The Tiger's Egg

This sequel to The Palace of Laughter is equally compelling in its account of the further fantastical adventures of Miles Wednesday and Little, a rather unusual angel. Miles is determined to find his father, generally presumed to be dead, and Dr Tau-Tau, fortune teller at the Circus Bolsillo seems to hold the clue to his living whereabouts. The search intersects with a search for the mysterious and powerful Tiger’s Egg, said to contain the soul of a tiger, and once in the possession of Miles’s mother, Celeste.

In the way of the best of quest narratives, Miles has to encounter strange people, including the primitive Fir Bolg, and the Null, who it seems, might contain the fruit of his search, before a resolution is reached which will leave readers hoping for more adventures of Miles.

With The Tiger’s Egg, Berkeley consolidates his reputation as an engaging storyteller, who is able to control a large and colourful group of characters to endure the fun, and the tension too, doesn’t wane or become repetitive. Berkeley writes very well, but there is a sense that he refuses to take himself too seriously, while never failing to regard his audience with respect. The Tiger’s Egg has just the right sort of appeal to keep young readers turning the pages; each chapter heading is enlivened and enriched by Brandon Dorman’s drawings.