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Bone Quill

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Bone Quill

By: John Barrowman
Narrated by: John Barrowman, Carol E. Barrowman
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About this listen

Twelve-year-old twins Matt and Emily Calder are Animare: they can bring art to life and enter paintings at will. They must do everything in their power to prevent a breach in Hollow Earth: a supernatural place that holds all the demons, devils and creatures ever imagined.

The Hollow Earth Society are getting closer to finding the key that will release the beasts: an ancient bone quill whose powers can be only be used by a powerful Animare. The quill has been lost for centuries, but important clues to its whereabouts lie somewhere on the island of Era Mina - as does the entrance to Hollow Earth itself.

Matt and Em must find the quill and protect it - but their lives in the relative safety of Auchinmurn Abbey are thrown into confusion with the arrival of a newcomer who threatens to ruin everything they have worked for. All too soon, the twins are forced to make a terrible choice: save their father, or save the world.

©John Barrowman and Carole E. Barrowman (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy
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This is a very different style of book to the first, so you definitely need to read/listen to them in order. In Bone Quill the twins learn they can move through time as well as via art, so multiple narrative threads emerge; late 19C London, the Middle Ages plus present day.

Having said that, these are divided nicely into alternate chapters with lots of signposting (e.g The Island, Present Day) so that my 9 yr old had no problem following the action. The body count, gore & scare factor has ramped up from the last book, so I wouldn't recommend it for any nervous young ones or you might get the odd sleepless night.

I did laugh when John Barrowman announced he would read the book in his "natural" Scottish accent, as frankly it lasted about two paragraphs and then he reverted to his usual American/Scot hybrid. Jeanne (the Scottish housekeeper) is still a triumph though.

It is worth noting that book 3 (The Book of Beasts) is not available on Audible. Most annoying, so I got the book out of the library instead. Common Audible - it was published in 2014!! Why have 2 books out of 3??

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when you start and listen and hear John's voice it is magical . never thought that.

storyteller

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