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Marco #2
Marco and the Blade of Night
Welcome to Glastonbury. Real Place. Real Magic.
Marco's summer in Glastonbury is starting to get seriously weird… The locals are having strange and terrifying visions, and then Marco's friend, Rosa, finds an ancient relic which experts identify as Excalibur, sword of the legendary King Arthur.
According to the folk tales, Arthur will return to fight the forces of night. But where is the real threat coming from? A new evil is loose on the streets of the old town and inside the ruins of its ancient abbey... and walking right into it is Marco's sceptical London friend, Josh, the psychiatrist's son who's too clever for his own dad.
Only Marco and Rosa can see the real darkness rising... and the blade about to fall.
Marco's summer in Glastonbury is starting to get seriously weird… The locals are having strange and terrifying visions, and then Marco's friend, Rosa, finds an ancient relic which experts identify as Excalibur, sword of the legendary King Arthur.
According to the folk tales, Arthur will return to fight the forces of night. But where is the real threat coming from? A new evil is loose on the streets of the old town and inside the ruins of its ancient abbey... and walking right into it is Marco's sceptical London friend, Josh, the psychiatrist's son who's too clever for his own dad.
Only Marco and Rosa can see the real darkness rising... and the blade about to fall.
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
2 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 27, 2011
A great book, aimed at teens but I love the setting which is not far from where I live but never visited - Yet! Glastonbury in Somerset, full of quaint shops and some very strange people.
I am determined to visit Glastonbury - and soon!
I am determined to visit Glastonbury - and soon!
February 4, 2008
On a par with Marco's Pendulum. No better, and no worse. You can count on the author for something entirely different, and that is the real treat behind all of his books.
a
a
December 29, 2019
A good book for tweens that plays with Glastonbury and the Legend of Arthur. Builds the tension and mysticism but has a really weak ending.
October 23, 2011
I read both 'Marco' books in swift succession (Pendulum & Blade of Night). And it was halfway through Marco and the Blade of Night that I realised something.
There's a lot of talking. I mean, there's a LOT of talking. I was reminded of the scenes in Buffy where Giles told us about the demon of the week. These books are exposition central. Whilst I cannot call them poorly written (there's a definite competency to the writing), I can say that these two books have such pacing issues that I found myself skimming vast chunks of yet another fifteen pages where people stand around and say how scary things are. Want to read a properly scary nervy book? Right now I'm reading The Drowning Pond and that is scary.
The Marco books have an amazing premise (I mean, look at something like Robin Jarvis' The Raven's Knot for some stunning writing on Glastonbury. The place is rich with stories. The Marco books don't deliver and that made me really sad. There are moments when I see something in these stories, moments with Rosa or with the parental relationship between Josh and his dad, and then I lose it and don't manage to pick it up until I've read through several more chapters. I think the key problem with these books is that there are people who, quite simply, have done it better. Head towards someone like Anthony Horowitz and you'll see exactly what I mean.
There's a lot of talking. I mean, there's a LOT of talking. I was reminded of the scenes in Buffy where Giles told us about the demon of the week. These books are exposition central. Whilst I cannot call them poorly written (there's a definite competency to the writing), I can say that these two books have such pacing issues that I found myself skimming vast chunks of yet another fifteen pages where people stand around and say how scary things are. Want to read a properly scary nervy book? Right now I'm reading The Drowning Pond and that is scary.
The Marco books have an amazing premise (I mean, look at something like Robin Jarvis' The Raven's Knot for some stunning writing on Glastonbury. The place is rich with stories. The Marco books don't deliver and that made me really sad. There are moments when I see something in these stories, moments with Rosa or with the parental relationship between Josh and his dad, and then I lose it and don't manage to pick it up until I've read through several more chapters. I think the key problem with these books is that there are people who, quite simply, have done it better. Head towards someone like Anthony Horowitz and you'll see exactly what I mean.
April 2, 2020
The second book following the adventures of Marco in new age Glastonbury. In this book the ordinary people of Glastonbury (not the "Avalonians") start to see visions. Avalonians are depressed that for all their new age rituals they see none. The "Glastis" are worried because they don't believe in that stuff! And then the curate finds an ancient sword - one that could date all the way back to the iron age.
Once again Marco is swept up into a powerful adventure where all he has is friendship to bring him through.
As for the first book, this is a good story for young adult readers. As with the first book, the themes of satanism as well as the way characters are stereotyped would prevent me from recommending this book to younger children. There was also no repeat of the wonderful start of the first book. This was good young adult fiction, but falling short of its potential.
A theme of reconciliation at the end good perhaps have been worked a little harder as I felt I should have been moved, but was not.
But still a good read for young adult readers. A book that almost demands a later discussion of its themes.
Once again Marco is swept up into a powerful adventure where all he has is friendship to bring him through.
As for the first book, this is a good story for young adult readers. As with the first book, the themes of satanism as well as the way characters are stereotyped would prevent me from recommending this book to younger children. There was also no repeat of the wonderful start of the first book. This was good young adult fiction, but falling short of its potential.
A theme of reconciliation at the end good perhaps have been worked a little harder as I felt I should have been moved, but was not.
But still a good read for young adult readers. A book that almost demands a later discussion of its themes.
March 30, 2017
3.5 It took a bit for the book to get going but once it did it was great. Things are upside down in Glastonbury and nothing is what it seems!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews