To The Last Page

The promise of a sequel to Andrew Caldecott’s previous novel Rotherweird certainly took away some of the disappointment of arriving at a conclusion; such were characters, imagination and the rich eccentricity of the fantasy world that had been created by the author that it would have been a shame to end it with just one book. There was still an element of doubt remaining however where Wyntertide could go, since a great many ancient mysteries had been resolved and a number of secret identities uncovered, and a number of the main players – like Sir Veronal Slickstone – had been ‘eliminated’. Considering the enclosed nature of the world of Rotherweird, it was hard to see how the material could be further expanded without going over old ground again. There is another difficulty that presents itself when you begin Wyntertide . Such is the peculiar nature of the work, the wealth of characters and the nature of the writing itself, that it is initially very difficult to enter that world agai...

Welcome to Rotherweird. Or perhaps not, since outsiders aren’t encouraged to stay in this unusual little English town which would rather keep its secrets to itself, and even from itself, since delving into ‘old’ history is forbidden there. Rotherweird is hidden in a valley shrouded in mists, a kind of Steampunk fantasy Hogwarts meets Gormenghast, where over the course of centuries cut off from the rest of the world, they have developed their own curious ways and inventions. But that world is now suddenly under threat. And - wouldn’t you know it? - it looks like it’s outsiders who are to blame. Although it’s perhaps not the fault of Jonah Oblong who has recently been employed as a history teacher there - he has a name at least that fits in well with the other eccentric characters of Rotherweird. He’s teaching modern history of course, none of this ‘old’ stuff, which might be part of the reason why the previous incumbent of the post, Flask, has disappeared in somewhat mysterious circumst...