/ Key title From one of the world's best-loved storytellers comes a magical novel of adventure and discovery -- the sequel to Isabel Allende's bestselling City of the Beasts. / Kingdom of the Golden Dragon has sold over 33,000 copies in the UK and abroad, since hardback publication in April 2004 / City of the Beasts has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide and is still selling fast / Major advertising campaign for paperback publication / Website at www isabelallende.com / Includes fascinating PS section with an author profile, exclusive essay and much more.
Isabel Allende was born in 1942, the cousin of Salvador Allende, who went on to become famous as the elected President of Chile deposed in a CIA-backed coup. She worked as a journalist, playwright and children's writer in Chile until 1974 and then in Venezuela until 1984. Her first novel for adults, The House of the Spirits, was published in Spanish in 1982, beginning life as a letter to her dying grandfather. It was an international sensation, and ever since all her books have been acclaimed and adored in numberless translations worldwide.
'This spellbinding novel, like its predecessor, is storytelling at its best' Mail on Sunday 'Allende again proves her talent for evoking exotic landscapes, spinning tall stories and weaving seductive magic.' Sunday Times 'City of the Beasts is the kind of accomplishment to show readers that there's more to life than Harry Potter.' Literary Review
'This spellbinding novel, like its predecessor, is storytelling at its best' Mail on Sunday 'Allende again proves her talent for evoking exotic landscapes, spinning tall stories and weaving seductive magic.' Sunday Times 'City of the Beasts is the kind of accomplishment to show readers that there's more to life than Harry Potter.' Literary Review
Fans of Allende's action fantasy City of the Beasts will be eager to sink their teeth into this equally tantalizing sequel. If the first book focused on environmental themes, this one takes on a strong spiritual flavor. Here Alexander (who has just turned 16) and his journalist grandmother, Kate, are off to the Himalayas accompanied by Brazilian native Nadia Santos (Eagle), whom they met during their excursion to the Amazon in the previous novel. Their mission is to find out about the Forbidden Kingdom, a remote mountain country that holds the invaluable Golden Dragon, a jewel-encrusted statue with magical powers. Alex and his companions are welcomed into the Kingdom of the Golden Dragon, a place where greed, hostility and crime do not exist. While they are becoming acquainted with the benevolent king, a master thief and crew of evil "Blue Warriors" carry out a scheme to steal the precious statue and kidnap the king along with some young women of the village. Before long, Alexander finds himself once again tangled up in a dangerous quest as he sets off to retrieve the Golden Dragon and save the lives of the hostages. As the author promotes ideals of compassion, forgiveness and asceticism, she expertly blends all the ingredients of a great epic adventure. Her complex heroes, suspenseful tests of courage and the mystic aura that surrounds the story add depth and excitement to a classic battle of good versus evil. Ages 10-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
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