About the Author

Matthew Skelton was born in England and grew up in Canada. He has a Ph.D. in English Literature from Oxford University. Endymion Spring is his first novel.

Reviews

“Wonderfully engaging, even addictive.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred

“Riddles galore, [and] a great cliffhanger should generate plenty of excitement for this literary thriller.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred

An enchanted blank book-one that reveals its secrets, but "only for those with eyes to see them"-lies at the center of Skelton's ambitious first novel, which unfolds through two alternating narratives. The first, set in the present, follows young Blake, whose mother is a visiting academic at Oxford. One day he runs his finger across the spines of some books in the Bodleian Library, and one volume "[strikes] him back." The book's title, "Endymion Spring," begins to appear before his eyes, and he opens the cover only to find the contents blank-save for a riddle-like poem. The second thread of the tale, set in 15th-century Germany, is narrated by Endymion Spring, a boy serving as apprentice to the great Gutenberg, who is hard at work on his printing press. Gutenberg, eager for money to fund his Bible-printing project, strikes a deal with the "ruthless" Fust, who travels with a locked chest, adorned with gruesome imagery. Its hidden treasure represents a mystery with ties to both Blake's blank book and to Eden. With it, Fust seeks to create a book that will contain "all the secrets of the universe." Skelton's fiction breathes excitement into real history, as he exploits the fact that Johann Fust, Gutenberg's real-life patron, has been identified with Faust (as explained to Blake by a professor and to readers in an endnote). Riddles galore, a great cliffhanger and a film deal with Warner Bros. should generate plenty of excitement for this literary thriller; book lovers in particular will savor its palpable whiff of musty shelves and dusty volumes. Ages 12-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

"Wonderfully engaging, even addictive."-Kirkus Reviews, Starred

"Riddles galore, [and] a great cliffhanger should generate plenty of excitement for this literary thriller."-Publishers Weekly, Starred