The Pilgrims by Will Elliott
(The Pendulum
: Book
1). HarperVoyager, 2010. ISBN 9780732289478.
(Ages: 15+) Eric and Case
stumble onto a door to another world. The
concept certainly isn't original, but the world into which they blunder
is
unique. The combination of young journalist, Eric, and elderly,
homeless, alcoholic,
Case, is also an unusual partnership, but one which works well. Levaal,
the
world Elliott has created, is one full of magic of various types,
mages,
giants, winged Invia, and a downtrodden population within the aligned
cities.
Vous, the
world's friend and lord, rules over the castle
and the aligned cities using magic to keep himself immortal and his
subjects
compliant. He is also completely insane. He and the Arch Mage work
together in
an uneasy alliance to achieve domination of the few remaining
independent
cities. Into this world Eric and Case stumble and are swept away by
various
factions, most of the time having no knowledge of the reasons or
background of
the events which swirl around them.
Case is
literally taken under the wing of the Invia and
is given a necklace which among other things provides him with
invisibility. He
also comes to the notice of the Stranger, an enigmatic, powerful
magician who
seems to hover in the background and whose intentions are unclear.
Elliott
seems to be able to understand all the languages of Levaal, even the
incomprehensible chat of the Groundsmen, but can give
no explanation
as to how
this is so.
Both the unlikely heroes
seem to have a charmed life.
This is very evident in this world where life generally is held very
cheaply,
even by some of those the reader considers to be the good guys. Elliott
ramps
up the interest and the intrigue as the tale progresses and by the end
of the
book the reader is almost as exhausted as the protagonists. However,
there are
still a huge number of unanswered questions and riddles to be solved.
There are
still some major players we have yet to meet, such as the Dragon-youth,
and
some who remain enigmatic. It will be exciting when Elliott reveals
where our
heroes are to be taken next. The sex scenes probably make this book
suitable for year 10 and above.
Mark Knight