Sunday, October 29, 2006

Endymion Spring

Skelton, Matthew. 2006. Endymion Spring.

I must confess that ENDYMION SPRING is a book I so thoroughly enjoyed that I'm not sure I can do it justice in a review. It is often the best books that defy brief summary and introduction. Set in Oxford, the plot centers around a mysterious book and its various possessors. In present day England, the book is discovered by a young boy, Blake Winters. Following Blake around is his quirky sister Duck who can sometimes be perceived as overwhelmingly precocious. (But underneath it all is a sweet, vulnerable girl with good intentions.) A team of professors, professors' wives, a homeless man, and a librarian also work their way into the plot line as the mystery unfolds. But the story does not unfold in the present alone, the past is weaved integrally into the storyline. Telling this story is Endymion Spring a young apprentice to Guternberg. Endymion befriends another apprentice, Peter, whose master Fust is very mysterious indeed. His precious treasure is the secret behind it all.

Endymion Spring is a fantasy novel weaving the historical, mythological, and literary into a grand portrait of humanity at its best and worst. Drawing on biblical themes such as forbidden fruit, knowledge of good and evil, etc. the novel is rich and inviting to readers of all ages.

When reviewing a mystery, one finds it hard to decide how much is too much information to share to entice readers to pick up the book. I hesitate to describe the journey more because I would hate to spoil any of the surprises along the way. But I would encourage those who love fantasy OR those who love long books that you can sink yourself into to pick up Endymion Spring and discover the magic yourself.

Random House Authors: Matthew Skelton

Brief Bio of Matthew Skelton

A newspaper article about Matthew Skelton and Endymion Spring

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