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Endymion Spring
by Matthew Skelton
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About This Book
ISBN13: 9780385733809 |
Powells.com Staff Pick
Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press; Endymion, his apprentice;
a special book found by a special boy at Oxford; a centuries-old secret and a modern day mystery: Matthew Skelton has baked this simple list of ingredients into a sublime literary confection.
Recommended by Carla, Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
"You've stumbled on to something much larger than you can possibly imagine."
In the dead of night, a cloaked figure drags a heavy box through snow-covered streets. The chest, covered in images of mythical beasts, can only be opened when the fangs of its serpent's-head clasp taste blood.
Centuries later, in an Oxford library, a boy touches a strange book and feels something pierce his finger. The volume is blank, wordless, but its paper has fine veins running through it and seems to quiver, as if it's alive. Words begin to appear on the page — words no one but the boy can see.
And so unfolds a timeless secret...
Review:
"An enchanted blank book — one that reveals its secrets, but 'only for those with eyes to see them' — lies at the center of Skelton's ambitious first novel, which unfolds through two alternating narratives. The first, set in the present, follows young Blake, whose mother is a visiting academic at Oxford. One day he runs his finger across the spines of some books in the Bodleian Library, and one volume '[strikes] him back.' The book's title, 'Endymion Spring,' begins to appear before his eyes, and he opens the cover only to find the contents blank — save for a riddle-like poem. The second thread of the tale, set in 15th-century Germany, is narrated by Endymion Spring, a boy serving as apprentice to the great Gutenberg, who is hard at work on his printing press. Gutenberg, eager for money to fund his Bible-printing project, strikes a deal with the 'ruthless' Fust, who travels with a locked chest, adorned with gruesome imagery. Its hidden treasure represents a mystery with ties to both Blake's blank book and to Eden. With it, Fust seeks to create a book that will contain 'all the secrets of the universe.' Skelton's fiction breathes excitement into real history, as he exploits the fact that Johann Fust, Gutenberg's real-life patron, has been identified with Faust (as explained to Blake by a professor and to readers in an endnote). Riddles galore, a great cliffhanger and a film deal with Warner Bros. should generate plenty of excitement for this literary thriller; book lovers in particular will savor its palpable whiff of musty shelves and dusty volumes. Ages 12-up." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:
"Endymion Spring may give Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code a run for its money....It is unputdownable." The Irish Independent
Review:
"Though the pulse-racing descent into Oxford's subterranean library stacks is thrilling, not every reader will respond to the novel's scholarly atmosphere....Once the buzz surrounding this heavily promoted fantasy subsides, look for it primarily in the hands of bibliophiles who enjoyed Cornelia Funke's Inkheart." Booklist
Review:
"Even if the promise of the clearly intriguing premise is not quite fulfilled, this book is certain to reach an audience looking for a page-turner, and it just might motivate readers to explore the true facts behind the fiction." School Library Journal
Review:
"Like the snake clasp on the book, this story will grip readers who are fans of Cornelia Funke's Inkspell and Philip Pullman's Golden Compass....[T]he story is compelling, and junior high students who enjoy this genre will welcome this entry." VOYA
Review:
"[A] sweet ode to the written word and an exciting tale of intrigue, damnation, and the book to end all books....It's well-written, interesting, and with such an honest love of both books and the places where one can read them that it makes for a truly enjoyable experience." FuseNumber8
Review:
"There are some undeniably intriguing ideas, but it is the back story that is far more gripping and tightly written....I have a sneaky suspicion that Endymion Spring could make a far better film than it does a book..." Philip Ardagh, The Guardian (U.K.)
About the Author
Matthew Skelton was born in England and grew up in Canada. He has a Ph.D. in English Literature from Oxford University. Endymion Spring is his debut novel. The author lives in the UK and Canada.
What Our Readers Are Saying
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Average customer rating based on 3 comments:
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Bonnie Palmer, December 13, 2007 (view all comments by Bonnie Palmer)
Do you remember That One Book from your youth? You know the one I mean: the one that did more than just narrate an adventure story about virtuous characters vanquishing dastardly villains; the one that actually taught you that reading could be a miraculous adventure in and of itself; the one that almost single-handedly made you into the ardent reader you are today. In his debut novel, Matthew Skelton presents a children’s book with the faintly familiar storyline of a quest by a modern boy for an ancient object that will yield a significant historical secret--a powerful object which must of course be kept from those who would use its secret for evil purposes. But Endymion Spring’s real charm is as an homage to That One Book that made a reader of you, and to the delightful world of books that followed. This novel deftly weaves together the history of printing, the value of libraries as repositories of the written word, and the obsessive acquisitiveness that drives the book collector in his hunt for elusive quarry. It is also a fine kids’ book that tackles a child’s fears of family disintegration, sibling rivalry with a favored child, and the indescribable joy of finding That One Book that awakens one’s interest in the pleasures and the possibilities of the literary. Buy it for a young person who is teetering at the edge of the literary cosmos, or for yourself to relive falling into that marvelous universe.
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Aimee Ford, May 9, 2007 (view all comments by Aimee Ford)
This book came highly recommended to me and I can only do the same. The dual plots are so believable that I (at age 46) was completely able to immerse myself in that world and escape this one for a little while. Read it! Read it!
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mamasan41, November 8, 2006 (view all comments by mamasan41)
Take the phone off the hook, do not answer the door, pretend you have the flu for a week, so you can stay home, propped up in bed, reading this book and drinking hot tea.! This book is for the child dwelling in all of us, no matter what age we are. If you pick out my name, I would like to have a copy of this book for my own, as I borrowed this book from a friend, and had to give it back. Thank you so much. This is a perfectly lovely site!
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Product Details
- ISBN:
- 9780385733809
- Author:
- Publisher:
- Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers
- Author:
- Author:
- Subject:
- Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
- Subject:
- Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories
- Subject:
- Fantasy - General
- Copyright:
- 2006
- Publication Date:
- August 22, 2006
- Binding:
- Hardcover
- Language:
- English
- Illustrations:
- Y
- Pages:
- 392
- Dimensions:
- 928x644x126 157
- Age Level:
- 12-17
