Richard Middleton (4)

Richard Middleton’s "The Wyrm Conspiracy" is sure to appeal to readers of young adult fantasy novels. The book follows two twelve-year olds, Emily and Sam, living in the fictional city of Wormwell, a city built around canals. Much like J.K. Rowling’s protagonists in "Harry Potter," Emily and Sam uncover a mystery and, not trusting adults to do an adequate job, take it upon themselves to save the day, nearly causing disaster in the process, but succeeding in the end. The characters are show more easy to follow, though they follow tried-and-true archetypes.
Middleton’s greatest achievement is the world of Wormwell itself. With its circular structure, inner canal ring with smaller waterways, surrounding river, and the sheer cliff wall to the north, Wormwell reminds the reader of Plato’s description of Atlantis in the "Timaeus and Critias." The differing religions, from the vaguely-Norse beliefs of Emily and Sam, to the water-worshipping Monks who run the mysterious Abbey, and the semi-Celtic beliefs of the Wyrm’s thralls, evoke the variegated beliefs of Tamora Pierce’s Tortall series. Finally, the world blends the old and the new, with an ancient city with archaic beliefs and magic while still using modern technology like motor-driven boats and modern clothing. Indeed, Middleton’s description of the Pinwheel vehicles, depicted on the book’s cover, actually crosses over into the James Bond variety of high technology.
Middleton masterfully crafts suspense while still presenting a fully-defined world for his reader the manner in which he structures his chapters is sure to keep young readers up late, unable to put the book down to sleep. The weakest part of the book comes from Emily and Sam who, as previously mentioned, fall into typical archetypes of teen fantasy, but even here Middleton gives them enough characterization to remain interesting while having them interact with his fascinating world, so this is a relatively minor issue. In sum, "The Wyrm Conspiracy" is certain to delight fans of young adult fantasy novels. show less

The Wyrm Conspiracy works well as a young adult fantasy novel. The story is fast paced and the characters likable, if not extremely well developed. I found the setting and descriptions quite colorful. Vocabulary in The Wyrm Conspiracy is certainly easy enough for young adult readers. My only complaint would be one of the themes of the book, that of not trusting adults/parents.

I'm going to have o start reading more YA fantasy. I'm sure it wasn't available when I was a YA. To best friends uncover a mystery, complete with monks and monsters! Very exciting, and likeable characters (mostly).
Enjoyable read!