done with his Tarzan reboot, Anthony McGowan has made his teen heroes eco-warriors, members of TRACKS (Trans-Regional Animal Conservation and Knowledge Society), an organisation dedicated to conservation and rescuing wild animals that are in danger, with an emphasis on keeping them in their natural habitats wherever possible. TRACKS was set up by Willard Price's own heroes, brothers Hal and Roger Hunt, now adults but estranged due to a years old clash in opinion over how TRACKS should be run. Hal continued to run the organisation, whilst Roger and his wife continued with related work independently.

At the beginning of the story we are introduced to the brothers' two children, Amazon (daughter of Roger) and Frazer (son of Hal). Amazon is stuck inside a British boarding school whilst her parents are away on another expedition, completely unaware of the activities of TRACKS and how she is very soon going to find herself jetting across the world as one of their operatives. Frazer, meanwhile, is already a fully fledged 'tracker' with many a mission already under his belt. Armed with a latter from Amazon's parents, Frazer flies to England to collect her and take her back to their base in Long Island, USA, said letter hinting that her parents had stumbled across some important information that they needed to share with Hal, and felt that she should be there too. Unfortunately, when Amazon arrives in the US she discovers her parents might be missing, and Hal had gone off in search of them. However, she is given much of a chance to worry, as she soon finds herself on her début TRACKS mission, and flying off with Frazer to a remote Siberian forest, tasked with rescuing a super-rare Amur Leopard and her cubs from a forest fire, and maybe hunters as well.

Anthony McGowan has done a fantastic job of rebooting Willard Price's original series. Action and adventure in remote parts of the world were the stand out elements of those stories, and Leopard Adventure has those by the truck load. In these technologically advanced days of Google Maps and Google Earth the world can seem much smaller and much more fully explored, even to young readers, and yet McGowan manages to instil in his reader a true sense of awe with his descriptions of the Siberian forest and its animal inhabitants. Part of this is done by occasionally switching point of view from the teen heroes to that of the animals themselves, be it the Amur Leopard, the fierce Siberian tiger or the monstrous brown bear. These PoV shifts also help add to the educational element of the story. This is something else that Leopard Adventure shares with the original stories. Willard Price famously travelled the world, and as such his stories were generally set in remote places that he himself had visited, leading to readers learning about their world whilst enjoying a rip-roaring adventure story.

I think that Leopard Adventure, and most likely the books that will follow if they are as exciting as this one, are perfect for 8+ readers who like their stories rooted in the real world rather than the magical one. They will also be enjoyed by parents who loved the originals, when reading them to their children. Like me, these parents will most likely take delight in spotting the small connections this book has to the original series - I think I actually yelped with excitement when I saw the name Kaggs mentioned as the story reached its climax.

I was angry again the other day when I read an online newspaper article about boys not reading, in which Gavin Barwell MP, the chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Literacy, was quoted as suggesting that primary school boys are not equipped with a selection of action and adventure stories. He may be correct, but then he ruined his argument by mentioning authors such as Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl. This was the part of the article that so annoyed me - what about all of the authors that have written books since Harry Potter changed the children's publishing scene completely? Yes, the books of these writers are brilliant, but boys also want stories set in the modern day, with the technology that they see around them on a daily basis. By all means, stock your libraries with the classics, but they should not be forced on kids just because they were parental favourites back in the day. Books like Leopard Adventure, Andy Briggs' Tarzan, Horowitz, Riordan, Harris, Muchamore...... (the list is endless) ... are as important, if not even more so when it comes to getting boys reading for enjoyment.

Leopard Adventure is published on 5th July, and my thanks go to the nice people at Puffin for sending me a copy to review. The sequel, Shark Adventure, is scheduled to be released in January 2013, with more books planned for the future.

Review: Keeper of the Realms: Crow's Revenge by Marcus Alexander

I've just had a flesh-eating giant tearing around my house and now I'm in this strange land I don't know anything about'!

Before she can untangle the mystery that will save Bellania, Charlie Keeper needs the answer to a life-changing secret her guardian, the dastardly Mr Crow, has been keeping from her ...Just who is Charlie Keeper?

I first came across this book some years ago when it was self-published by author Marcus Alexander under the title Who Is Charlie Keeper?. At the time it struck me as being a hugely enjoyable fantasy story for kids, but like many self-published books I felt it needed to go through the hands of a good editor. A few years on and it has been picked up by Puffin and given the editing the story so richly deserved, and what we have now is a well-polished hugely enjoyable fantasy story for kids.

The story follows the adventures of Charlie Keeper, a thirteen-year-old girl who is as good as being an orphan as her parents disappeared mysteriously some years ago. Her life is made all the more miserable by her legal guardian, Mr Crow, who, in line with the terms in her parents' will, has full control over Charlie, the house she lives in and the funds her parents left behind. Charlie detests Crow, and suspects him of a variety of nefarious activities, such as selling off the family antiques. What she does not realise is that nefarious doesn't even come close to describing Crow's true intentions, and there is a lot more to him than meets the eye.

We very quickly discover that the house in which they live is a little different from your average family home. From the outside is looks almost like any other house, albeit slightly peculiar as it is a big, old thing surrounded by much smaller, more modern houses. To most, it probably doesn't look particularly special on the inside either, but Charlie has always felt that it is a little bit different from other houses. We begin to discover some of these oddities very early on in the book, but only as a lead in to what happens next. Charlie discovers that Crow is in league with an other-worldly being, and whilst attempting to escape from his Shades, Charlie flees through a door and finds herself having to leap into darkness, and lands in another world completely. Bellania, naturally, is a magical land, full of the strange and the fantastic, but it is a land with problems, and it might be down to Charlie to save it.

There are a handful of elements of the plot that we have seen before in other fantasy stories post-Harry Potter, but this isn't a bad thing as Marcus Alexander manages to put enough of his own into them to make them seem nearly-new. The nature of the magic in Bellania felt particularly fresh, and will appeal to the imaginations of young readers. For me though, the most enjoyable part of the book was its villains. Every fantasy story needs a great villain (think The White Witch in the Narnia stories or Voldemort in HP), and in Mr Crow and Lord Bane, Marcus Alexander has created a pair of bad guys that readers will love to hate.

Before I sign off I feel I should also mention the illustrations. Spaced throughout the book are some beautiful black and white manga-style images of a number of the creatures that Charlie encounters during the course of her adventures. These make a great visual addition to the story, although I would love to have seen many more of them.

Keeper of the Realms: Crow's Revenge was published by Puffin back in February,and my thanks go to them for sending me a copy to review. The sequel is scheduled to be published in February 2012.

News: Book Cover - Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer

The final Artermis Fowl? It's the end of an era!


This cover was officially unveiled yesterday on Eoin's website. I'm glad Puffin have stuck with a design that is more in keeping with the other hardback books, rather than go for something that matched the rebranded white paperback editions. No blurb for the book as yet, as soon as I see something I will add it on to this post.

Review: TimeRiders: Gates of Rome by Alex Scarrow (TimeRiders Book 5)

Project Exodus - a mission to transport 300 Americans from 2070 to 54AD to overthrow the Roman Empire - has gone catastrophically wrong. Half have arrived seventeen years earlier, during the reign of Caligula.

Liam goes to investigate, but when Maddy and Sal attempt to flee a kill-squad sent to hunt down their field office, all of the TimeRiders become trapped in the Roman past.

Armed with knowledge of the future, Caligula is now more powerful than ever. But with the office unmanned - and under threat - how will the TimeRiders make it back to 2001 and put history right?

We are half way into Alex Scarrow's brilliant TimeRiders series and I am finding it increasingly difficult to review these books for fear of giving away massive spoilers. I tried to write a review for TimeRiders: The Eternal War when I had read it but found it so difficult I eventually gave in, and simply writing "It's brilliant, read it immediately" was, I felt, a little too brief for a blog post. Now that I have finished this fifth book, Gates of Rome, I am still a little hesitant (it could be a very short review), but feel that I owe it to Alex Scarrow and the good people at Puffin who very kindly sent me a copy to review.

Every time I finish a TimeRiders book I sit back and marvel at the quality of Alex Scarrow's storytelling. He is slowly weaving an incredibly complex nine volume story, and I feel I should be prostrating myself before him, doubting my worthiness. Steven Moffat really should get in touch with him as I would love to see a Doctor Who episode written by Alex Scarrow.

At the end of The Eternal War we were left with more questions that an episode of Mastermind. The first three books in the series introduced us to the characters, and the emphasis was on how they would react to the various eras in which they found themselves, whilst also giving us morsels of the growing mystery surrounding the purpose of their agency. And then BAM!, the end of book three and then the fourth book added layer upon layer to the overall story arc. I think The Eternal War is still my favourite book in the series so far - much as I love the fast-paced action of the first three, this one slowed things down a little and really made my brain fizz with excitement as it tried to process the mystery aspects of the story arc.

The opening chapters of Gates of Rome alternate between Cheyenne Mountain, 2070 and the now familiar setting of New York, 2001. In 2001 Sal and Maddy are continuing to try to fathom out some of the questions that began to form in their minds in previous books, and Maddy finally shares with Sal some of the secrets that are burning a huge hole in her brain. Sixty-nine years into the future and we watch as the Exodus Project begins to reach zero hour. In 2070 the environment has been pretty much killed off, with billions living in squalor, and a team of scientists, soldiers and politicians are readying themselves to travel back to AD54 to take over the Roman Empire and establish a new society based on American values. Unfortunately, a catastrophic event means the project is accelerated, calculations are rushed and the group end up being sent back at AD 37, the survivors finding that they have arrived during the reign of Caligula, an emperor who was renowned for being more than a little mad. Unfortunately for our band of TimeRiding heroes the ensuing time waves hit 2001 NYC at the same time as a group of lab-grown assassins arrive, their mission to destroy Maddy and her friends. In the process of trying to evade their pursuers, Maddy and Sal find themselves escaping back to AD54, joining Bob and Liam and leaving no-one behind to get them back to the 21st Century. Not good!

Thanks to the arrival of the Exodus team Caligula has become even more insane, thinks he is a god, and has managed to avoid being assassinated as he would have been if the time stream had not been contaminated. Somehow the team must survive the dangers of a brutal Ancient Rome, discover what event changed to accepted version of history, find a way back to 2001, survive the assassins that may still be waiting there for them, and finally mend history (again). If that seems like an impossible task for three teenagers and a support unit then you may be right this time.

This book comes with everything the previous books had - great action scenes, brilliant characters, answered questions and then more questions created, and a vivid depiction of the historical era that the tram find themselves in. I must confess I have never been a fan of books set in Ancient Rome (in fact, I rarely read any historical  fiction set before Tudor times), but I found that Alex Scarrow's descriptions of the horrors of Rome under Caligula completely absorbing, and written so well that I found it very easy to picture the sights, smells and sounds in my mind. In this book Caligula is even nastier than history portrayed him, and so we are treated to descriptions of torture and violence that will have teen boys gagging for more.

My only problem with the TimeRiders books is that there are so many layers and mysteries to the stories that by the time I read each new book I have forgotten some of what went before. There are four more books scheduled in the series, with the next one, City of Shadows, scheduled for an August 2012 release (less than six months away - whoop! whoop!). I have a feeling that come the publication of the ninth book I may have to take myself away to a cabin on a remote island somewhere with nothing to do but read the entire series back-to-back, if I am to get my head completely around all of the many plot strands that Alex Scarrow is so carefully weaving together.

Wereworld “7 Realms, 7 Beasts” Blog Tour and Review of Shadow of the Hawk by Curtis Jobling

I am really excited to be involved in the Wereworld "7 Realms, 7 Beasts" blog tour, taking place over the next week or so to celebrate the release of Shadow of the Hawk, the third book in Curtis Jobling's fab Wereworld series. My review of the book will follow a few words from Curtis, but by way of introduction to the great man, a short explanation about format of the tour is called for. In Shadow of the Hawk we get to see more of the amazing world Curtis has created, and even more importantly we get to meet more Werelords. Each day on the blog tour Curtis is going to introduce you to one of his new creations. He started off yesterday at I Want To Read That, so pop on over there once you have finished reading to find out more. For now, it's over to Curtis:



KRIEG, THE WERERHINO

One of the most experienced fighters of the Scorian arena, Krieg is the Furnace’s oldest surviving performing gladiator. The Rhino hails from the Blue Veldt Plains, one of Bast’s most ancient, settled lands. When the Catlords of the jungle marched south from their home, enslaving all who stood in their way, the Rhinos of Stroheim provided the greatest resistance. Krieg was the eldest son of King Otker, but his regal heritage counted for nothing when the Catlords exacted their vengeance upon the Rhinos. Taking away in chains of silver, Krieg was sold to the Lizardlords, a gift to Ignus’ arena for the amusement of the people of Scoria.

Every bit the image of a Rhino, even when in human form, Krieg’s neck is all but invisible, his head set deep within the thick folds of tough skin that cover his broad shoulders. His wide nose appears broken, flattened against his hard face, a trait particular to all of the Wererhinos, heavy horns ready to emerge at the moment’s notice. Renowned for having a fierce temper, Krieg long ago gave up all hope of returning to his homeland. Having been imprisoned for nearly twenty years, it seems unlikely Stroheim bears any resemblance to the city he was spirited away from in his youth.

Author’s note: Krieg steps into a familiar role for Drew, that of the ‘uncle’ he can confide in, turn to in times of need. While Duke Bergan and Duke Manfred were able to provide counsel in the earlier books of the series, taking a liking to him instantly, it’s more of an uphill struggle in the case of the Rhino. They’re from different worlds, with very different stories to tell, but their common ground – prisoners of Lord Ignus, enemies of the Catlords – ensure there’s room for their relationship to grow. In Drew, Krieg can see a lot of himself, albeit from many years ago, and with a remarkably different outlook. Being a grumpy old Rhino, he sees Drew as idealistic, a dreamer, little realising that the young Wolf’s determination runs deeper than that of anyone he’s ever met. Having a hot-headed ally who is as stubborn as a mule isn’t going to make life easy for Drew: he’s going to have to earn the Rhino’s respect. If that means he has to fight him, then so be it...

~~~

Huge thanks to Curtis for taking the time to write this for us. On Monday the tour will be continuing with an introduction to another Werelord, over at A Dream of Books. You should also head on over to Spinebreakers where you could win a signed set of the three Wereworld books that have been released so far.

Review

DREW FERRAN, THE RIGHTFUL KING OF WESTLAND, IS TRAPPED.

Enslaved by the Goatlord Kesslar, young werewolf Drew finds himself on the volcanic isle of Scoria, forced to fight in the arena for the Lizardlords. With the help of an unlikely ally, he must find a way to break free - but who has ever managed to escape?

Meanwhile, Hector the Wereboar flees the forces of the Catlords. Now on board the pirate ship Maelstrom, the enemy's net is closing in. Haunted by the spirits of the dead, Hector is soon left wondering who the true enemy is . . .

Be warned, reader. I will try my hardest not to include any spoilers about Shadow of the Hawk in this review, but I cannot promise the same about the previous two books in the series. If you have not yet read them then you may want to look away now.

It is no secret that I love the first two Wereworld books. The first was brilliant, and the second, Rage of Lions, even better. So much so that it made it into my list of top picks of 2012. I know that many others share my admiration for these books - so no pressure then Mr Jobling. 

Did I say pressure? The man must thrive on it as Shadow of the Hawk is yet another outstanding addition to the series, the only downside being that having finished I am now thoroughly annoyed that I won't be able to find out what happens next until the fourth book, Nest of Serpents, is published in June.

There is very little time in the story between the close of the last book, and where this one kicks off. Drew is held captive by the evil Kessler, a Weregoat who has made a name for himself as a slaver. He has only one plan for Drew - to deliver him to the Isle of Scoria and sell him as a slave. Meanwhile, his close friend Hector has managed to escape the armies of the Catlords, and is safely on board the Maelstrom, in the company of Manfred, Vega and Queen Amelie. I say safely, but that isn't strictly true - his dabbling in the dark arts is beginning to have quite an effect on the young Wereboar, but more about that later.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, we are granted the opportunity to 'meet' a whole host of new Werecreatures in this book, and Curtis Jobling maximises this treat for his readers by taking his characters off to different places, just as Tolkien did in The Lord of the Rings. In The Fellowship of the Ring we are introduced to the lead characters, and then in The Two Towers Frodo and Sam head off for Mordor, whilst Pip and Merry are taken in a dfifferent direction by the Orcs. These diverging story strands enabled Tolkien to show us more of the incredible world he created, and Curtis uses a smiliar device in this book. Therefore, we get to meet a plethora of new characters on Scoria, where the enslaved Drew is forced to become a gladiator; and we also get to see other parts of Lyssia and its seven realms, and its inhabitants, as Drew and his party head out across the ocean. Mr Jobling seems to manage all of these new additions to his story with consummate ease.

Now that he is away from the friends he made in the first two books, we really get a chance to see how Drew grows as both a character, and as the rightful heir to the kingdom of Lyssia. His life has changed in a way that few young people can identify with - from farm boy, to prospective king, to slave/gladiator, all in a matter of months. Most young people would find this impossible to cope with, but the honest and loving upbringing that Drew experienced seems to have given him the foundations he needs to take all of this in his stride. In the first two books there were many moments where he suffered extreme (and totally understandable) self-doubt, but there were a few key scenes where his natural gift for good and kind leadership shone through. In this third book these moments begin to occur a little more often and we are now really beginning to see the potential king that lies within the boy. Drew also seems to be becoming more confident at leading, even to the point where he will lecture one of the realm's other kings about the evils of slavery. A king, it must be said, who could quite easily have Drew slapped in silver chains and executed for his disrespectful words.

Whilst all this is going on, there is of course the other plot strand running - that of Hector and his companions. I am sorry to say that the future is looking fairly bleak for Hector - he is now firmly attached to the vile of his dead brother Vincent, a spectre that is invisible to all except Hector, and who never misses a chance to goad his brother, gradually eating away at his self-esteem. It was a horribly fascinating experience to read as Hector slowly seems to descend into a kind of madness, the flames of his growing paranoia constantly fanned by Vincent's cruel taunts. Who knows where Curtis Jobling will take Hector next? Perhaps even betrayal of the people he called close friends? We will just have to wait and see.

There are two popular characters from the first two books in the series that are conspicuous by their absence in Shadow of the Hawk. Gretchen and Whitley also managed to escape the grasping claws of the Catlords at the end of the last book, but for the story of their adventures since we will have to wait until June. If you have seen the cover of Nest of Serpents you will probably have already guessed that they will feature quite heavily in that story. I guess Mr Jobling could quite easily have used their story as a third plot strand in Shadow of the Hawk, but instead he chose to focus on Trent Ferran, the son of the couple who brought up Drew as their son, and as good as being Drew's brother. As we discovered at the end of Rage of Lions, Trent is hungry for revenge on the creature he believes murdered his mother, and so we see him now riding with the armies of the Catlords, hunting and killing enemies of the new state. Will he find out the truth before it is too late, or will it all end in tears for the angry young man?

If there was a book award going for best series then Curtis Jobling would surely be on the shortlist, and if he won I for one would applaud the decision of the judges. If he manages to sustain the quality of storytelling across the remaining books in the series then the Wereworld books may one day become recognised as one of the best fantasy series for young people of all time.