Review, buy Science Fiction & Fantasy: Crossover (Star Trek: The Next Generation), "Star Trek VIII": First Contact (Star Trek), A Broken Song (Tomorrow People), Star Trek Generations, Fatal Consequences (Sarah Jane Smith), Elric Volume 1: Elric Of Melnibone: Elric of Melnibone v. 1 (Elric), Code to Zero, The Light of Other Days, Disney "Alice in Wonderland" (Read to Me Book and CD), Beyond the Deepwoods, The Fellowship of the Ring full cast dramatisatipn, The Invisible Boy (CD), Gallifrey 3.5 - Panacea (Doctor Who S.), The Saint of Dragons, Lord of the Rings: Two Towers Vol 2 (BBC Radio Collection), Alone (Tomorrow People), The Boy Who Could Fly (CD), The Runes Of The Earth (CD), Tersias, Robert E. Howard's Weird Works Volume 1: Shadow Kingdoms: Shadow Kingdoms v. 1 (Weird Works of Robert E. Howard)

Here is a tale of fantastic lands at the edge of the world, where certain rocks float in the air and the feared Deepwoods are crowded with extraordinary trees and creatures. Paul Stewart tells the story with considerable input from Chris Riddell's copious and wonderfully detailed line drawings of fabulous creatures, often reminiscent of Tenniel's or Mervyn Peake's grotesques. Overall the narrative has a familiar shape, as the young lad Twig who's been raised by woodtrolls learns that his destiny lies elsewhere, and blunders off through the Deepwoods to find teeming horrors, unexpected friends, comic menaces, enslavement as a pet, his true parentage, and the nature of his feared nemesis the Gloamglozer. It's all told with joyously inventive relish, and the cavalcade of life never slows: sky pirates, smelly halitoads, hover worms, slaughterers, hammelhorns, caterbirds, skullpelts, bloodoaks, gyle goblins and their Grossmother, spindlebugs, milchgrubs, banderbears, wig-wigs resembling carnivorous tribbles, the very disgusting rotsucker, and more-each illustrated in loving detail. Though generally reviewed as a novel for children (like Stewart's previous books), Beyond the Deepwoods is more grown-up than many a routine "adult" fantasy series, and has the kind of compulsive readability that makes Harry Potter a treat for older readers too. Twig's saga, "The Edge Chronicles", continues in Stormchaser. - David Langford.

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The Fellowship of the Ring full cast dramatisatipn (BBC Worldwide)

Authors

J R R Tolkien

Publication date: 2002

Review The Fellowship of the Ring full cast dramatisatipn / BBC Worldwide:

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The Invisible Boy (CD) (Orion)

Authors

Sally Gardner

Creator: Andrew Sachs
Publication date: 2004-05-06
RRP: ~~£5.99~~
Price: £0.01

Review The Invisible Boy (CD) / Orion:

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Gallifrey 3.5 - Panacea (Doctor Who S.) (Big Finish Productions Ltd)

Authors

Alan Barnes

Publication date: 2006-08-01
RRP: ~~£10.99~~
Price: £4.98

Review Gallifrey 3.5 - Panacea (Doctor Who S.) / Big Finish Productions Ltd:

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Review Collins Audio / The Saint of Dragons

The Saint of Dragons (Collins Audio)

Authors

Jason Hightman

Creator: Jamie Glover
Edition: Abridged Ed
Publication date: 2004-09-06
RRP: ~~£12.99~~
Price: £7.53

Review The Saint of Dragons / Collins Audio:

Hightman's debut novel for children is an ambitious fantasy adventure that is always pacy, never dull, and consistently interesting. Imagine waking up one day to find that you are descended from an ancient line of dragonhunters? That's exactly what happens to Simon St. George in The Saint of Dragons and how he goes about adjusting to his new existence is the stuff of great entertainment. Simon's life at the Lighthouse School for Boys, an elite and expensive academy for children whose parents want them to have the best education-at the greatest possible distance away-is humdrum and always has been. He is therefore shocked and amazed, and a little bit peeved, when a scruffy man turns up one night claiming to be the father he has never seen and kidnaps him. Aldric St George is a descendant of St George the Dragon Slayer and his family have been eliminating the vestiges of dragonkind, now cunningly disguised amongst the human population of earth, for generations. Simon is sceptical-but his first encounter with a dragon soon brings the reality of his new life into sharp relief. Father and son venture to many different lands, Italy, France, Russia and China, to try and thwart a great gathering of dragons intent on executing an unthinkable disastrous experiment. It's comic book stuff, but it is all nevertheless page-turningly addictive. There are some great action sequences and lots of heart-stopping drama. [+]

Hightman's book is typical of a whole canon of magical fantasy adventures that are around today and competing with the Harry Potter generation of young readers. What it lacks in literary prowess, it more than makes for in the wholehearted gusto and energy of its story and in its telling. A thoroughly engaging first novel, with a sequel already in the pipeline. (Age 10 and over) -John McLay.

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