Castle (The Seventh Tower, Book 2)

Castle picks up where the previous book left off, with Tal attempting to find not one but two sunstones. One for himself and one for the icecarls. Gart Nix is a tremendously imaginative author. His Abhorsen series is second to none, and this series is totally different except in that it is also a cracking good read in an imaginative fantasy world unlike any other.This series is perhaps written for a slightly younger age group than the Abhorsen books, but it can be enjoyed by all ages (I speak as a very mature reader... well older reader anyway).The books are fast paced, and this novel develops some of the themes that were clearly hinted at in the start of the series. We still do not know how the world got to be as it is, but it is clear we will find out. There are also some delicious plots and intrigues building.Like nearly all of Garth Nix's output, these are excellent books and thoroughly recommended.

11yo son raced through these books in next to no time. Much easier than the Keys to the Kingdom series by the same author so not so interesting to parents reading alongside but after the first book I trusted the author not to include unsuitable content and let him get on with it.

OK the kids just kept pestering me to buy this book to go with the previous one they bought from a book stall they will pester me for the whole series I just know it so they must like it hence five stars.

Very Happy

to complete series great

Great set of books

This is a fine and creative tale. Nix creates a believable fantasy world and populates it with compelling characters in the Castle. Then, he switches gears to create an equally complex environment and set of characters for our hero to find when he leaves the confines of the Castle. The story has fine twists and turns, and great action on both an individual scale and on a more epic scale. The problem is, this is not a six book worthy story. If you are really a fan of these characters and this story, it's certainly fine to read all six books. If time or money is at a premium, you can actually read book one, ("The Fall"), book two, ("Castle"), and book six, ("The Violet Keystone"), and follow everything perfectly well. Then you can move on to other great Nix books, like the Keys to the Kingdom series.

I was first introduced to Garth Nix through his "Keys to the Kingdom" series and thoroughly enjoyed all seven books in the series (although we had to wait a long time for the final book to be published). So I thought I'd give the tower series a try and I'm very glad I did so. Although ostensibly written as a childrens book, it's a cracking good read which will also satisfy any adult who enjoys this genre and I look forward to reading the rest of the series. Highly recommended.