He could see her, the woman the size of a mountain, weeping for a child lost. He could feel that weeping in his heart - all the loss and pain and darkness of the world, on and on, dragging at him like weights that pulled him into deep water. Atti is the Fatal Child. Beautiful and adored, she is troubled by a recurring nightmare of violence and betrayal. She can love no one and trust no one, and she wakes screaming in the nights. Driven by his love for Atti, Ambrose, son of Phaedra, gives up his wandering existence and takes the throne. This is the story of his kingship and his attempts to remove the curse of Beyah, the weeping goddess, from his land. For while Beyah weeps, she poisons hearts, and only when the weeping stops can peace be restored to the kingdom. Seen through the eyes of Padry, close advisor to the king, and of Melissa, maid to the queen, this is a passionate story of love and betrayal, power and sacrifice, hope and loss. Prophecies are fulfilled and story threads are concluded as Ambrose and his mother struggle to come to terms with their destinies.
John Dickinson worked for the Ministry of Defence in Brussels for many years but now writes full time. He's married with two children and lives in the Cotswolds. He is himself the son of an acclaimed author and grew up up with stories constantly under construction in his house.
Title: The Fatal Child (The Cup Of The World)
Author: Dickinson, John
ISBN: 9780552573382
Binding:
Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK
Publication Date: 2014-12-15
Number of Pages: 560
Weight: 0.3584 kg
By turns courtly, earthy, political, bloody, tragic, romantic and melancholy, Dickinson's prose is a joy to experience. The imagery is sometimes disturbing or gruesome and may appeal to the more mature reader, to whom I wholeheartedly recommend it * Inis *
By no means an easy read, it is immensely rewarding, for older teens or adults with the courage to make the journey * Kirkus *
The Fatal Child is a very sophisticated read thematically, and pitched perfectly at the young adult market, but there's enough action and plot for a keen-reading twelve year-old to take a great deal from it. At the same time, there's more than enough depth to make it worth any adult's time. It may even give them pause for thought * thebookbag.co.uk *