Circles of Stone(Mirror Chronicles II) by Ian Johnstone

“From the frothing talons of tempest a single craft emerged - 

broken but afloat - drifting wearily to safe harbour.” 

THE TWO GIANT TREES towered above the others, their arms outstretched as though claiming the ancient forest as their own. But it was not only their size that made these mighty oaks so magical, nor their drapery of white where the other trees wore thin cloaks of orange and brown leaves. What made them wondrous was their slow graceful motion. Like commanders inspecting their troops they took a stately path between the lesser trees, sweeping this way and that through the vast skeletal canopy. 

Cover by Richard Jones and Elizabeth Huseyin - I believe. The website does not attribute them, sadly. 

Published by Harper Collins in 2015 

512 pages in paperback (read on Kindle) 

Summary from Publishers’ Website 

Together, they have unimaginable power. But unless they part, that power may destroy them. 

As the dark lord Thoth raises a monstrous army, Sylas and Naeo discover that their new-found power could also be their undoing. At the same time, Sylas longs to find his mother, and Naeo her father. So begins a mirrored quest that will bring Naeo into our world of science and take Sylas deep into the magic of the Other. They both hope to find the one the other loves, but also the ultimate truth: of our broken worlds and divided souls, of prophecy and of Sylas and Naeo’s wondrous power. 

But it’s a race against time. Even as they begin their journey, Thoth’s creatures mass at the gateways between our worlds - at the ancient circles of stone… 

War is coming and unless Sylas and Naeo can stop it, it may destroy us all. 

***

Reviewed by K. M. Lockwood 

To begin with, I would highly advise reading No. 1 of the trilogy first - ‘The Bell Between Worlds’. It will really increase your enjoyment. Ian Johnstone has made a great effort on making this middle story exciting and successful in its own right. It definitely does work - but prior knowledge will deepen your understanding of the different kinds of magic in these worlds. Like Star Wars, there are epic conflicts involved - and the teasing little epilogue shows there’s definitely more to come. 

Imagined on a cinematic scale, there are more hideous monsters to deal with than in Book 1, and more formidable characters to take them on - happily including girls and women. You need to be on the ball - the characters split up (as in The Towers of Tolkien’s masterpiece) and so does the viewpoint. Lots of action and different locations pass across its 512 pages. 

There are some chilling and fairly gruesome moments - and also some of beauty, friendship and humour. Entertaining rather than difficult, this will keep the right sort of fantasy/ SF reader happy for hours.

The Bell Between Worlds (Mirror Chronicles No 1) by Ian Johnstone

Half of your soul is missing.

The lost part is in the mirror.

And unless Sylas Tate can save you, you will never be whole again.

Harper Collins 2015

511 pages in paperback

Cover art by Richard Jones and Elizabeth Huseyin

Summary from the publisher's website

Sylas Tate leads a lonely existence since his mother died. But then the tolling of a giant bell draws him into another world known as the Other, where he discovers not only that he has an inborn talent for the nature-influenced magic of the Fourth Way, but also that his mother might just have come from this strange parallel place.

Meanwhile, evil forces are stirring, and an astounding revelation awaits Sylas as to the true nature of the Other. As violence looms and the stakes get ever higher, Sylas must seek out a girl called Naeo who might just be the other half of his soul - otherwise the entire universe may fall…

******

Reviewed by K. M. Lockwood

As you can see from the cover, we have a boy for a central character in an adventure on the grand scale. Without too many spoilers, we begin with a light-hearted glimpse of a mistreated orphan not entirely unlike J.K. Rowling. Matters become darker and more intriguing as we learn Silas has been deceived about his mother. There’s a hint of Philip Pullman’s Will here.

However the summoning of the central character by the chime of a giant bell is powerful and different. (The only thing I can think of remotely like it is with Empress Jade of Charn in C.S. Lewis’ ‘The Magician’s Nephew’). Then we get an involving and immersive contrast of cultures. Two worlds intersect: one of magic and one of science.

Not your bog standard average sub-Tolkien universe.

We encounter dreadful monsters and it zips along like a nightmarish video game. There are striking locations, mysterious forms of magic and some extraordinary mentors, both male and female, for Silas to deal with. For me, one of the highlights is his developing friendship with the sparky Simia. There’s a fine variety of characters throughout, both human and not-so-human. 

The novel ends with an exciting escape (I can’t say for whom) but there’s clearly more to come in Book 2. 

If you want a full-on big-scale immersive fantasy with lots going off and much at stake, then this series looks as if it should do the trick.