Serpent's Gold

I love fantasy adventures which are rooted firmly in the real world. In the case of Sam Osman’s Serpent’s Gold and its terrific predecessor Quicksilver, the setting is the suburbs of South London, with famous sites like Wembley Stadium, the Tate Modern, Battersea Power Station and Stonehenge all featuring in the action.

As in all great fantasy, young heroes battle evil on an epic scale, but the book’s dark powers are generated by the network of leylines that criss-cross the country. The author’s research into these mysterious natural phenomena inspires an outstandingly original story, rich in compelling folk lore.  There are no wardrobe portals or magic amulets here.  The fantasy elements come from real mysteries. Alongside the well-documented influences of famous leylines, we discover much about stone circles, magic squares, the Knights Templar, healing wells, the vibrations of cosmic energies, pagan rituals, the lost language of Ancient Meroe, and lots more strange realities.  After I read this manuscript I visited the majestic Ring of Brogar in the Orkney isles – an amazing prehistoric stone circle that can easily make you believe its purpose might be to transmit signals from another world!

Wolfie, Tala and Zi’ib, a mis-matched trio of kids destined to save the planet, solve some clever coded puzzles found in historic inscriptions, in Da Vinci Code fashion. I love including features like illustrated letter-grids, so that readers who like that kind of thing can pit their wits against them.  And I’m a sucker for a tantalising clue in ancient rhyme: Out of the earth the giants come/Out of the sea their sisters call/Out of the air the beating drum/Out of the sky the truth shall fall.

Sam Osman combines lyricism and fast-paced action in a tightly packed 368 pages. Serpent’s Gold is a richly rewarding read for confident readers who like their fantasy very close to real life – in this case, literally under their feet.