Magnus and the Jewelled Book of the Universe

In Magnus and the Jewelled Book of the Universe, a book by S. L. Browne, readers will meet Magnus.

The planet Earth is overheated and dying. He is taken from the Earth by Marlo, who is his mentor.

But! Magnus discovers that all was not quite as he had thought.

For Magnus is not a human from the planet Earth. In reality he is a member of a race called the Guardians of the Universe who are not only from a different planet, they are actually from a different dimension.

Wizardly Marlo is being hard on himself as he feels somewhat responsible for the fact that Murdamond was able to destroy the Earth, because Murdamond cannot resist taking anything that looks beautiful and shiny.

When they arrive at the village of Deruweld, Magnus finds that humans haven't evolved just yet and that dinosaurs are still roaming round the countryside.

To make matters more complicated Murdamond has already arrived and he has captured Magnus' parents and is holding them imprisoned in the dungeon of his new castle.

Magnus realises that he must use all of his powers and wisdom to defeat Murdamond. With the help of Marlo, some friendly dinosaurs and the Jewelled Book of the Universe. Even though it thought it might be helpful if it decided to change itself into the shape of a girl.

This is the first book in a trilogy about Magnus and his friends and will make a great Christmas present for children aged 7 to 9.

It is published by Matador at £6.99.

Surrogacy: Our Family's Journey

Surrogacy: Our Family's Journey is a very moving and very personal account of one family's story regarding surrogacy.

It starts with the initial thoughts about the possibilities of surrogacy and then proceeds through the decision to employ a surrogate to help create a family.

This is the story of James Phillips, from a single man, then as part of a same-sex couple and then onward to the story of how he met and fell in love with Krzysztof part way through the process and how they work together to create a family with the help pf a surrogate in Bangkok, and how they manage to deal with international red tape and navigate a variety of obstacles from the health of the surrogate to a bewildering array of rules and regulations.

And what happens when it is revealed there is not one baby on the way, but two, as they will be having twins!

This is an interesting at heartwarming book which will be of use to anyone who is interested in the field of surrogacy.

It is published by Matador at £11.99.

What's Left Unsaid

What's Left Unsaid is a fascinating novel from Deborah Stone.

Throughout the novel Deborah takes her readers on a journey through the lives of a range of highly interesting people who are all, in one way or another, deeply damaged or disturbed in one way or another.

There's Sasha who is doing her best to keep her life together. She is raising her teenage son Zac. Although she isn't a single parent, she might as well be, as her husband is absent.

Then there's the problems presented by her elderly mother who is not only temperamental, her alcoholism also compounds the problems she presents.

But why has Zac destroyed a pair of scissors as he attempted to break in to a valuable antique desk which he has caused terrible damage to?

What was he searching for? What dreadful secrets does he believe that his mother is keeping hidden from him?

And what about Sasha? Does she have a dark secret from her past that she needs to keep hidden?

Her mother, Annie, is beginning to have problems with the past and the present, as they seem to coalesce together. What is true? What is untrue? Annie doesn't seem to know, any more.

She is certain of one thing. That Joe, her late husband, is waiting for her and watching over her. But is he? And what of a dreadful secret that she kept from Joe? How can she go to him with that on her conscience?

It's an interesting novel that takes the reader through the history of Sasha's family over several decades.

Old traumas are revealed and relived and once hidden secrets are brought to the surface, again.

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

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Badger and Crab's Adventure

Badger and Crab's Adventure is a fantastic new children's book from Catherine Trimby.

It's aimed at children from ages 7 to 9 years old and it tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a badger and a crab and the amazing adventures that they enjoy together.

Badgers in the UK are under threat due to a campaign to cull them to stop bovine tuberculosis.

Badger finds himself a long way away from his normal night time feeding area. He is hungry and finds himself searching for food on a beach at high tide.

However, he hears someone calling for help. He doesn't want to abandon his search for food, he is very hungry, but he is a decent person and decides to halt his search for food to try to find the person who is crying out for help.

He finds a crab trapped under a rock and has a hard time in freeing him.

Crab later overhears a conversation between two moonfaces plotting an attack on a badger's sett that is not far away.

Crab realises that the badger who saved his life could be in danger, so Crab sets off to try to save his new friend.

Can he succeed?

This is a well written book that contains clear environmental messages in a fashion that is understandable by children.

It is well illustrated by Carol Davies and will make a super Christmas gift. It is published by Matador at £7.99.

The Snow Foresters

The Snow Foresters are a set of 20 new ghost stories from the pen of David Phelps, who is a traditional storyteller.

They are all set in the Welsh Marches and, although newly written, the stories are all based on ancient folk stories from the area.

There are the deathly cold Snow Foresters, a problem with some unwanted guests and what happened when the Goddess Sekhmet became involved in the life of a somewhat prideful Methodist minister.

There's the dreadful story of what happens when a body is not treated with respect, the luck (bad or good) that comes with the discovery of a lost golden sovereign, the correct method of dealing with ghosts.

Plus there is the tale of the sin-eater and the Cwn Annwn, the spectral hounds of Annwn and what happened to a boy named Posthumous when he meets them when he was stealing firewood from a Lord's own forest.

It is perfectly clear that David Phelps has a deep understanding and an even deeper love of the folk tales of the Welsh Marches and the peoples thereof.

Each story is perfectly illustrated with a well-chosen line drawing from Veronique Avon.

The book is published by Matador at £7.50.

It's an ideal Christmas present for lovers of traditional folktales.

You can learn more about David Phelps at www.davidphelpswrites.co.uk
and about Veronique Avon at www.atelierveronique.co.uk

Galleon

Galleon is a debut steampunk novel from Ruby Smith.

It takes place in Gallow which is in a word called Eera. The populous is facing a time of great change.

No more so than in the capital city of Cerrano. Cerrano is an amazing place, peopled largely by immigrants and inventors.

There are some people there who do not have any magical abilities and they are starting to wonder about their lowly status in society. They are beginning to question the fairness of their situation.

Ruby examines the situation by using the lens of three key protagonists, Lara Key who as a Greycoat cadet has been trained all of her life to be a perfect officer, but finds that, after all, perhaps that's not what she wants.

There's Watterson Teach, who is the joint leader of the highly influential Steam Syndicate who is the father to Evie a liberationist agitator. Teach finds himself facing difficulties after the death of his business partner.

There is Ridley Ripley who is a Shadow, a member of a very distinct and intriguing race of people from the far north of the planet.

It's a novel of soaring themes, of love, of hatred and of loss.

I believe Ruby Smith is a name we will be hearing more of in the future.

It's published by Matador at £7.99.