Tersias by G.P. Taylor

Tersias, by G. P. Taylor, is a dark and frightening tale set in the poverty stricken streets of 18th century London. The story centres on Tersias, a young boy who has been blinded by his drunken mother in order to earn more money as a beggar. Acquired by the magician Malachi, he is kept in a gilded cage and forced to predict the future with the aid of the fearsome Wretchkin who invades his mind. As dark forces gather in the streets of London, his fate becomes entwined with that of Jonah a young highwayman, his two friends Tara and Maggot and the powerful Lord Malpas from whom Jonah has stolen a magical dagger and an alabaster box. Solomon, a crazed religious zealot who has bred a new species of giant flesh-eating locusts, also seeks to control Tersias and the dagger.

G.P. Taylor is a master at setting an intense, gripping atmosphere. His depictions of terrifying characters such as the doglike creature who pursues Jonah and the grotesque prisoner who stalks Tara in a pitch black cell, waving a rotten head on a stick are more graphic than is usual in books aimed at the adolescent market. Descriptions of The Citadel, Solomon’s headquarters, bring to life the religious cult and the cruel brainwashing that goes on there. The reader is relieved to find that there is a gentler, kinder place, Vamana House, where the healer Griselda lives and ethical behaviour rules.

Taylor does not attempt to portray his heroes as perfect; they are frail and uncertain and tread a difficult path to redemption. His villains, Malpas and Solomon, lust for power, whether it is spiritual or political. His introduction of more main characters towards the end of the book is unusual but doesn’t detract from the flow of the narrative. The dark themes of manipulation, corruption of power and religious zeal are very disturbing.

This book, with its combination of horror and fantasy, will have appeal to teens who enjoy being frightened.

Themes: Cults, Magicians, Adventure, London.

Pat Pledger