The Blackthorn Key, By Kelvin Sands

Synopsis

  It was a time of terror in London. A wave of murders had been committed, with the victims being tied up, tortured, stomach slit open and left to bleed to death.

 Christopher Rowe found himself on the run as his master, Benedict Blackthorn, was murdered in the same way, seemingly by Christopher. Together with his best friend Tom, and Molly (Tom's sister), they race against time to track down the murderer.

 Their only clues were a coded message (or was it a recipe?) about his master's most dangerous research and a cryptic warning-"Tell no one!"

How will they solve the mystery?

The Characters

- Christopher Rowe: Apprentice to Benedict Blackthorn. Stubborn yet quick witted, he has to overcome obstacles and betrayals to save the world from total annihilation.

- Tom: Best friend to Christopher. Loyal yet simple-minded, he has to assist Christopher to save the world and at the same time prevent himself from being beaten by his father.


3 Reasons why you should pick up this book and spend your precious time reading it.

  The first reason is the language of the book. It is easy to understand and it also gives the reader a sense of how language would be at that time. The author used a good mix of Latin, English and also codes and symbols to create puzzles and obstacles in the story.

  The second reason is that the plot is easy to follow, yet there are a number of surprises along the way. The author used a good mix of realism and fantasy to pit the villains, who were trying to harness the power of God, against Christopher, who believes that this power should be kept out man's reach.

  The last thing about this stories are the puzzles and codes in the story as they take you on an unexpected journey together with the characters.


If I were the author, I would...

  The first thing I would have done is to elaborate more on certain parts of the story. For example, I would have described more about Christopher's time spent with his master before he died. This would perhaps give the reader a deeper understanding of their relationship. This will also lead to a easier comprehension of the passage as a large portion of the story has to do with master Benedict and Christopher's past.

  The second thing I would have done is to use the type of English used at that time. Although the author stated that he used proper English to make the passage more comprehensible, i think that the English used at that should be used more frequently. This would make the puzzles more difficult as another language, though similar, is used which will confuse Christopher. This way, the reader can take the shoes of the characters and solve the mysteries with them.

So if you like to solve puzzles or mysteries, and would like to see how fantasy can balance with realism, this book is for you.