The Errand: The Warlock on the Hill

(Hardback)

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Description

Age range 7 to 11

"A young girl sits waiting at the top of the stairs, glowing in the darkness. Leading you quickly to the far side of the banister, she hops up into a painting of a small winding staircase, shrinking beautifully as if she and Alice were old friends. You shrug your shoulders: there is nothing to be done but to follow." Dare to enter the dark, magical mansion of the Warlock on the Hill -- full of dangerous riddles, echoing voices, and terrifying creatures -- and you may never be the same again.

The Errand: The Warlock on the Hill is the second volume in The Errand graphic novel series. In each book of this series, Leo La Fleur and Adam Oehlers use poetic language and hauntingly beautiful illustrations to spin a darkly fantastical tale in which the reader follows a simple errand boy on a courage-testing adventure of great magic and ever deepening peril.

Reviews

"Highly Recommended. White font against a solid black background adds suspense between detailed sepia and black and white sketches. The warlock's notes, in his own writing, appear throughout, putting readers in the errand runner's shoes, reading the clues and instructions along with the errand runner. Hints of colour appear in Oehlers' illustrations to show there is reason for hope: the errand runner's cape wrapping him in green; fairy-printed wallpaper with hints of green that will come to life at just the right moment; bright yellow stars bringing light in stark darkness. These hints of colours, which become more frequent as the story proceeds and indicate hope and a positive twist, help ease the tension in what could be a terrifying adventure.

The Warlock on the Hill shows readers that there is always someone willing to help, even if it comes with a risk to their own safety. Readers will learn to never underestimate how helpful someone can be, no matter how small, and that they, too, can make a difference regardless of size - if a fairy can help bring down a werewolf, imagine what readers are capable of!

Readers will be keen to continue the next adventure in "The Errand" series, The Queen." -- Crystal Sutherland, CM: Canadian Review of Materials

Author Bio

Leo LaFleur writes short stories, poems, novels, and songs. He studied English, Philosophy, and Great Books at St. Thomas University and has been published in literary magazines throughout North America, as well as nominated for multiple music related awards. He lives in Saint John, New Brunswick, where he finds a great deal of inspiration in nature and the surrounding forests.

Adam Oehlers is a UK-based illustrator and sculptor whose work has earned him a British Fantasy Awards nomination.