Master of the Books

Master of the Books picks up right where its prequel, The Book of Lies, left off. All the serious problems the kingdom of Elster have been solved, so, in search of another adventure, Moloney turns to the lands beyond Elster, greatly increasing the stage for the story. In typical fantasy style, Marcel, Nicola and Fergus are all soon on quests in faraway lands, which become tied up in stopping an tyrant who is trying to take over the world with his evil magic. Despite being a little formulaic, however, this fantasy is skilfully written, well thought out, and filled with the same magic and excitement that kept readers turning pages in The Book of Lies. Anyone who liked the prequel should enjoy the sequel.

There are, however, a couple of show more areas in which Master of the Books fails to live up to its predecessor’s standard. Firstly: plot twists. The Book of Lies was filled with revelations about characters that kept the plot twisting and turning so that nobody could predict what was going to happen next. In Master of the Books, Moloney doesn’t have many of these cards left to play. There are a couple of surprises, but not as many as there were in The Book of Lies, so readers who loved the first book for its unpredictability may not enjoy the sequel as much. Secondly: mistakes. Surely I can’t be the only reader to notice that Damon’s hair colour has changed from blonde to black? Perhaps this is because the man in the opening passage of the book is supposed to be Damon – even though he is clearly described as having Sir Thomas Starkey’s ruby-hilted dagger. There were plot holes in The Book of Lies, but they were not as big as the holes in Master of the Books!

It is also interesting to see that the formula of the third quarter of the novel, (in which the teenage protagonists must convince simple-minded crowds of their innocence, while a deceiving adult antagonist insists on their guilt,) is quite reminiscent of Lemony Snicket’s work. Personally, I enjoyed this part, but some readers may feel that its formula is better suited to Snicket’s heavily stylised writing, and does not work with Moloney’s realism.

Overall, however, Master of the Books is an enjoyable read that should succeed with its target age group. Ignore the flaws and dive in. show less

This is the sequel to "The Book of Lies". It starts of very well with Fergus (real name Edwin)flying away on Gadfly to try and kill Damon (who tricked him into believing he was his father.) Marcel meanwhile has cast a spell that will bring down a horrible curse on anyone who kills their father in an effort to lift the people's judgement against Fergus. Then Marcel discovers that Fergus'real father IS Damon and the curse WILL effect him. So Marcel sets out to find a wizard greater than himself under the ruse of creating a new Book of Lies that will help choose a suitor for his sister Nicola (real name Catherine). Accompanied by the dashing knight Finn they set sail for the island of Noam and discover that Nicola has stowed away. They show more then become embroiled in a civil war and must fight an evil wizard to save first a city, and then their own kingdom.
This book does not have the half-elf Bea in it and goes around in circles a bit as Marcel wallows in self pity over being a wizard who always fails. But nonetheless, it is a satisying sequel to Book of Lies and will appeal to those who like Lord of the Rings, Deltora Quest,Quentaris, etc etc. show less

A fantastic second installment. Couldn't wait to find out what happend next.

sequel to The Book of Lies equally well done

When I was in the library, I couldn't believe it when I saw Master of the books because I didn't know that there was a sequal to The Book of Lies.