Has the tension, the fear of the unknown plus a gradual build-up to a climax typical of the genre, yet that climax is not only griping but both unexpected and convincing . . . A really compelling tale

Pete Johnson is a master storyteller of hair-raising ghost stories

The horrors build up nicely to a climax

Satisfyingly spooky

A howling good read

The writing is perfectly judged . . . John Stephens knows how to make things visual, and it's accessible but not too simplistic. Junior fantasy fans are going to love this book

With exceptional skill, Mr. Stephens weaves the resulting pathos into the children's characters and into their sibling relationship

The Emerald Atlas kind of encompasses all my firm favourites, His Dark Materials, The Chronicles of Narnia and of course Harry Potter. It was a thrill to read

The Emerald Atlas is a fantastic start of a series. Plenty of questions are yet to be answered and I look forward to the sequel

The book is reminiscent in some ways of C S Lewis and J R Rowling and the excitement and gripping writing will ensure readers are immersed in the story. The book leaves issues undecided and the reader wanting more

It is a fantastical adventure that will appeal to those people who loved Harry Potter, Narnia and Lord of the Rings, with an epic tale, lovable characters and an engaging and fast paced storyline

Stephens' top-notch time-travel thriller has a quirky mixed bag of heroes and villains, a clever and compelling plotline and graphic action sequences that just cry out for the big screen treatment

A wonderful story you can easily lose yourself in

First-rate fantasy