Alison Croggon is the acclaimed author of the high fantasy series The Books of Pellinor. She is also the author of Black Spring, a fantasy reworking of Wuthering Heights; and The River and the Book, which was endorsed by Amnesty International. Alison is an award-winning poet whose work has been published extensively, and she has written widely for theatre, with her plays and opera libretti having been produced all around Australia. Alison is also an editor and critic. She lives in Melbourne, Australia. Find out more about Alison at www.alisoncroggon.com and follow her on Twitter: @alisoncroggon
A dark, rich, complex setting and plot, just teeming with the kind of prickly, hardened, sly (yet somehow utterly sympathetic) characters more usual in a Dickens or Susanna Clarke novel than children's fantasy. Every unexpected twist and turn brought a new delight or a new terror that dragged me - grinning and fearful - through this excellent, excellent, story. -- Celine Kiernan A lyrical, poetic writer and a compelling storyteller. * Garth Nix *