THE FROZEN SWORD: SECRET OF THE VEILED POWER

By P. K. Taylor-Shipley

ISBN 1-904181-94-5
PRICE: £9.99, €15

"The Secret of the Veiled Power" is a quest novel of the highest order. Although its target audience is the pre-adolescent, it is not too difficult to imagine a parent borrowing the book and hiding it from a child until they finish reading this first installment of "The Frozen Sword" series.

The author's well paced narrative, engaging characters and compelling drama make this a good read regardless of the reader's age. It is difficult, nigh impossible, to put it down once you are first introduced to Simian, the young hero of this book, and accompany him on the twists and turns of his journey for Truth.

Comparisons of this first "Frozen Sword" book to the "Harry Potter" series are inevitable but misguided because the fantasy and magical elements of the former are a means to an end rather than the end itself. Instead of using a Hermetical sourcebook like the "Chemical Wedding" or "Dr. Faustus", this author relies on the Old Testament for her guidance in structuring the plot and telling her story.

A story of Intelligent Design intelligently wrapped in an adventure mystery for young and old. In the end, the "Secret of the Veiled Power" is a modern day Mystery Play. And like its medieval counterpart, this tale contains the proper mixture of fantasy, mysterious settings, deliciously evil villains and commonly-shared human emotions to keep the audience in rapt attention until the point is made. And what a point it is!