***GUEST REVIEW *** MUNGO***

We are honoured to have the following guest review from Mungo

Lottie the Half Vampire by Valinora Troy

A review, by Mungo, DNOTY 2006

It is strange to see Valinora Troy’s name associated with something other than The Lucky Diamond, but it is true, your eyes have not deceived you. Lottie the Half Vampire is the first book in her new children’s series and, like those annoying wood preservative ads on the television; it does exactly what it says on the tin. This book introduces Lottie, a preteen human girl who lives with her widowed mother, older sister and West Highland White terrier, a perfectly ordinary girl it would seem, except that her father is a vampire. Not that Lottie knows that. This book is well written, as you might expect, and there are plenty of genuinely scary and suspenseful moments. Lottie is likeable, for a girl, and while it is a human-centric tale, the animals are represented in the form of her dog, Mac, and a large white cat that stalks her.

Now, this leads to the only gripe I have with this novel, and it is a big one. This massive white cat has magical powers, is malevolent and is pretty cool, except for his name. He is called Ungom. Now, any one with any sense will realise that only a creature of light could have a name with such a delightful choice of letters, no matter what the arrangement. This must mean that Ungom is either 1. An agent for good in disguise or 2. Valinora Troy made a serious mistake in naming the character. Of course, it couldn’t be the latter, in which case I look forward to future titles to discover how Ungom’s secret scheme unfolds.

LEAF - In Search of Ramune ***Guest Review***

A review of Leaf

By Drakles

Leaf is the first book written by Judge Mungo (who is also Nodpot of the year 2006 and an award winning actor).

It is the story of Leaf, a monkey who lives in Arborea, which is a lovely happy place but lacking in the excitement and adventure that Leaf craves. However, things change for him when he witnesses a brutal slaying, his best friend, Rainbow, is kidnapped and he is given an urgent quest which, if left undone, will lead to the destruction of the Kingdom.

So there is Leaf, alone in a strange hostile world, with no idea where he is heading, where they’ve taken Rainbow, indeed, with nothing except unbounded confidence in himself and a bag of strange fruits given him by a dying bear. And so his adventures begin and Leaf, true to his brave resourceful nature, is not too fazed by all the strange, exciting, dangerous and near impossible situations he finds himself in.

Rainbow, after her initial trauma, seems to have landed on her feet a bit more than Leaf, but this is deceptive and it turns out she is just as deeply embroiled in danger. So the fate of the whole kingdom rests on the slender (and shapely) shoulders of the 2 little Arborean monkeys.

This is an excellent book. Extremely well written, it engages the whole attention of the reader from the word Go. The characters are all endearing, the adventure is engrossing and the kingdom captivating. There is never a dull moment in the kaleidoscope of magic and colour that is Leaf.

Suitable for toys of any age, it will also be appreciated by humans, young and old alike. Finally there are some great minor characters, the best being a wonderful pig and duck, who really deserve a book of their own.

THE LUCKY DIAMOND *** GUEST REVIEW***

Our latest guest review is by Geri Valentine, well known children's writer and author of the St Brigid's series.





She recently read The Lucky Diamond by Valinora Troy, and this is what she had to say about it:


A review of The Lucky Diamond

By Geri Valentine

I would highly recommend this book to everyone who likes a really good adventure story well told.

I don’t want to give anything away, so I will merely say that it is about what happens to five orphan children in a world that is different to ours, but as it develops it is hard to put the book down.

Well written and original in its concept and plot, with a very good ending which is quite unexpected too.

V. Troy writes extremely well and one looks forward to more of her work.

24 HOURS ***Guest Review ***

A Review of 24 Hours

By Michele Murphy

24 Hours is the first book written by Iserie Valult (a Preston Child type combo of Iseult Murphy – The Moonwolf Chronicles, 7 Days in Hell etc. and Valinora Troy – The Lucky Diamond, Black Rabbit Island, etc.). It is a sci fi futuristic thriller, but mainly just a thriller – that is, a non stop action, page turning, cliff hanging, who’s getting the chop next kind of thriller.

A group of travellers are on a space shuttle to Oilers city when their shuttle stops for a refuelling on the deserted planet of Ely with its two suns and non-interrupted views of uninhabitable desert. There, in the glaring suns, the shuttle is stolen, by a ruthless killer, escaped convict and master of disguises leaving the passengers to the tender mercies of the refueller and his daughter – both slightly (and charmingly) other worldly and eccentric. So far so good, they only have to wait 24 hours (albeit in relatively primitive surroundings) for another shuttle. Except strange things start happening… of course strange things start happening.

First of all the vicious killer crashes the shuttle, why? He is seriously injured but the killings go on. Why? And then the dead bodies disappear… and the body count rises… and soon it’s not safe inside and its not safe outside and it’s not even safe when the new shuttle comes…

Of course, in keeping with the genre, there is something decidedly fishy about a lot of the passengers – each has his or her agenda which prevents full disclosure and honesty which ultimately makes it worse for them.

There’s nothing much more I can say about the plot without giving a lot away. As a plot it’s nothing special although it’s very good – it’s tight, it’s fast moving and it resolves fairly satisfactorily. While I would have preferred a little more plot, it’s certainly adequate. It’s a thriller that relies more on the ‘inescapable menace’ factor and the ‘we’re all trapped in the dark’ factor rather than twists and turns and surprises. Not to say that there aren’t twists and turns and surprises, there are, and they are well spaced and nicely timed but they don’t drive the plot.

I had the privilege to read the original version, written in tandem by the authors in little more than 24 hours and I have to say this impressed me tremendously. Each of the 2 writers wrote alternative chapters without reading the intervening ones. In reading the book, you will not notice this, it is seamless. In fact it reads like one author only and I think that is an amazing achievement. The characters are great, very deftly drawn, they live from the minute they grace the page. Even the quick sketches of the first victims breathe enough humanity for the reader to feel pity at their demise.

I also love the world created, again it is very deftly done, just a few throw away lines and comments but it lives – completely believable and easily imagined. In fact a world which hints as being multi-dimensional and interesting but never dominating the characters or situation.

In conclusion, 24 hours is a rattling good yarn but with more, great writing, characters you want to know more about and a fascinating world.