The first chapter of this book really grabbed me. The rest of it held me in its ruthless grip. And now I eagerly look forward to the rest of the "Stoneheart Trilogy," of which this is the first book.

It begins with a school trip to a London museum, and a lonely, frustrated boy named George. George is having trouble fitting in. He misses his Dad (who is dead). He doesn't see much of his mother either (she's an actress). An encounter with a bullying classmate and a heavy-handed teacher pushes George into a rebellious mood, and he takes it out on a stone dragon's head carved on the front of the museum. The next thing he knows, George is running for his life, chased by gargoyles, dragons, salamanders, and other images graven in the form of beasts and monsters.

All this could be confusing, but if he wants to survive George mustn't dwell on his confusion. For he has fallen into another London, a world below or beside the world most of us see. In this under-London, statues can walk, talk, and even kill. The good ones, shaped like people, are called spits, and they have something akin to a human soul. The bad ones, called taints, have nothing inside but a ravenous hunger. The taints of London are after George's blood, and he has only a night and a day to atone for the crime that started it all.

George is joined by a heroic statue of an army gunner, and a girl named Edie who has her own powers and problems. No one else can see the statues moving, stalking, and fighting over George. As he searches for answers to what he must do to end his danger, George deals with creatures that straddle the line between spit and taint, between good and evil - and an enemy of flesh and blood who would willingly sacrifice George's chances of survival in order to free himself from a curse.

Besides being a thrilling adventure full of magic, menace, mystery, and non-stop, high-speed action, this novel abounds in something too many others lack: novelty. If sheer excitement doesn't excite you, perhaps originality does. This book brings it, in a way that instantly seized and constantly held my attention. I read many books every year, but only a few of them take me to places I have never seen before - and make me eager to visit them again. If you want to visit that London, this book is your ticket. If you want a return trip, you'll have to wait for Book Two of the trilogy, titled Ironhand.

Robbie Fischer
USA

Recommended Age: 12+

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