Lodestone Book Two

The World of Ice and Stars

Fiction - Science Fiction
312 Pages
Reviewed on 07/08/2010
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

Mark Whiteway lives with his wife Sandra in rural West Sussex, England, near the former home of H G Wells.

The Lodestone series of novels is built around the concept of negative matter--an extension of Einstein's Theory of General Relativity. Mark

    Book Review

Reviewed by Anne Boiling for Readers' Favorite

Lodestone Book Two continues the story of Shann and her companions, who are on a mission to save the Kelanni people. A mysterious Prophet is building an ultimate weapon from Lodestone, a substance with powerful properties, in order to destroy the Kelanni. Shann and the others of her party seek an instrument, hidden in the distant past on the other side of their world, During a perilous sea journey through the Great Barrier of Storms, Shann and the six-legged Chandara, Boxx, are swept overboard and washed up on a distant shore; one filled with strange new sights and experiences.

The land is occupied by Kelanni but their language is stilted and they have a strange accent.

Eventually, Shann befriends Rael, the young apprentice of a scientist named Hannath. Rael explains that the planet is divided into two halves by the Great Barrier of Storms; this side is known as Kelanni-Skell; the side that Shann and her companions are from is called Kelanni-Drann. The two halves of their planet were once united under a great civilisation, but following an unknown disaster known as the Goratha, the "dark time", they have been cut off from each other and their respective societies and languages have diverged. She discovers that the Chandara, who have not been seen on this side of the world for many years, were the first intelligent race on the planet. She also learns that the Kelanni fought a war with the hu-mans some years ago and that the hu-mans lost and were banished to the distant island of Helice in the Erigone Sea. Although they agreed never to leave the island, they have since travelled to Kelanni-Drann, co-opting the mythos of that society and forcing the people there to mine Lodestone in order to build the doomsday device. The Prophet is in fact a hu-man.

The reader travels with Shann as she and Boxx search for their comrades: Lyall, Alondo, Patris and Keris and for the instrument needed to neutralize the hu-man weapon and save their people. This is just the beginning of a great adventure.

I highly recommend reading these books in order. While this book can stand alone the true pleasure of this story comes from knowing the complete tale. The author Mark Whiteway is the master of description. The scenes unfold before the reader. Middle school age children will enjoy this tale and ask for more and so will adults.