Bartlett and the City of Flames - Softcover

Hirsch, Odo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0747551804 ISBN 13: 9780747551805

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2001

Synopsis

"[Odo] writes measured, self-delighting prose, with witty dialogue, successful jokes, surprises, and a happy sprinkling of satire and a gently didactic wishfulness about how people should behave better" - "Sunday Times". When Bartlett, Jacques le Grand and Gozo emerge from the Margoulis Caverns into daylight and the scorching heat of the stonefields, little do they realise that they are about to embark on a wonderful adventure. An adventure that takes them from a glorious palace in the City of Sun to the underground depths of the City of Flames. This time a young prince has been kidnapped and it is up to Bartlett and Jacques to find him and reunite him with his family. But nothing is ever as easy as it originally seems, as Bartlett has to persuade two arch enemies to reconcile and overcome centuries of misunderstanding and animosity. A brilliant adventure full of bright and vibrant characters and a plot full of suspense and gentle humour.

About this title

Review

Bartlett is a famous intrepid explorer--but you wouldn't think so to look at him. Thin and wiry, with knobbly fingers, a face full of freckles and hair that is obviously not very familiar with a comb, this is the young man who was asked to achieve the impossible in his first, hugely readable and epic adventure as told by Odo Hirsch in Bartlett and the Ice Voyage. And now, he has another seemingly tricky and difficult mission.

The Margoulis Caverns are the longest, deepest chain of caves ever found. With bottomless pools and echoing chambers, only a fraction of them have ever been explored. It's the ultimate trip. Months later, alongside his companions Gozo and Jacques le Grand, Bartlett finally emerges from the depths with a fistful of maps. But where are they? All around them is a barren, rocky landscape that doesn't look at all friendly. They have unwittingly surfaced in another faraway land in the middle of an age-long struggle between the Overgrounders who live in the City of the Sun, and the Undergrounders who live in the daylight-starved City of the Flames. And the fun has only just begun.

Bartlett's second adventure is as page-turning as his first. Along the way there's kidnapping, imprisonment, theft, acts of madness and threats of execution. But there's also Inventiveness, Desperation and Perseverance--the three maxims by which Bartlett lives his appealing but old-fashioned life of daring and bravery.

Odo Hirsch's books are incredibly readable and Bartlett his finest creation so far. It's good, clean fun and should not be missed. (Ages 10 and over) --John McLay

About the Author

Award-winning author Odo Hirsch was born in Australia but now lives in London. His books have been translated into several languages. This is his second Bartlett adventure for Bloomsbury, his first being Bartlett and the Ice Voyage.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0747551804
• ISBN 13: 9780747551805
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208