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Illmoor's capital has a problem: rats. And lots of them. Desperate for a solution, the chairman of the Dullitch Council seeks the help of Illmoor's roving mercenaries, hoping to find someone who can tame the ever-swelling tide of rodents. Jimmy Quickstint, the chairman's grandson and junior thief in training, returns to Dullitch with the hulking Groan Teethgrit and his angry dwarf sidekick, Gordo Goldeaxe. Together, they are Dullitch's best hope to eradicate the rats—until Diek Wustapha arrives.
Diek, still just a boy, has been possessed by a magical power that gives him the uncanny ability to control not just animals, but also people. He gets rid of the rats in town, but the relief in Dullitch is short lived. The city refuses to pay Diek, and he does not take the insult lightly. He is determined to strike back at Dullitch by kidnapping all of the capital city's children. That is, unless Jimmy Quickstint and his two new friends can find a way to stop him.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
February 25, 2014 -
Formats
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781480461451
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781480461451
- File size: 1854 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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February 6, 2006
"This first volume in a planned trilogy, riffs on the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin," said PW
. Ages 10-14. -
November 8, 2004
In the first volume in a planned trilogy, Stone riffs on the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, with moderately interesting results. As the novel opens, a dark magic hovers about the city of Dullitch and finds a host in young Diek Wustapha ("What dark magic truly requires is susceptible minds," explains the omniscient narrator). Soon odd events plague Diek: cows give him curdled milk, animals follow him doggedly, and he can suddenly play bewitching tunes on his flute. When a "hostile infestation" of rats descends upon the city, Diek feels called to lead them away. But the city's coffers are empty so, unpaid, he leads the children away, too. The familiar story receives only minor embellishment; the magic goes largely unexploited (the council chairman's secret identity as a sorcerer is used primarily as a source of jokes, and the dark magic only comes into play at the finale). The characters, unfortunately, are never fully developed, so it may be difficult for readers to care about who emerges triumphant here (the barrowbird, cursed to "speak as I find," is an interesting invention but he disappears after the early chapters). The ending suggests that the Duke of Dullitch will return, but readers may not wish to tune in for his next appearance. Final artwork not seen by PW
. Ages 10-14.
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