When statues start coming to life, 12 year old George Chapman discovers that there are many layers to London, all interwined in a timeless battle between those with souls and those without
A city has many lives and layers. London has more than most. Not all the layers are underground, and not all the lives belong to the living. A twelve year old boy named George Chapman is about to find this out the hard way. On a school trip he's punished for something he didn't do. In a tiny act of rebellion, he lashes out at a small carving on the wall--unexpectedly breaking it off. And then something horrible does happen: a stone Pterodactyl unpeels from the wall and starts chasing him. George is already running before hismind starts trying to tell him this is impossible.Download and start listening now!
"Once this book found its stride, it was great! London has so much history that it begs to have stories like this written. The idea of statues that have a life of their own, with a whole world of their own superimposed on the world we know, is a fascinating one. For anyone who has ever felt watched by a statue, this is a wonderful series to fuel your imagination."
— Amber (4 out of 5 stars)
“Thrilling stuff.”
— Scotsman“Realistic yet fantastical, with characters you care deeply about—It has everything a good story needs.”
— Publishing News“An excitingly original tale that will keep readers gripped from beginning to end.”
— Bookseller“Creatively building on the plentiful gargoyles and other creepy stonework of its urban setting, this lengthy novel, the first in a planned trilogy, will draw capable readers for its suspenseful chase scenes, scary creatures, and highly original premise.”
— Booklist" For whatever reason, I couldn't get into the book. I only made it a few chapters. "
— Juicy, 2/14/2014" Surprisingly enough, I couldn't really get into this book like I expected I would. I am a big fan of Jim Dale as a reader, but something about this book wasn't as exciting as the other books I've listened to by him. I still enjoyed the story and following Charlie as he meets all kinds of interesting statues and other glints, but it wasn't as good as I was hoping. Dale does an excellent job reading though and overall a pretty good book. I'd recommend giving it a go if you're a fantasy fan or a fan of Dale. "
— Jc, 2/11/2014" Gave up halfway through. Just wasn't interesting for me, even though I usually like these young adult type of books. I may return to it another time, but just have too many other things I'd like to read to waste my time with something I'm not in love with. "
— Doofendad, 2/9/2014" A boy named george knocks a head of a dragon statue and gargoles start chasing after him. In london statues come to life. "
— Cole, 2/7/2014" I really thought I would like this book, but at page 40 I was still lost, and growing tired of feeling confused on every single page. I don't know if it's the story, style or both. And I may try to read it again some time, but for now....just not happening. "
— Jaemi, 1/31/2014" I liked this book. I liked the story and the concept, but the writing ended up being too confusing at some points. Especially at the beginning, I wasn't sure what he was talking about. A lot of the action scenes were either too choppy or too elaborate. The ending especially was difficult because he kept switching views of the characters, so i wasn't quite sure what was happening and when things did happen, I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. I liked the story, it just should have been written more clearly. "
— Rebecca, 1/31/2014" AMAZING!!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "
— Grace, 1/15/2014" This wasn't my favorite but it wasn't bad either. "
— Jill, 1/15/2014" this was a pretty good book but it just didnt capture my attention as well as it could have. I think there was to much about the gunner and eddie and the boys dad. "
— Shayn, 12/18/2013" I liked this one, the characters show a lot of growth during the book. I recommend it to anyone. "
— Gregory, 12/10/2013" Mixed...nice imagination...but itis not holding me. Could not finish it. "
— Lee, 11/15/2013" awesome book by Charlie Fletcher. "
— Mark, 6/17/2013" My husband and i listened to this on a road trip. The plot was engaging. But there was a lot of detail so it felt pretty slow. I didn't feel like a lot happened from the first to the end. But enough mystery to make you want to find out what happens. "
— Heidi, 6/16/2013" Slow start and somewhat clunky writing dampened my enthusiasm for this title despite Jim Dale's narration. However, it did get better as it went along and I have some hope that the second and third books in the trilogy will be better. I like the idea of the book and the characters were appealing. "
— Kathryn, 11/27/2012" blech. couldn't get into this author's writing style enough to enjoy the story... or finish it. i had to put it down and walk away. maybe i'll try it again someday, but probably not. "
— Elisha, 8/7/2012" Good car audio book for the family. "
— Liseprown, 7/2/2012" it was pretty good! it took me a while to get through it though! "
— Karla, 2/5/2012" I thought that this was a very decent book. It was very out of the ordinary but I had to push through to finish it at times. 1 book. "
— Rad, 11/23/2011" Yay, another Jim Dale narrated novel!!! "
— Chrissy, 10/11/2011" This took me a very long time to read because i started other books and though it isn't my style, it was still pretty awesome. "
— Bookaholic, 8/25/2011" I am almost embarrassed to say that I actually bought this book almost 2 years ago before I finally started reading it yesterday. I now have to go get the other books in the series in order to keep reading. "
— Foggygirl, 7/21/2011" Kniha má urcite dobrý a zajímavý nápad, ale ke konci už me celkem nudila. K doctení jsem se doslova donutila, jelikož nemám ráda nedoctené knížky. "
— Moira, 6/26/2011" Pretty good, My brother picked it. Not bad bro, not bad. "
— Arwyn, 6/23/2011" Loved this book. I read it in grade 3 and I think it was the first book that I'd read in one night. I just couldn't put it down! "
— Skye, 5/15/2011" Abrupt ending, but a great start to a series! "
— Judy, 5/4/2011" So-so. It's going to be fun to read with the kids some time but I wouldn't pick it up for myself. But you gotta preview stuff theses days. "
— Nate, 4/21/2011" Wasn't sure I was going to like this book...takes rip-roaring adventure a bit over the top...but Fletcher has an amazing way with words. His descriptive writing would at times stop and pull me as I pondered the amazing beauty of words put so neatly together. A great read for that alone. "
— Alisa, 4/12/2011" My husband and i listened to this on a road trip. The plot was engaging. But there was a lot of detail so it felt pretty slow. I didn't feel like a lot happened from the first to the end. But enough mystery to make you want to find out what happens. "
— Heidi, 4/8/2011" This book is so legendary and more important to all of readers, if you want to the read a story about dragons in real life and a historic place, than this is the one. "
— Joshua, 3/9/2011" I didn't really become invested in the main character's plight in this book. I did, however, find some of the other characters to be interesting. This is an OK read. "
— Megan, 2/16/2011" fun great read, the only 5 syars book in this series the other two arent great that much. "
— Ash, 2/10/2011" great book with main characters in an alternite London who at first have no idea how they got there. "
— Daniel, 2/4/2011" I am almost embarrassed to say that I actually bought this book almost 2 years ago before I finally started reading it yesterday. I now have to go get the other books in the series in order to keep reading. "
— Foggygirl, 12/11/2010Charlie Fletcher is the author of the internationally acclaimed Stoneheart trilogy and has written for television, film, and newspapers. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife, two children, and a terrier called Archie.
Jim Dale is the voice of all the characters in the Harry Potter audiobook series. As a narrator he has won two Grammy Awards, seven Grammy nominations, fifteen AudioFile Earphones Awards, and ten Audie Awards. As a stage and screen actor, he has won a Tony Award, four Tony nominations, four Drama Desk Awards, and two Academy Award nominations. In 2004 he was made a member of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth.