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The Weirdstone Of Brisingamen by Alan Garner

Centuries before the start of this adventure, the dark spirit Nastrond was defeated and banished by a powerful King. It was then decided that steps must be taken to prevent his return. One hundred and forty knights of pure heart were gathered inside the old dwarf caves of Fundindelve. The caves were then sealed by powerful white magic which would both protect them form evil and prevent the knights and their horses from aging, so that when the world was in peril, the knights could once again ride from the hill of Alderley and defeat Nastrond for good. The ancient wizard Cadellin Silverbow has been given the task of guardian, while the heart of the white magic was sealed inside a jewel, the Weirdstone of Brisingamen.

When the story begins, the stone of the title is lost and two children. Colin and Susan are staying with some old friends of their mother’s while their parents are overseas. Unknown to them, the small tear shaped jewel in the bracelet Susan wears is the Weirdstone of Brisingamen. When Colin and Susan are pursued by eerie creatures across Alderley Edge, they find refuge with the wizard Cadellin Silverbrow in the caves of Fundindelve.

The wizard fails to notice the stone in the bracelet, but its presence does not go unnoticed by the wicked shape-shifting sorceress Selena Place and the witches of the morthbrood who send their minions to steal it. Also wanting it is an evil magician called Grimnir who forms an uneasy alliance with Selena in order to get the Weirdstone for himself. With the evil forces hot on their tail, the children realise they hold the key to the jewel’s return. Can two children defend it against the ancient evil bent on destroying the world? Can they also return it to Cadellin to defeat the evil?

While the book is a fantasy, many of the places are real places in England and the novel is seemingly set around Macclesfield and Alderley Edge in Cheshire and are places Alan Garner also knew from his childhood.

This edition has been published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Alan Garner’s seminal fantasy masterpiece. It is not only a collectors item for those who loved the story in their childhood, but gives a new generation of children over seven a chance to experience and enjoy this classic. It remains an inspirational, mesmerising and unforgettable tale by one of the world’s best children’s writers.

RRP $18.99
Published and distributed by HarperCollins Publishers
 

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