Old Claeg: Queen Boadicea's Blood Stone and the Sacred Grove - Paperback

by Thomas Venour (Author)

Rufus is ten years old. After the death of his parents he is left under the care of his Uncle in a house boat on the river Thames. The story opens with a nightmare. Rufus is chased by unearthly creatures, exhausted and weighed down by his sword. Little does he know that this dream is but a foretaste of things to come. Ravenswood is an eerie place for a boy to play, a place of great natural beauty with majestic ancient trees but also a haunt of vicious, feral youths. Near the wood lives an old tramp. His uncle makes it quite clear that under no circumstances is he to go near it. While his character is tested to the full, in dangerous play with the local youths, Rufus stumbles across a relic of great power. Meddling in something he does not understand will have serious consequences, drawing Rufus yet further into a frightening world. Meanwhile the developers and their other-worldly spawn are closing in. Rufus soon finds himself living between a parallel world of enchantment, myth and legend. Given a mysterious gift, its power and purpose barely revealed in this first adventure, Rufus literally fights for his life and the future of Raven Wood as his destiny and that of a weird and extraordinary companion reach their climax.

Author Biography

Born in 1963, Tom spent much of his early youth in Germany and went to boarding school in the UK. Tom worked on the land for a few years before joining the police force in London. His favourite authors are CS Lewis, Tolkien and Alan Garner. He is married with two successful children. Tom is now retired from the police, after twenty five years. His first beat was Richmond Upon Thames, often along the river, between Ham and Richmond Upon Thames. The area provided some inspiration for this book. A mysterious old barge still wallows in the shallows to this day.