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Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
The Obsidian Pebble is Volume One of the Artefact Quintet, a Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy and Science Fiction series written by Rhys A. Jones. Oz Chambers lives with his mom at Number 2 Magnus Street, otherwise known as Penwurt, a huge ancient edifice that had at one time housed an orphanage. Michael, his father, had inherited Penwurt, and the history professor had spent all his free time exploring its dusty corridors and hidden places, but Oz's father died in a car accident when Oz was 8. He's 11 now, but he feels older than that since he’s been the emotional support for his mother, who fell into a prolonged depression following the tragic accident. It's Halloween, and Oz and his two best friends, Ellie and Ruff, are spending the night in the dormitory of the orphanage, which is in a closed-off part of Penwurt. Oz's mom has made lots of food for them to take up there, and they're playing horror movies to get the full Halloween effect, but the footsteps they hear inside the walls are just a bit too spooky.
Rhys A. Jones' contemporary fantasy, The Obsidian Pebble, is one of those rare books that make you smile as you read the first few pages, because you know you're in for a real treat. This is not a book to be read quickly, rather it's far better savored and enjoyed at a leisurely pace. Oz is a fabulous character, as are his two friends, and the experiences they have inside Penwurt are strange and thrilling. I love the library with its ancient books and wish I had access to it. The threesome's experiences at school are funny and horrific by turns; one of the more realistic views of school I've read lately. The mystery that they seek to resolve is intriguing and requires all their imagination and intelligence to solve. This is a well-plotted and beautifully written story that had me entranced and enjoying every minute of the enchantment. I'm so pleased that The Obsidian Pebble is the first volume in a quintet and am looking forward to beginning volume 2, The Beast of Seabourne. The Obsidian Pebble: Volume One of the Artefact Quintet is most highly recommended.
