Author(s): Margaret Mahy

Fiction | New Zealand Literature

Forced from his home, 12-year-old Heriot's unwilling steps lead to Diamond, first city of the Hoadara. Serving the King as his magician, and strangely bound to Dysart, the mad prince, Heriot is isolated within the walls of Diamond until he finds Cayley, a wild, ambiguous rat-of-the-city. These two lonely souls forge an unlikely friendship in the shadows of the city both are forced to call home. But when children become adults, childish games become deadly serious and when incipient madness erupts in chilling violence, Heriot is forced to explore the very heart of his magic. In this superbly cerebral fantasy for older readers, Carnegie Medal-winning author Margaret Mahy’s master work will surprise and thrill with its exploration of darkness, and delight with her undisputed mastery of the language of the heart and soul.