The Lyme Brook Mist

The Lyme Brook Mist follows the adventures of a 12 year old boy, Leo, who sets off to meet his friend in town on the morning of an unusually dense mist. As he makes his way, and crosses a bridge over the Lyme Brook, he is mysteriously transported through the mist into a different version of his own town, one that has stood still in time since 1890. None of the things he is used to - like cars, phones, electricity - exist there. A strange Countess runs the show who is entirely technophobic and controls even the minutest detail of daily goings on. Leo soon learns that not only is the town stuck in the Victorian period, but all the laws and customs are weird to the point of utter ridiculousness.

Anton Corvus combines elements of many of the great literary classic adventures (think Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz) with various dystopian classics (think 1984 and Fahrenheit 451) then adds dozens of allusions to the works of classic writers (like Edgar Allan Poe, Edward Lear) to create the unique and crazy world of Altcastle-under-Lyme. Fantasy, mystery and mayhem combine in this spellbinding and frequently hilarious novel and what follows are an hilarious set of events and meetings with various strange, yet often very lovable, people and creatures.

Part tribute to his own literary heroes, part guessing-game based on literature, Corvus hides his references to the classics in the names of both people and things - trying to guess what lies hidden in each page is almost as much fun as reading the story. The deducing of the story from the clues provided will also appeal to all lovers of the mystery genre. Can you work out what has happened to Altcastle-under-Lyme before the Countess tells you towards the end - and who is this Countess and what exactly is she really up to?

[Minimum reading age of 12, but suitable for all older age groups, including adults.]