Aristotle
The philosopher
«Logic. A line of reasoning to follow all the way to the end, without a stumble (or an explosion).»
The animals are disappearing.
And a ten-year-old boy is the only one who can save them.
The animals are disappearing.
And a ten-year-old boy is the only one who can save them.
Sebastiano had a secret gift. He could speak with the animals.
Now, you should know that the gift had come from a Sorceress, and it carried a promise: to use it to protect the animals, never for himself. And he, at ten years old, had promised.
Then one day came a piece of news no one wanted to believe: the animals, in every corner of the world, had begun to vanish. Behind it all seemed to stand a Magician, who kept them prisoner in his palace. A palace everyone knew existed, and that no one could find: hidden in the desert, invisible even to the falcons, to the eagles, to every bird in the sky.
That was when Baltazar came looking for help from Sebastiano himself. Baltazar, the clumsy, greedy, but big-hearted King of the Camels of the East, knew one thing: that this boy was the only human who could speak with the animals. And perhaps the only one who could truly do something about it.
The trials
Inside the palace, behind seven doors, no lock and no key could hold. What waited there was something else: some of the greatest minds who ever lived, set on taking the measure of Sebastiano and his friends.
The philosopher
«Logic. A line of reasoning to follow all the way to the end, without a stumble (or an explosion).»
The poet
«Reading the deeper meaning behind the words (without ending up frozen into ice cubes).»
The artist
«Catching the true heart of a work of art (without becoming part of it).»
The composer
«Finding the harmony by pleasing the Muses (who, as everyone knows, are a touchy bunch).»
The mathematician
«Answering the quizzes of some very lively teachers (without ending up as their afternoon snack).»
The scientist
«Bending the laws of physics for a veeery demanding audience.»
…
«Helping an icon in a crisis.»
Every trial brings a new skill to life. But this is no place to get it wrong…
The characters
Here are the companions who will help him.
The King of the Camels of the East. Greedy and a little clumsy, but set on saving his Brothers and every last prisoner beside them.
A desert sprite. He can freeze creatures with a single look, and order five-star meals delivered straight from across the universe.
A desert fox who can take human form. She is the group's guide on land, without whom there is no crossing the Desert or its Invisible Palaces.
No ordinary chameleon: a Chame-Lion. An expert in art and all things beautiful, he'll dazzle you with his colours. Just don't make him angry…
Queen of the desert eagles. Huge, wise, regal. She is the group's guide in the Sky, without whom no one finds the Invisible Palaces of the Desert.
A siren-frog, rare and held to be sacred, with a voice that enchants and the personality of a true diva. She dreams of an audience, a manager who knows his job, and the glow of the spotlight.
A girl with copper hair and a clear, bright gaze. Pale, shut away in a room of the palace. Who is she, really?
Who will tell you this story
Sybil never stopped searching for wonder, in a world that, at first glance, to a careless eye, can sometimes look grey.
Some people believe in magic, and some go looking for the rule behind everything they can see. Sybil does both: though she's no longer ten years old, she still looks at the world wide-eyed.
She wrote and illustrated this book for one reason alone: to pass that wonder on, to those who are still children, and to those who carry a child inside who knows that reality isn't only what you can see (sometimes it's hiding a siren-frog…).
I'll send you the excerpt, and let you know on launch day. Nothing else.
Paperback around £12.99. Kindle ebook from £3.99.
The right questions