The Starthorn Tree

The Starthorn Tree

Cover by Steven Woolman

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Synopsis

Under winter's cold shroud, the son of light lies
Though the summer sun burns high in the skies.
With the last petal of the starthorn tree
His wandering spirit shall at last slip free ...
Nothing can save him from this bitter curse,
But the turning of time itself inverse.

The young Count of Estelliana lies sleeping, as still and cold as if he was dead. His mysterious slumber has subjected the people of his land to the harsh rule of Lord Zavion, the cold and ruthless Regent. But when Durrik, the son of the town's bell-crier, involuntarily prophesizes the count's death before the entire starkin court, he catapults himself and his best friend Pedrin into the adventure of their lives.

Pursued by starkin soldiers, they must seek refuge in the Perilous Forest, home to the dangerous and unpredictable wildkin. It is only when they are forced into the company of the spoilt starkin princess Lisandre and her servant-girl Briony that they begin to realise the meaning of Durrik's riddle. But if Pedrin and Durrik are to waken the count and save their people, they must first survive the hazards of the forest where the sinister Erlrune of Evenlinn awaits them ...

The Starthorn Tree is a classic high fantasy for children in the tradition of Philip Pullmans' "His Dark Materials" series, Lloyd Alexander and Diana Wynne Jones. A quest story set in a richly-imagined world and a fast-moving, enthralling tale built on a firm foundation of myth and legend.

The kingdom of Estelliana is troubled. The young starkin count is trapped in a cursed sleep and it appears nothing the Lord Astronomer can do will wake him. Not even the light from the Astronomer's Tower, built from precious glass by the bound hearthkin, can rouse Count Zygmont from his unnatural sleep. Then a prophecy turns the starkin against two hearthkin boys, Pedrin and Durrik, forcing them to run from the town and hide in the Perilous Forest. Here they meet up with another two runaways, the spoilt Lady Lisandre and her servant, Briony a young weaver with strange skills, seeking a cure for the count, Lady Lisandre's brother.