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Title/Author

The Purloined Boy

Mortimus Clay

Average Review Rating Average Rating 9/10 (1 Review)
Book Details

Publisher : Finster Press

Published : 2009

Copyright : Mortimus Clay 2009

ISBN-10 : PB 0-9821598-0-3
ISBN-13 : PB 978-0-9821598-0-4

Publisher's Write-Up

If you gave a thousand immortal monkeys armed with kitchen blenders all the literary works of R. L. Stine and Plato, what would they produce? No, not Shakespeare – not in a trillion years. But with enough time maybe you'd get The Purloined Boy.

The Purloined Boy is about a lanky twelve year old named Trevor Upjohn. He was stolen by a bogeyman right out his bed when he was just a wee lad. But that's not what makes him special. What makes him special is he knows he was stolen. More than that - he wants to go home again.
His care-givers, the Guardians, won't hear of it. Worse, the bogeymen have other plans for him - plans too awful to even mention here.

Fortunately for our hero the Venerable Guild of the Sun Eaters is working to save him. Even better, a talking mouse named Zephyr comes to Trevor's aid and promises to take him home, but with one proviso!

And just in case you were wondering, purloined means stolen!

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Reader Reviews

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Review by Paul Lappen (310510) Rating (9/10)

Review by Paul Lappen
Rating 9/10
This is the tale of Trevor, a young boy who becomes one of those children who end up on milk cartons under the word Missing.

Trevor is living in a dark and dreary town called Superbia, along with many other children. Think of an orphanage from Victorian England. They are not allowed to say words like 'parents' or 'home'. If they do, the bogeymen who run Superbia (and who kidnapped the children from their beds), will send them away for behaviour modification, or send them to the Pantry, to be fattened up and eaten by the bogeymen. Becoming a meal for the bogeymen is the eventual fate of all the children.

After a very vivid dream about his parents, Trevor asks about going home, and is sent away for behaviour modification. Around this time, he meets Maggie, a fellow orphan who also has memories of life before Superbia. She tells Trevor that she is part of a secret society whose aim is to help all the children who want to return home to actually do it. He also meets Epictetus, a one-eyed slave who is a leader in the 'underground', and Zephyr, a very unique talking mouse. Trevor also learns about Trothward, a very nice place outside Superbia. He also learns about the long-term war going on between the Guild, who runs Trothward, and Lucian, the leader of the bogeymen. This leads Trevor to one adventure, and narrow escape, after another, while he is traversing many dank and dreary passageways beneath Superbia.

This is a young adult book that was made to be read aloud to older children, say between 10-13 years old. It may be a little too much for younger children. There are a number of dark and spooky bits in this story, and, being first in a series, there is not a 'happily ever after' ending. The author does an excellent job with this tale from beginning to end, and it is very much worth the time.
Paul Lappen (31st May 2010)

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