Abandoned and alone, thirteen-year-old Joe’s world is shattered when he enters a deserted council house and becomes trapped within a labyrinth protecting the last magical places on earth. There, Joe discovers a book charting this immense no-man’s land, without time or place, its thirteen doors each leading to a different realm. Hunted by sinister foes, the boy is forced ever deeper into both the … both the maze and the mystery of his missing parents. What will he find at the labyrinth’s centre, and can it reunite him with the family he so desperately needs?
Crossing through diverse landscapes from Victorian Britain to fifties New Orleans, The Stranger’s Guide to Talliston is inspired by the internationally famous house and gardens dubbed ‘Britain’s Most Extraordinary Home’ by the Sunday Times. It is a classic YA tale of adventure that introduces readers to an otherworld hiding in plain sight, cloaked in magic and steeped in imagined history. Yet beyond its fearsome huntsmen and battling magicians dwells the secret that lies within all of us – the power to live extraordinary lives.
Every copy of The Stranger’s Guide to Talliston includes one entry to the Golden Key to Talliston Grand Draw. Every year there is to be a grand draw to award the fabled Golden Key to Talliston to one fortunate child and their guardian. This will be determined by lottery at 12:00 midday on 6th October and include a private and exclusive holiday inside the magical house and gardens featured in this book.more
We begin as all stories do…with foreshadowing of bigger things to come while we try to outrun the current situation we’re in. Here, we’ve a young lad nervously awaiting his parents return after an ambush in the woods and explicit instructions were issued for him to GO, STAY, and WAIT. Well, can you guess how THAT turned out? Yeah…probably…but in truth, it wasn’t completely his fault. Things got out of hand, and when he ran, he HAD to run; he just didn’t know the open arms he was running into belonged to a mysterious house that seemed ordinary enough, and yet was beyond ordinary to the umpteenth degree! What happens after he crosses over the gate, the people he meets, the places he goes…are beyond explanation, but not comprehension. It’s a place where the past, present, and future are somewhat fluid, and yet there is a method to the seemingly unending madness that circles within. There are puzzles to solve, souls to save, friends to make, and hearts to break, but above all, there’s the truth of YOU to discover (or rather the truth of those within the tale…maybe…but then again)…and once the maze’s path is seen for the treasures it holds, there’s no turning back.
By book’s end, I felt like I had traversed seven worlds and the great beyond…and I regretted nothing! Well, okay…so maybe I would have liked to see a little more detail in some areas when different lands/times were being explored, but yeah…it would have definitely needed to be made into two or more books to dive in that deeply. Then again, I wouldn’t have complained about having more time in this world! Joe was an amazing lead, even when he wasn’t so much leading as being guided, and traversing the many lands of the labyrinth with him while uncovering the truth of the lessons he was discovering made this journey one to remember.
**ebook received for review; opinions are my own
I can’t say enough good things about this book. It was an adventure, a journey into the unknown and an effortless piece of story telling that weaved wonder and magic into every chapter. The story of Joe and his adventures in the mystical place called Talliston is unique, incredibly detailed and researched and in reading this, I learnt so much about the world around us and how we can see it in a truly different light. You can tell the author has lived this story, has passion in his soul and has brought it to fruition in a fabulous piece of work. The fact this house actually exists and you can visit it, is mind blowing. Guess where I’ll be journeying to because to see the story come to life by visiting the actual place it was set can only be the ultimate adventure for anyone. Congratulations to John for writing such an epic piece of magical fiction and I can’t wait for the next book. At least, I hope there is a next one!!