The Stone Crown

by Malcolm Walker

This book offers an unusual mix of compelling contemporary narrative juxtaposed and intertwined with a lyrical Arthurian tale. Emlyn and Maxine are both newcomers, both misfits in their own way. But their lives are linked and their paths destined to cross in ways that neither can begin to imagine. Drawn to the ancient site known as Sleeper's Spinney, Emlyn and Maxine unleash an unearthly power when they unwittingly remove one of a group of wooden horsemen hidden beneath the earth. Containing the trapped spirits of Arthur and his men, the carvings have been held in check since the Dark Ages by a long line of Keepers, the McCrossans. With the Keepers prepared to stop at nothing to recover what has been stolen, Emlyn and Maxine are drawn into a parallel world of myth, magic and the supernatural. Arthur is awake - and he is no revered, grey-bearded king come back to save the Isles. Its thrilling climax sees a race against time as Emlyn and Maxine try to destroy the figures before Arthur and his guard are let loose and released into the world of twenty-first century Scotland.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Arthurian

509 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Malcolm Walker is a fantasy author from South Australia whose main interest lies in young adult literature. The Australian edition of his debut novel, The Stone Crown, was published in May 2008 and is coming out in the UK November 2009 and has been described as a mix of compelling contemporary narrative intertwined with a lyrical Arthurian tale.

Malcolm was born near Dartford, outside London. His family moved around a fair bit when he was a child and he learnt to rely on his imagination, books, and developed an insatiable curiosity about his surroundings. His older brother’s tales of Kenya and Cyprus fed his interest in exotic places, exploration and what was to become an abiding interest in maps and geography. At fifteen he entered the work force, moving around from job to job - boy-soldier, clerk, door-to-door salesman - but always in the background was a profound desire to travel and in 1973 he set off across Europe and Asia with an old school friend on what was called the Hippy Trail. He was heading for Australia. Not because he was fascinated by the country itself - he knew remarkably little about it - but because it was, apart from New Zealand, the most distant point on the map where English was spoken. Away from Britain for nearly five years, he had various adventures in Central and South America, where he taught English in Peru and Brazil, before a deep longing to see his family catapulted him back to Europe. He re-entered England in style, having hitched a ride in a Rolls Royce with the bodyguard of an Arab prince.

Malcolm lives in Adelaide with his family. He holds a PhD from the University of Adelaide, where he taught English and film until a few years ago. He’s now retired. Currently he’s working on an alternate history/fantasy trilogy for adults. For more information about him or the novel, visit www.malcolmwalker.com.au

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emlyn, a teenage boy searching for answers, teams up with Max, a street wise girl who thinks she has them all. Together they unwittingly unleash an ancient power that has existed in a parallel universe, a power that has been kept at bay by generations of keepers.
Meddling with the unknown becomes deadly when they take what is not theirs and place themselves and others in appalling danger. All the confidence and brashness of youth tangles with ancient savagery and a bind which has held a family in trow for many hundreds of years.

This is a powerful and insightful fantasy adventure with warts and all believable characters, written for young adults by a new author to watch!

[Seregil of Rhiminee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked The Stone Crown very much, because it was an entertaining and well written fantasy book for young adults. It began like many other YA books, but gradually the plot began to develop and the book became very interesting and unputdownable. It was nice to read an original and fascinating YA fantasy book for a change.

In my opinion Malcolm Walker has managed to write a good book, because he doesn't underestimate the intelligence of his readers. Many YA writers tend to emphasize certain things too much in their books, but not Malcolm Walker – he trusts that his readers can think certain things for themselves. He handled some contemporary things in his books and he did it well – for example references to mental illness and drug abuse were handled exceptionally well.

The main characters (Emlyn and Maxine) were interesting and realistic characters – in my opinion they were just like normal teenagers, because the writer described both characters in a realistic way. I thought it was great that Emlyn was a nature photographer, because it's difficult to find nature photographers in fantasy books.

Malcom Walker used Scottish accent in dialogues (he used words like "nae" and "mebbe"). I thought it was nice that he decided to use Scottish accent, because it added realism to the book. I admit that at first it was a bit awkward to read these words, but once I got used to them, they didn't bother me much.

This book contained several short chapters, which were told from the viewpoint of Cei, King Arthur's sargeant-at-arms. I enjoyed reading them, because they added a lot of depth and style to the story. These chapters were charmingly magical and well written. I think that everybody who likes to read stories about King Arthur will find these chapters interesting, because this book is a contemporary reworking of the Arthurian legend.

The supernatural elements were handled in a good way. The irresistible blend of mystery, adventure and young adult themes made me want to read this book as soon as possible.

ImageThis book contained two detailed maps of Yeaveburgh, the Scottish village. These maps were excellent, because all the places were marked well.

I can highly recommend The Stone Crown to young adults, because it's a good and exciting fantasy book. This book blends contemporary youth issues and historical fantasy quite successfully – I think that YA readers will enjoy reading this book. I also think that many adults will like this book.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book written for secondary students. Malcolm Walker was a lecturer in English at Adelaide University and was doing this as a PhD thesis. Yes, there is an aspect of young adult fiction about it but it is still a well written tale with characters well drawn. It develops a plot around the interaction between King Arthur and a modern day family on the Scottish border. This family has a connection with the Arthurian legends. The book has atmosphere, builds tension and creates an involvement because the detail is well thought out. I enjoyed it and an adult version would have been preferable for me but this one is pretty good as a diverting, well constructed read.

[Guy Carney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A page-turner in which ghosts of a dark past break into the lives of two teenagers. The result is a dangerous adventure against magical and human forces.

[Ink .]

Wasn't what I expected at all. It was enjoyable, but I was hoping for more Arthur. And having read the first few chapters, I expected Evil!Arthur and Merlin... which I didn't get.

[Tampines House]

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