Page 45 Review by Stephen
In which the cycle of violence is followed back to its most incendiary sources, and all-out war finally erupts while our heroes are still far from ready.
AMULET has long since stolen even BONE’s golden crown here as our biggest-selling series to young readers, and each new instalment is met with a chorus of excitable squeals.
An epic fantasy infused by the spirit and visual flourishes of Hayao Miyazaki (all his Studio Ghibli films art books in stock!), it all began when young Emily and Navin rushed to save their single Mum who’d been abducted into a world full of bizarre and often deadly creatures. Now they are stuck in the middle of a brutal war perpetuated by centuries of resentment and retaliation between the two nations and, as history now reveals, neither side can lay claim to the moral high ground. But Emily… Emily is beginning to suspect the conflict’s true source.
The landscapes are as majestic as ever, the library in the lake in particular: surrounded by pale, mist-shrouded mountains, the ancient Gulfen structure was built on the back of a gigantic stone sculpture of the Erlking, the Elf nation’s very first leader, his face masked like each king to this day. Speaking of Elf Kings, the current one has two fierce new weapons at his disposal: race-traitor and stonekeeper Max – who is [REDACTED] than he appeared last volume – and his own ancient ally, the hideous spider-legged and dragon-winged mountain giant, Chronos. But what was that turned Max against his own people? Oh, how we reap what we sow!
High in the sky in the city of Cielis, the Nation of Windsor has its own disillusioned enemy on its side: Elf prince Trellis. Like old Vigo, Emily and Max, he too is a stonekeeper, able to wield its vast power both offensively and defensively. But here a new aspect to the mysterious Mother Stone is revealed: a shared dreamspace made up of the stonekeepers’ memories which, if adept, they can enter. And if it’s composed of memories, it’s possible to meet up with your past. It’s amazing what you can learn there, as Trellis is about to find out.
Oh, it’s all terribly exciting, with new, giant mechs for Navin to pilot as both sides clash in an aerial battle to thrill. Our heroes have accumulated quite the motley crew of allies in their journey so far, and they’re going to need all the help they can get. A shame, then, that not every weapon at their disposal necessarily has their best interests at heart.
“Does Max’s stone have a voice?”
