THE SEARCH FOR THE STONE OF EXCALIBUR by FIONA INGRAM.PUBLICITY INFORMATION: A thrilling adventure for two young boys, whose fun trip to Egypt turned into a dangerously exciting quest to uncover an ancient and mysterious secret, leading them to Britain, King Arthur and the Dark Ages.
Author Fiona Ingram is proud to announce the release of her new action-packed adventure novel The Search for the Stone of Excalibur (published by Biblio Publishing).
Continuing the adventure that began in Egypt a few months prior in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, cousins Adam and Justin Sinclair are hot on the trail of the second Stone of Power, one of seven ancient stones lost centuries ago. This stone might be embedded in the hilt of a newly discovered sword that archaeologists believe belonged to King Arthur: Excalibur.
“The spectral figure drew his sword from its scabbard and held it aloft. It seemed to Adam that he saw every detail with strangely magnified clarity. It was the same sword from the museum, but it looked so different now. The metal gleamed with a peculiar bluish sheen. Curious characters embossed the length of the blade. At the top, just under the crossguard, was a small circle with a seven-pointed star inside it. Sparkling gems decorated the hilt and pommel, with two dragons’ heads facing inward on the crossguard. The stone between the dragons’ open mouths glowed brilliant red. Suddenly, a fiery, almost blinding light shot from the stone, dazzling him. The white horse reared on its hindquarters. The radiant beam lit up the forest as the warrior whirled the blade around his head several times.”
Book extras include some historical background on King Arthur, the Dark Ages, warfare and weaponry during Arthur’s time, and details on Excalibur. A fascinating peek into the life and times of the real King Arthur, perfect for young time travelers and budding archaeologists.
2015 Children’s Literary Classics Award Seal of Approval and finalist
2015 Children’s Literary Classic Silver Medal (Pre-teen & Tween)
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1622492188
B&N(Kindle): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-search-for-the-stone-of-excalibur-fiona-ingram/1120452451?ean=2940046210439
Fiona Ingram (B.A., Hons. (Natal), M.A., (Wits)) was born and educated in South Africa, and has worked as a full-time journalist and editor. Her interest in ancient history, mystery, and legends, and her enjoyment of travel has resulted in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, the first in her exciting children’s adventure series—Chronicles of the Stone. Fiona is busy with Book 3 entitled The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper.
FIRST SENTENCE {The Second Adventure Begins}: "Oh my gosh!" Justin said in utter disbelief.
MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 53}: A statuesque woman of about sixty, draped in many brightly colored, floating shawls, surged into the room like a galleon in full sail. Pandora Brocklehurst flung off her shawls, revealing a plump body encased in shiny purple fabric. Her hair had clusters of dyed feathers attached to the brim with an enormous jeweled pin. A large red handbag landed on the floor with a thump as the lady tossed it carelessly aside.
SOURCE: Received for review from Virginia S Grenier. Director, St. George Book Festival.
MY THOUGHTS: Feeling the author had done a great job in capturing the essentials of book one, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, (sadly only available in digital format) I felt able to jump straight into this, the second book in the series, albeit with some regret that I had not joined cousins, Justin and Adam, from the off.
Its no mean feat to pull off good character development along with an exciting plot that is able to hold the attention of both young and not so young aficionados of adventurous epics and yet Ms Ingram does so with some skill.
And yet I do have some slight reservations. Physically, because of its size, very cumbersome to hold (yes, even for my adult hands). At 360 or so pages and with some fairly involved sub-plots that arguably could have been shortened (perhaps some of them left out all together?) I did have my concerns that this might be a tad too long for some of its younger readers (its intended market is those aged ten and up) and yet, having said that, not short on excitement, it is an achievable read and certainly one well worth the time spent doing so.
13 comments:
These aren't normally my kind of books, but this one definitely sounds intriguing. I just wanted to pop in and say hello. Hope all is well your way! Happy Wednesday! :)
I saw this book on the World of Ink Network book tour page. I was curious about it. It's nice to read your review of it. It sounds like it's a well-written book!
Thank you so much for a really lovely review. Much appreciated. Yes, the publisher and I were both a bit worried about the book size, but another review site came up with a great suggestion which we will incorporate when publishing Book 3: The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper (more excitement as the trio find themselves stranded in the Mexican jungle...).
Congrats, Fiona!! Lots of awards and commendations there. Sounds like the book will do very well!
Good to hear the characters were well done as well as exciting plot
I don't usually read books written for this age range, but this one looks great! I love stories with Arthurian legend in them.
I did read a YA book last month that you might enjoy: The Book Without Words by AVI.
Oh my gosh! This sounds like an awesome read.
I can see wanting it to be more closely edited, but I think younger kids can get into a longer book, especially if read by a parent. This does sound interesting and I have to admit, I'd rather have a longer book as long as it doesn't get too bogged down by detail. Brilly review!
I love all the elements from mystery, history to myth and adventure. It sounds like one to read at bedtime with a reader.
This sounds like a lot of fun for folks of all ages.
360 pages does seem a little long for the age group. On the other hand I think that I liked longer books when I was around that age.
Sounds like despite its size and length, it turned out well after all. Great review!
This does sound long for the recommended age group, but also like it is full of action enough to carry one's attention. This sounds like a fun series.
Sounds like an interesting book. I understand where you're coming from, Tracy, regarding the sub-plots which might have been trimmed. I find my patience towards longer stories (especially children's stories) rather tight these few years.
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