Devil And His Boy, The - Softcover

Horowitz, Anthony

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1406357685 ISBN 13: 9781406357684

Publisher: Walker Books Ltd, 2014

Synopsis

Tom Falconer is in trouble. Pursued by the notorious criminal, Ratsey, Tom finds himself alone and hungry on the streets of London. Luckily enough, the mysterious Dr. Mobius soon recruits Tom to play an important role in a play to be performed in front of Queen Elizabeth. Tom knows there's something not right about Mobius, but he's willing to take a risk in order to keep his neck out of Ratsey's murderous hands. Little does Tom realize that Mobius's dark secret will trap him in the middle of an international conspiracy, holding the fate of the English empire in his hands.

"Readers with a penchant for macabre wit will especially relish Horowitz's flair for detail and chuckle with satisfaction." (BCCB)

About this title

About the Author

Anthony Horowitz is perhaps the busiest writer in England. He has been writing since the age of eight, and professionally since the age of twenty. He writes in a comfortable shed in his garden for up to ten hours per day. In addition to the highly successful Alex Rider ongoing series of books, he has also written episodes of several popular TV crime series, including Poirot, Murder in Mind, Midsomer Murders, and Murder Most Horrid. He has written the television series Foyle's War, which aired in the United States, as well as the libretto of a Broadway musical adapted from Dr. Seuss's book, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. He penned the script for the film The Gathering, which was released in 2003, starring Christina Ricci. Horowitz has also written the Diamond Brothers series.

Reviews

Grade 5-7-Finding himself in London when he fully expected to spend all of his days in Framlingham where he worked, or more precisely slaved, for Sebastian and Henrietta Slope, young Tom Falconer hardly knows what to make of the startling turn of events in his life. Taken from the Slopes' inn by a gentleman who is then murdered by the highwayman, Ratsey, Tom is now on his own. Befriended by a pickpocket, Moll Cutpurse, he decides he wants to be an actor. As luck would have it, no appropriate parts are available for him in Will Shakespeare's new play at the Rose Theatre, so he accepts work with the mysterious Dr. Mobius, whose play The Devil and His Boy is to be presented before Queen Elizabeth. The fast-paced plot quickly thickens. Tom finds himself pursued by Ratsey, warned of danger by a fellow actor, and caught up in political intrigue. Needless to say, when he lands in the lap of the queen while trying to save her life, Tom finds himself in more trouble than he ever thought possible. Horowitz paints his characters, or in some cases, caricatures, with broad strokes and keeps the melodramatic story moving at a rapid clip. There's no subtlety here, but it's a rollicking good tale that is mostly based on historical fact, or at least historical rumor.
Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Short, action-packed chapters convincingly portray the sights, smells, and sounds of lower-class Elizabethan England in 1593. Rescued from servitude and on the run from the cutthroat Gamaliel Ratsey, young Tom finds himself adrift in the bustling and dangerous city of London. Befriended by expert pickpocket Moll Cutpurse, he lands a job as an apprentice actor with a troop of mysterious men who have been hired to perform a comedy for the queen. Increasingly suspicious of his fellow actors, Tom risks his own life to save that of the aging queen, resulting in an astonishing discovery for them both. Sinister criminals, good-hearted ne'er-do-wells, and Shakespeare himself are all described with sly touches of whimsy that adds to the story's appeal. This unique blend of fact-based characters and inspired storytelling will appeal especially to readers who enjoy an imaginative, no-holds-barred approach to historical fiction. (Fiction. 10-14) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Mixing history with adventure, Horowitz offers a rousing story set in Elizabethan England. Young Tom Falconer has had a miserable existence working at The Pig's Head Inn. When a mysterious gentleman appears to take Tom to a new life, it seems like a miracle. Then the gentleman is murdered, and Tom is left to find his way around London. Characterizations are thin, but Horowitz provides plenty of action and, to his credit, does not try to pretty up Elizabethan life for his audience: Tom's legs are almost cut off by a Faginlike character who wants to make him into a beggar boy; other dirty and disfigured characters are described in detail. When Tom gets involved with a group of players putting on the show The Devil and His Boy, he doesn't suspect it's a ruse to overthrow the queen or that he'll wind up saving her. A pleasant surprise is the afterword, which details the parts of the story that are true. Even the story's secret (the queen has a grandson) has some basis in fact. Pair this with Susan Cooper's King of Shadows (1999), in which William Shakespeare also makes an appearance. Ilene Cooper

Edition details

• Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1406357685
• ISBN 13: 9781406357684
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192