The Midnight Palace [Paperback]

It's fast-moving and never hesitates, and it quickly sketches the eight young people who inhabit its pages as quirky and likeable individuals, from the taciturn artist, Michael, to the fiery and intelligent Isobel. It's also a story about stories: tales from the past are woven into the narrative in an elegant way, with the whole book framed by the narrative of the last surviving member of the group. (THE GUARDIAN )

...if you have a taste for mystery, for the supernatural, for characters of mythic strength, loyalty and heroism... then pick this book up and revel in it. (ARMADILLO )

Zafon's young adult fiction was published in Spain long before he became an international sensation, and its fascinating to see, in his second book, premonitory glimpses of The Shadow of the Wind. ..Zafon makes it look so easy but he's in a class of his own (Suzi Feay FINANCIAL TIMES )

A beautiful, haunting and atmospheric tale imbued with the scent of the shady alleyways of Calcutta and a foreboding of tragedy. (Good Book Guide March ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the author of THE SHADOW OF THE WIND, the haunting story of a secret society and a labyrinthine railway station with a dark past.

It's 1916. A man is being chased through the dark heart of Calcutta. His life is in danger and he harbours a secret - beneath his coat are two newborn babies he must save at all costs.

On the eve of his sixteenth birthday, Ben and his friends are preparing to leave the orphanage where they have grown up. They have formed a secret club, The Chowbar Society, which meets each week in a derelict mansion they have christened The Midnight Palace. But an old woman stops them. She introduces Ben to Sheere, the sister from whom he was separated at birth. She tells them about their past - of an accident, a ghostly railway station, a bird of fire, and the curse that threatens to destroy their future . . .

www.orionbooks.co.uk

978 1 4440 0345 1

£6.99

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Carlos Ruiz Zafón is the author of six novels, including the international phenomenon The Shadow of the Wind, and The Angel's Game. His work has been published in more than forty different languages, and honoured with numerous international awards. He divides his time between Barcelona, Spain, and Los Angeles, California.