Endymion Spring

by Matthew Skelton, Wiebe Buddingh' (Translator)

Endymion speelt zich af in het hedendaagse Oxford en in het Duitsland van 1450, aan de vooravond van de uitvinding van de boekdrukkunst. De jonge drukkersleerling Endymion ontdekt een mysterieuze kist met sloten die lijken op slangenkoppen, met tanden die volgens de overlevering giftig zouden zijn. Als hij de koppen aanraakt snijdt hij zich aan de tanden en door het bloed gaat de kist open. In de kist huist een geheim dat meer dan vijf eeuwen bewaard zal blijven totdat een eenzame jongen met de naam Blake het per ongeluk weer ontdekt. Dat is het begin van een zoektocht naar kennis en macht die de mensheid op de rand van de afgrond brengt.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Childrens, Middle Grade

320 pages, Hardcover

First published August 22, 2006

About the author

Matthew Skelton was born in the UK but spent most of his childhood in Canada. He started writing while working as a teaching assistant at the University of Mainz, continued when he came back to Oxford to work as a research assistant. In 2002 he won Richard and Judy's short story competition. Endymion Spring is his first novel.

Reviews

[Stjepan Cobets · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this book, I went back to my childhood when I read the book because I was fascinated with an interesting story in the book. This book has a magical story that draws us into the magical world of old books, the world that is so fascinating. The book begins with a strange chest by the city of Mainz in a snowstorm. This chest is kept secret because that will confront good and evil. One part of the story in the book follows the chest in the year 1452, and the second part of the story in the book follows a boy Blake and his younger sister Duck. The boy Blake when viewing an old book found in the library of St. Jerome College in Oxford, he accidentally scraping the finger on a drab little book "Endymion Spring". Blake had a feeling that it is a book nibbled on purpose for his finger, but he still picked up from the table and began to study. Then notes on her little sharp buckle in the shape of a snake tooth to which the cut. But the boy was left disappointed when he opened the book because the pages were blank. The only thing that is noticed in the middle of the book is the mysterious poem that miraculously appeared on the page. Although he did not at that time know, this book has chosen him and dragged him into an adventure full of surprises. Blake revealing her secrets with her sister will soon realize that he is not the only one who wants that book. The shadows of evil looking a long time for the book, and his life will be in danger. This book will be definitely like child audience because it is full of hidden secrets and exploration of the unknown. This is a story about the book and its secrets hidden in the distant past. I honestly enjoyed it while I was reading.

[Benjamin Fife · Rating 3 out of 5]

In our family for over 10 years now, we've taken turns picking what book we read together every night. As such, we've read material as diverse as Jacques Lusseyran's And There Was Light, Hank the Cowdog, Seven Years in Tibet, Harry Potter, and even Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke.

One of our kids recently chose Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton. It was an interesting book, but having narrated a a good many self published books myself & listened to probably twice as many. Granted, there are a lot of really weak self published books out there, but in looking at how many ratings Endymion Spring has on Goodreads, (4,218) it is apparent that having your book published by a major publisher at least drives some sales of your book.

So why am I making these comparisons? The plot of this book is rather odd, disjointed, and not incredibly cohesive. Skelton essentially gives you 2 plots - one in the 1400's centering around Johann Gutenburg, the titular Endymion Spring, Fust (Faust) and others. The other plot centering around Blake Summers, his little sister affectionately known as Duck, and a cadre of adult professorish types including his mother, none of which are particularly likable in any way. In particular, its very hard to like his mother in this book. Really, the most lovable character is the mute Endymion Spring in the 1400's. But no one really has any character development to speak of.

Then there is Skelton's writing in general. Peppered throughout the modern day storyline are some rather bizarre similes and metaphors, such as "The silver coins glistened like gobs of spit on the ground," and others equally as odd. Some of them were slightly poetic, but my oldest daughter & I in particular as I was reading were again and again taken out of the narrative to comment on the odd imagery. It just felt out of place, almost every time he used them. Some of them would fit very well in a poem, but just not in a book. It felt - just - clunky. Some of them reminded me of a list of bad high school writing that included things like "the boat floated on the water exactly the way that a bowling ball wouldn't."

Also - Blake & his sister are supposed to be from America & having grown up there would not refer the their mother, also American, as 'Mum'. The amount of things in this book that made me and my kids think, "Huh?" was just a bit over the top.

The ending felt fairly contrived & more like, oh I've written a pile of stuff & I'd better end it. The 1400's plot line is just kind of left abandoned.

In 'narrating' the book for my kids, I did enjoy narrating the 1400's portion & brushing up my German accent. The other chapters that take place in Oxford, I at least was able to do a few different variations on British. But whenever an odd metaphor came up, things came to a halt as we discussed it.

Overall... I honestly wouldn't rate this book as high as a 3 without the 1400's section. That at least boosts it up to there. My recommendation is to pass on this one & try something more interesting. We followed it up with Murder on the Orient Express. I'll review that one soon too.

Happy reading!

Benny Fife Audio | Pick your genre

www.bennyfifeaudio.com

[Spencer Giles · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this book. The characterzation (sorry if i spelled it wrong) was terrible with Blake and was just confusing with books attacking him. None of it was explained expect a random book he just found out of no where (the bestiary) helped explain a random dragon he found outside his window. Also he thought random stuff that a reasonable person wouldn't like think he was drawn to this random book he just found and thought stuff like it was a genie doing the work. He also thought it was magic before any magic was introduced. He found random things he got from hobos that he thought was magic and was even fazed by it. He acctepted it immeditaly thats called being a crazy person. NO action was involved. He believes in everything he is told no hint of doubt. He gets attacked by flying books and still is not fazed at all. It was mostly talk. Endymion Spring saw something crazy and he stayed. fust would be fifteen times more evil if he attacked right then right now. It didn't make sense to me that he didn't do that.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not being a big fantasy fan, I initially had ambivalent feelings about reading this book. However,I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was captivating and intelligently written. I also liked how it was intertwined with the Gutenberg and the history of printing.
I found myself engrossed in this story that switches back and forth between Mainz, Germany, in 1453 and present day Oxford England. While reading, I empathized with the young character's predicaments in both time zones.

[Jackie Wadsworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok.

The book is two stories about the same thing, a book made of the most thing, beautiful paper.

The first part of the story is set in the 1400s, when the printing press was first invented. Endymion Spring is a mute orphan boy who has been taken in by the man running the printing company, who is looking at printing bibles for people, who have never been able to have one before.

The other part of the story is set now, in Oxford. Blake is a 12 year old boy who has moved to England from the USA while his parents try to sort their relationship by taking a break from each other. Blake has come to Oxford with his mum and sister, Duck (no idea why she is called that) for the autumn term as his mother is working on a book. He comes across a leather bound, blank book with Endymion Spring lopsidedly printed across the front.

The two stories run alongside each other, with Endymion making progress in the 1400s and Blake working from those discoveries and events 600 years later. Basically, the magical paper was a book that has been split up and Blake and Duck have to work together, and against the forces of evil, to get the book back together.

In the end they do so, and their parents also get back together and everyone lives happily ever after. More or less.

It was a children's book, so I wasn't expecting a deep or particularly heavy story, but even so, this was a bit...weird. There was the beginnings of a good story in there I think but it never quite got there for me. I did enjoy it, sort of, but perhaps I just didn't get it properly. I liked Blake, I didn't get the whole Duck thing, she was annoying. There was a sibling rivalry that Blake was bit thick and Duck, who was a few years younger, was really clever and her mother's favourite, when really Blake was clearly dyslexic. He loved books, he just couldn't read them. Duck could, it doesn't make her a better person. His mother was very dismissive of him because he wasn't "clever." Pissed me off a bit, but I think we were supposed to not like her.

Anyway. It didn't do a lot for me, so 2.5 stars (although I've given 3 because I can't do halves, and it seems a bit harsh to only give 2).

[Noriko · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time I picked up this book and read the synopsis, I thought it was a story about a boy who unleashed some sort of monster into his world! But I never expected it to be a book about a Book! Nonetheless, it was one which has links to the intruiging history of Fust and early book printing, libraries and dusty bookshops and Oxford. As a book-lover, I love the ideas which were conveyed in this story: dragon skin paper, a library-forest, a hurricane of book pages, a Book of knowledge... I even like the way the author writes the story and the little bits of detail he puts in to paint an image, even if it is a simple one.

I do have to agree at some point that the ending was rather swift and unfulfilling but nevertheless I enjoyed the book a great deal and I'm re-reading it for a third time now. I'd recommend this book to those who love the printed word as much as I do and the amazing power that a book has within its pages.

[Maddy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly this book took me more than a month to get through due to the slow pace. The beginning was moderate; it caught my attention. Then came the middle which I hardly enjoyed, there wasn't enough grip to it. The ending then came to become predictable. It's not that it was written badly it's just that it was not of my taste. It moved far too slowly and where as I enjoy demons and gore this book offered fantasy and wonder. Great read for those who enjoy fantasy but this book just wasn't for me.

[Lurva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it when I was ten

[J. Else · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. The author ties together different historical versions of the person known as Fust (believed to be "Faust"). Evil and its presence in the world is explored, and its meaning questioned. The storyline moves back and forth through time with the narrator's voice being in the past, yet it works surprisingly well to add tension and depth to the plot. The narrator is actually mute, but his thoughts are so vivid it gives him a strong voice. Wonderful dichotomy for the character. In its day, the printing press was thought of as "devilry" with printers' assistants being named as "devils." Such intersesting historical information is mixed into the story! I love the author's descriptive language. It paints a clear picture in a poetic form. "Mist clung to the trees on either side of the river like fragments of sleep, draping their silvery fronds in the murky water." It feels abstract and yet paints a clear picture in your mind! I also loved the tie in of leaf dragons living in trees who's skin contains properties of immortality and wisdom which has not been seen since Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. The book contains lots of intricacies in its plot that you do not notice while reading but draws the reader in further! There was an underlying theme of watching over family, but the family dynamic was so awkward it did not connect with me. I was completely turned off by the mother who showed next to no emotion towards her children. The family issues were messy throughout and then suddenly mopped up in the end. The parents were the most underdeveloped characters in the story and only seemed to be there to fill pages. I was disappointed in the family situation. Overall, though, the other characters were engaging and entertaining. I very much enjoyed the plot construction and journey of the book. Fantastic device (of using two time periods) to reveal the backstory and advance the plot at the same time!

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our family listened to this novel, geared toward transescents (middle schoolers), but viable for anyone who enjoys mysteries, book collecting or the Faust story, during a family road trip. My middle school aged daughter thought it would be a good story. She was right. We all enjoyed listening to the story as we drove. It reminded my of Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising" series and some of the books by John Bellairs. A ripping yarn about youth coming into the ongoing contest between evil and good and the complexity of human nature. I found myself intrigued by the allusions to Faust and the speculation on the basis for that legend as well as references to codices and early printed books.

The story begins in 15th century Germany featuring a business arrangement between Johann Gutenberg and a shadowy colleague named Fust. A key character is the young printer's devil, Endymion Spring. The plot runs back and forth between Fust's quest for arcane knowledge and power and present day Oxford where a scholar's children stumble upon an arcane book that is felt by some to be a key to secret knowledge and power.

Since I know people still entranced by legends of secret knowledge and interested in iterations of the Faust legend, I found the plot fascinating. I also found many of the characters engaging and entertaining in teasing out the mystery and legends related to the power of books and esoteric knowledge. The climactic action went over the top for my tastes, but overall I like the book. I enjoyed the author's telling of how the story came to him and how he put the book together.

[Arminzerella · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel weaves together two stories – one of Endymion Spring and one of Blake Winters. Endymion Spring is a printer’s devil (type-setter) for Gutenberg (the man who invented the printing-press). A man by the name of Furst comes into their lives with a strange chest sealed with a mysterious dragon lock that can only be opened with innocent blood. Endymion’s curiosity gets the better of him and he causes the chest to open and discovers the most wonderful paper inside. The paper, made from the hide of a special dragon, can reveal all knowledge to the one who can read it. Endymion steals a few of the pages and they transform into a book which begins to speak to him through its pages. He is forced to flee when Furst discovers the theft, and he takes the rest of the pages with him.

Many years later, the book chooses Blake Winters to be its guardian. It has long been sought after both by scholars and people hungry for power, and it puts Blake in great danger – Blake is only a boy. Blake is spending some time in Oxford with his mother who is studying Faust, and his younger sister, Duck, when the book literally leaps off a shelf in front of him in order to get his attention.

An intriguing concept, somewhat marred by the near-constant bickering between Blake and Duck, Endymion Spring is both mysterious and suspenseful. The book has the potential to be a really interesting artifact because it can communicate with its chosen person, but it rarely makes much of the opportunity and speaks in riddles. Also lacks the necessary depth and details to make it a truly rich reading experience.

[Alyssa Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Endymion Spring is a cute novel with a dual-story about two boys both connected to a magical book that contains basically all the knowledge you could ever want to know.

Throughout most of the novel, I was more intrigued by the back story than I was by the present-day story with Blake and his sister Ducky. This turned itself around near the end, but I would have liked to see some more of the black magic stuff that was presented so nicely with Endymion in the past.

The climax of Endymion Spring was brilliant. It was exciting, suspenseful, and I found myself biting my nails with worry for the characters. The resolution left a lot to be desired. Everything is magically tied up into a bow too quickly for my liking. There should have been more development of the Blake's parents and his family situation for the ending to work out.

I thought Easton's narration was very good. He captured the characters' voices and did a great job in continually making the transition from Endymion's story to Blake's story, which could have been confusing in audiobook format. I'm not exactly sure how he makes it work, but he does.

Overall, I would recommend this as a good read. It's interesting, suspenseful, and what self-respecting book lover doesn't love a good book about a secret, magical book? It's enjoyable for all ages, not just young adults.

Also posted on Purple People Readers.

[Arrash Mazdai · Rating 3 out of 5]

New Words Learnt- 14

Don't know whether this book should be read as a child or as an adult because the language and vocabulary are quite advanced, and some topics of the story might not be interesting for children (e.g. academia), but the protagonists are two young siblings and the story itself is quite simplistic, all of which creates a conflicting tone.

I liked the style and presentation of the story between 1450s Europe and modern-day Oxford. There were also parts of the story that were quite satisfying to read through. One part was exploring the hidden book vaults deep beneath Oxford. The writing was certainly interesting and I think it suited the book well. It also covered a part of history in which I'm interested in; early press-printing.

There was however, a lack of action throughout most of act 1 and 2, with the story's pace being very slow. I don't mind this normally, and it didn't spoil my experience here, but I had to put in the effort to finish this in a timely manner. Other people might find this book too boring and could find themselves in a reading slump. I also wasn't a big fan of Duck. I know she's supposed to be 10 or younger and therefore should act as an immature child but that doesn't change the fact I just don't like reading them.

No Dragon-O-Meter.

[Laura JC · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I bought this book because of its Oxford setting. The story is based loosely and creatively on the history of Gutenberg's printing press and is split between 1450s Germany and present-day England. I like some of the author's descriptions, such as "The cat curled like a comma round her feet." It was interesting to read about the Bodleian Library and other familiar Oxford landmarks, the Johann Faust of legend and the Dance of Death (Danse Macabre) of the Middle Ages.

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Literally nothing happened...

[Alex Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an odd but enjoyable little book. It was published in the mid-aughts and very much reminded me of the middle grade from my childhood, which was very nostalgic.

I wish there had been more time spent in the historical timeline. We really only got the bare minimum and I felt like the whole book would have been stronger if the history had been fully developed. As it was, the magic was a little half baked and some of the world building was underdeveloped. What we did get from the past felt kind of skimmed through, with relationships forming out of seemingly nowhere. It was frustrating because it could have been a lot stronger.

The writing was lovely and the characters were all nice to read about. I liked how developed their family relationships were and that was definitely what carried the book for me. It was a very fun quick read.

I'd highly recommend this if you like children's literature- especially of the magical book about books variety. It's not really my thing, but I could see this getting a lot of love from the right audience.

[Joanne van der Vlies · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I had opened a book that could not be closed, started a story that had no obvious conclusion. It was a tale in which I wanted to play no part."
•
Wow! I read this book and thought "wow that's creative!" (I had suspicions that some parts of it were based on actual history) but guess what I found out at the end of the book? 9/10 (of the historical parts) things have ACTUALLY happened!!
•
This is not a book I would usually pick up, but I came across it in a thrift store and couldn't resist it. I am so glad I bought it and I love it!!

[Connie53 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aardig Jeugd boek met een verhaal dat van 1450 naar het heden springt. Door middel van een betoverd boek dat in handen komt van de twaalfjarige Blake. Het lijkt een boek zonder woorden, maar Blake kan er af en toe een raadselachtig stukje tekst iets in lezen. Geholpen door zijn kleine, slimme en af en toe een beetje wijsneuzerige zusje Duck, gaat Blake op zoek naar de oplossing, maar er is ook een duister figuur die het boek in handen wil krijgen. Een 7, maar hier een 6.

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a re-read for me (or rather a re-listen). I'm on a kick now where anything related to Medieval Europe is automatically appealing. That being said, when I originally listened to this my rating would have been 4/5 stars, but the alternating POV, set centuries apart, didn't cause me to gush this go around. The story is well written and fascinating, and this rating is a reflection of the reader specifically, not necessarily the story itself.

[Juxhin Deliu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un romanzo di fantasia per giovani adulti, con tutti i crismi del filone, salvo per interessanti citazioni all'invenzione della stampa e al mito di Faust, senza mai però fare quel salto in più. Adatto per una gradevole lettura leggera e nulla più.

[Παναγιώτης Δεληγιάννης · Rating 1 out of 5]

Αίσχος

[Gillian Brownlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad listen, but I would have liked more connection between Blake and Endymion. Also, Blake's little sister was SUPER annoying.

[Katharine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf. Too slow.

[marbear · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute, i probable would have loved reading it as a kid

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Endymion Spring is an exciting children's book, that gives a nice (if basic) introduction into the world of the humanities and how they work. It speaks of libraries and the Middle Ages and the coming up of the printing press. The read was interesting, I found myself turning page upon page. There were little things that bothered me (most particularly Duck, who really grated on me) but overall it was an enjoyable experience.

Then I came to the historical notes. I had been wondering about a few little things with respect to historical accuracy in the book before. What fascinated me was that Matthew Skelton named both Laurens Coster and Johann Gutenberg as inventors of the printing press. This is fascinating, because Laurens Johanszoon Coster, a Dutch guy from Haarlem, is/was (depends on who you ask, there's still a memorial for him in Haarlem) in the Netherlands believed to be the inventor of the printing press. Germany generally believes it's Gutenberg, and Gutenberg has got the most support in the world (and is honoured, for instance, at the Project Gutenberg). Matthew Skelton however says in his notes that he believes he has found "a long-forgotten secret": Laurens Johanszoon Coster is the inventor of the printing press, and that the world is making a mistake.

Because we've just discussed this in class, there are a few things I wish to say. My Professor knows pretty much everything there is to know regarding the (German) Medieval time period. She is absolutely convinced that, if you want to name a particular guy the inventor of the printing press, it should be Gutenberg. (Though based on the evidence, it is only fair to say that in Asia people had experimented with printing long before it happened in Europe.) Supporting Gutenberg's claim has for her, my German professor, nothing to do with patriotism. There is quite a lot of of proof for this, her statement is backed up by various experts and historians. Better said, (nearly) everyone who has knowledge of the subject says the inventor must have been Gutenberg. As far as I've heard, there are even people who are still debating whether the story of Laurens Johanszoon Coster "inventing" the printing press is a myth or not: a problem Gutenberg doesn't have, because there's a lot of evidence to be found to name Gutenberg as the inventor.

Basically speaking, this conclusion in the historical notes rubbed me the wrong way. If you want to open up the discussion, don't do it based on three books and claim to know the truth from those, if pretty much everyone else who has knowledge of this topic, disagrees with you. Based on this oh so vital thing, I have trouble believing the rest of Skelton's "research". *

(Also, your leaf dragons are a nice idea, but instead of being inspired by a relatively modern author (Jorge Luis Borges) you could, of course, have opened an actual medieval bestiary, I can assure you they are interesting and would have given you plenty of material to work with. Not that this particularly bothers me, but it might have helped with the extra medieval vibe to your story.)

Thankfully the story was mostly enjoyable, so I can mostly set aside my issues with the research. But I can only say this: if you do know something of the time period, there are many little things that may fall flat for you. If you aren't familiar with the time period, then this is an exciting ride of two kids, a magical book and medieval influences, which you may very well end up liking.

* I may not even have read 3 books on this subject, but my Professor has and so did the experts in the documentary I've seen, accepting Laurens Johanszoon Coster as the inventor of the printing press really does seem dubious at best. Possibly it would have been better if Matthew Skelton had used the discussion and Dutch myth as inspiration, instead of so publicly choosing sides.

[Sara ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whew! That took quite a while! I'm just listening to the "exclusive interview" with Matthew Skelton... Okay, all done.

Well, this book was really interesting, but somehow it wasn't so gripping as to motivate me to clean my house, like really good audiobooks do... ;) (Any excuse to keep reading, you see...)

The book weaves two stories together: one set at present-day Oxford University and the other in 15th century Germany.

The Oxford part of the story is about Blake, a young boy who finds a blank book in the library... or more accurately, the book finds him. And really, the book isn't TOTALLY blank, but will only release its contents (which are quite cryptic in nature) to someone of pure heart, whom it deems "worthy".

The Germany portion of the story is about a young printer's devil named Endymion Spring, who is working for the great Johann Gutenberg on printing the Bible. Endymion has to hide the book in order to keep it out of the hands of Johann Fust (Faust)... so he treks to the libraries of Oxford, which are supposed to rival the Great Library at Alexandria, to find a hiding place.

These stories are also interwoven with Blake's relationship with his younger sister, Duck, and their shared concern about their parents' seemingly crumbling relationship. Their mother is there at Oxford researching Faust, and their father, who is back in America... we don't really get to know a lot about him other than he has some interesting ideas concerning some of the topics that arise in the book.

Overall, the book sort of reminded me of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart series, except that Inkheart compelled me a lot more than Endymion Spring. I don't know... ES was interesting... but the writing seemed a bit stilted to me—it just didn't flow sometimes... and I wanted some additional details at times... I sorta felt like I was being left hanging. All of a sudden, I'd be like, "Wait... what?? How did THAT happen?" Maybe I wasn't paying as much attention to the audiobook as I should have been... I dunno. I just thought it could have been better—more cohesive.

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fan of books, I had fun with this - it's actually a pretty good choice for an ambitious pre-teen or young teen. The biggest thing that irritated me, however, was what seemed to be the lack of editing. If two children are born and raised in America and spend a few weeks in Oxford, it's pretty unlikely they would be using British terms (paperknife (letter opener), correspondence (mail), candy string (cotton candy) or calling their mother "Mum"). Even if it DID happen (which is something I'm not remotely convinced of), I find it odd that this wasn't edited with the American terminology, or even some sort of narrative explanation of what "candy string" is, which I had to Google because the context didn't make it 100% clear. I have a first edition paperback, so perhaps this was changed later, but I'm surprised it wouldn't have been picked up in the first edition hardcover and changed in time for the paperback. I don't think this would bother me so much if it was blatantly obvious what everything meant.

I feel as though I'm coming off as ignorant and that I am entitled to books being edited the way *I* want them, but I've read plenty of books by foreign authors that were edited appropriately. This was just worth noting, I suppose.

ANYWAY, aside from that really, minor, irk of mine, I think this story could really instill a love and respect of books to anyone who isn't already there.

[Eshusdaughter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many books, Endymion Spring began with a lot of promise and never quite delivered on it. The main characters felt rather flat and in the end there was no great revelation as it felt like we'd been building to. The end was all to predictable and bland. Was it really an end at all? The story swings wildly from the middle ages and Endymion to the present day and Blake and Duck the two young protagonists who stumble into the story. The parts set in the middle ages were intriguing but they never played out - the movement was jerky and hodge podge, leaving out a great deal and never really answering some key questions. There were lots of loose threads that never tied together.

At times the description and prose were beautiful and lyric and at times it fell flat and cliche. This definitely felt like a freshman effort and perhaps the author's next work will be better. As I said, this had promise. The pace was just not fast enough, book too choppy and the whole not knitted together well enough.

[Barb Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This debut novel by author Mattew Skelton intertwines two stories, one set at present-day Oxford University and the other in 15th century Germany. The present day story concerns Blake, a young child of divorced parents, who discovers a wordless book in the college library. It is not so much that he discovers the book but that the book discovers him. The book that Blake discovers purports to contain the secerts of eternal wisdom. It appears blank when the pages are looked upon, but shows the contents of the pages only to pure children that it has chosen.

The parallel story is that of a young printer's devil named Endymion Spring. Endymion works for the great Johann Gutenberg. He has carried the book to Oxford to keep it out of the hands of Johann Fust (Faust).

These stories are also interwoven with Blake's relationship with his younger sister, Duck, and his mother, who is at the Oxford Library researching Faust.

Fans of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart and Inkspell will enjoy this novel.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when I was about 7 or 8, and it always struck me as a good book. However, eventually I wanted to read it again, but couldn't remember the name. This was frustrating, because I could literally remember almost everything in the book, even the names of the characters (which I usually forget). Anyway, one day, I was thinking about it and decided to go to the library to find some books to read. While browsing the selection, I stumbled upon a book with a very odd title. I was intrigued, so I picked up the book and read the description. I realized that I had finally found the book, and marveled at the odd coincidence that led me to find it.

I read the book again, and I remembered how great of a story it was. It's a good book for any young or old fantasy reader.