Over a considerable number years Kate Russell has honed her communication skills through journalism, as a television presenter and as a highly effective speaker and conference moderator, and with her second work of fiction we see her again as a master storyteller, capable of conjuring up ingenious plots, carefully metering out the suspense and often releasing it in hilarious ways. And so we meet Henry, still in his teens but earning a living wage as the family breadwinner, counting the king's gold in the vaults under the watchful eye of his boss, the odious Mr Colloid. But he dreams of greater things, of becoming a wizard like his aged and venerable friend Halcyon, who he badgers until he agrees to take him on as an apprentice. He proves himself a ready learner, which is just as well as he is soon sent on a perilous trading mission, following in the footsteps of previous missions all of which had resulted in the mysterious disappearance of the envoys, including his own father, some years earlier.
Kate treats us to a panoply of other richly painted and loveable characters, such as Peter, another junior clerk in the vaults sent as his companion on the mission, fearful at every turn yet whose loyalty (when push comes to shove, as it often does) is stronger even than his fear, as well as D.C., Henry's self-appointed sidekick, a ferociously plucky girl up for any challenge that's going. But none of the characters are evil at heart - in the end you could almost feel sorry even for the macabon, a race of meagre intellect and so unimaginably ugly that a description would put you off your food for a week - none except for the arch-enemy, revealed only at the end and who gets his come-uppance in a most unexpected way at the climax of a battle against overwhelming odds.
A reluctant young reader might need a little encouragement to get through the first few chapters, but then the interest quickly mounts, and nothing but a pretty powerful spell would stop anyone finishing the book, having got half way through. The writing is vividly descriptive and the scientific explanations of how magic works are outrageous. In short, a most enjoyable read and thoroughly recommended for all those young at heart between the ages of about 10 and 110.
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Top reviews from other countries
Philip Le Riche
Delightful, funny and compelling
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 7, 2016