The Stone Crown [Paperback]

This is a very engaging young adult novel, probably one of the best, if not the best, that I have read, and I think the reason for that is that the language is never in any way childish. This book will appeal to teenagers and adults alike.

The Stone Crown tells the story of Emlyn and Maxine, two young people who are new to the Borders area of Scotland and are, in effect, outsiders. They just don't fit in with everybody else at school. One day, Emlyn witnesses Maxine in the woods in a place called Sleeper's Spinney, having an argument with Hugh McCrossan, a local youth and not one of Emlyn's favourite people. When Hugh leaves Maxine alone in the woods, she kicks down part of a wall and this lets loose a power from Arthurian times, together with a horseman that only Emlyn can see. When they then find a group of carved horsemen which contain the trapped spirits of Arthur and his men, they end up removing one accidentally and the Keepers of the carvings, who happen to be the McCrossan family, will stop at nothing to get it back and to protect the legend that they have been looking after for 1500 years.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a very easy book to read, and it kept me absorbed from start to finish. Malcolm Walker's writing is excellent and the story is well put together and fast moving. Interspersed into the modern day story are chapters told by one of Arthur's men, and this explains how the carvings came to be made and how the spirits of the men became trapped inside them. The story is full of myths and magic, together with family history and secrets, and is the sort of book where you want to keep on turning the pages (nice, short chapters help in this!). I look forward to Malcolm Walker's second book, and recommend reading this one in the meantime!

Max and Emlyn are both newcomers to the town of Yeaveburgh, and both misfits in their own different ways. And neither of them likes the McCrossans, a family of local gamekeepers who act as if they own the town and everything in and surrounding it.

Strange things start to happen after Max kicks down part of the dyke (retaining wall) surrounding Sleeper's Spinney - a rather spooky local site, which turns out to be an ancient burial mound. Emlyn is told by Max's gran that he has "the sight", and indeed, he can see a menacing horseman which is invisible to everyone else. Emlyn worries for his own sanity, and also that of his dad, who is held in a local institution. When it turns out that Emlyn's dad also saw something strange as a boy and was badly frightened by the senior Mr McCrossan, this does nothing to alleviate Emlyn's fears.

Interwoven with Emlyn's and Max's adventures is the narrative of Cei, one of King Arthur's closest guards; as the adventure unfolds, we learn of a plot between Merlin and the Lady of the Lake to curtail Arthur's powers. 1500 years later, the actions of Max and Emlyn are causing the plot to come unravelled.

I really enjoyed this book. It is easy to read and the writing is taut and compelling, leading the reader onwards all the time. The storyline is well thought out, and progresses to a truly exciting and tense finish. Above all, the characters of Max and Emlyn are convincing and likeable.

Why not 5*? Well this is a what you see is what you get book; there are no levels of meaning to make it appeal to an adult reader. It demands very little of the reader, and doesn't give you anything extra in return. And I prefer my books to make me think (just a little).

Emlyn and Maxine are two teenagers who feel very much like outsiders in the Scottish town of Yeaveburgh. Both have had to return to the place they were born after a family disaster. For Emlyn, it's his father who went insane and is now locked up in a care home. Maxine's mum died of a drug overdose and she has returned to live with her grandmother. They have one other thing in common. Both are drawn to the ancient site, Sleeper's Spinney, that houses an old tomb.

What they don't know is that this is the resting place of the legendary Arthur and his guard. Twenty wooden carvings of horsemen contain the spirits of ancient warriors. These aren't the Knights of the Round Table but older, darker and more savage beings shrouded in dark magic. If they were to return to the world they would cause only violence and death. For centuries they have been guarded by the McCrossan family who keep them trapped and hidden. When Emlyn and Maxine steal one of the figures they unleash a power they can not understand. They face a struggle on two fronts, on one side they must deal with the malevolent McCrossans and on the other they must somehow hold back the tide of darkness they have unleashed. This is a much different Arthur to the one we all know and a different tale of the King, Merlin and the knights is slowly unveiled.

This is a very interesting take on the Arthur legend. It's a much darker world than one you might expect, with the Scottish countryside providing the perfect ancient, powerful and brooding backdrop to the tale. Taking this into account, the magic involved is not the flashy wand waving stuff of Harry Potter but more of a mystic sort that draws upon the power of the very earth itself. Runes, chanting rituals and dark forest gods are the basis for power here, with Merlin as the strongest of Druids and very much in tune with nature. Greedy, violent and foolish, the dashing and heroic characters of the legends are nowhere to be seen here as they are manipulated and trapped for eternity.

The main characters of the story however are very different. Emlyn and Maxine are a likable pair both struggling with their own issues. Emlyn is shy and dreamy and easily falls into the mystic world of Arthur, whereas Max is spiky and aggressive, a girl very much of the times. Both show tremendous courage and resourcefulness in the face of adversity and danger and you can't help but feel pity for them as their sorry home lives are revealed.

If you're a fan of the Arthur sagas or just like historical fiction then you really might like to give this a try.