The Chamber of Shadows Review

The Chamber of Shadows
JUSTIN RICHARDS
Price: AUD $15.99(NZ$18.99)
ISBN: 9780571237999
Format: Paperback - B format
Publisher: FABER
Imprint: FABER CHILD TRADE
Number of pages: 352
Publication Date: June 2010
Edition Number: 1

November, 1886: A burial chamber is unearthed deep beneath London. A tyrant king, dead for a thousand years, prepares to rule again. Reformed pickpocket Eddie and his friends are more worried about the deadly Tick-Tock Killer who stalks his victims through London's foggy streets. But could the two be linked? The thrilling follow-up to The Parliament of Blood.

Description

'My friends and I have braved the horrors of the Shadow Chamber - its secret traps and snares. We have crawled through sewers to escape an inhuman killer. We have fought creatures of animated clay and feared for our lives in the hidden cellarage of the Emperor's Theatre.

I have seen the poor souls whose brains have been replaced by mechanisms of clockwork. I have witnessed how they are entirely under the influence of an ancient curse. And now I have heard that the man I suspect to be our enemy is to perform his stage act at the Palace, by Royal Command.'

Would he dare? Can he be so bold? Is the next victim of this grisly process intended to be the Queen Empress herself?

Praise for previous books about Eddie, Liz, George and Sir William includes:
'A rollicking ghoulish horror story ... children will love it.' - Daily Mail
'(It) goes from strength to ghoulish strength, a rollicking historical yarn.' - Daily Telegraph, UK

'A spine-tingling read - I loved it.' - Julia Golding

'A real page turner ... once you've finished it you'll want another book just as exciting.' CBBC Newsround

Review

Justin Richards has a wide range of books to his name, most importantly, the new Doctor Who. With these sort of credentials behind him, I had high expectations of this book.

While the novel had a good plot and elaborate mystery to base the story upon, it did lack the flair to maintain momentum throughout the entire novel. Justin had well developed characters and great dialogue to keep the characters interesting throughout the story, but it did falter a couple of times and break the sense of being in the book. That being said, it is still a good read and would be well received by the market it is aimed at.