The Shadowmancer Returns: The Curse of Salamander Street

Book Description

The sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Shadowmancer.

In this thrilling, much-anticipated sequel to the runaway hit Shadowmancer, G. P. Taylor once again takes readers on a gripping journey. Kate and Thomas have barely escaped the evil sorcerer Demurral, and are sailing to London to make a fresh start. But someone knows they are coming, and is lying in wait to lure them into the darkest heart of the city. Meanwhile, Raphah, who has had a narrow escape of his own, sets out on a terrifying journey to find his friends, all the time haunted by a shadowy beast. Eventually, the friends' paths meet on a cursed street, hidden from the world-a place where fates are decided and old enemies seek revenge. They thought it was over . . . but can evil ever be destroyed?

Customer Reviews:

A stunning sequel.......2007-08-08

The runaway popular book, Shadowmancer, now has a true sequel (the books Wormwood and Tersias the Oracle were related, but did not follow the same characters).

Taylor has worked in the music industry, and for many years on the Yorkshire Police Force, before becoming ordained as an Episcopalian vicar. He self-published his first book, Shadowmancer, selling his motorcycle to get the money. The book was a hit--on the bestseller lists.

The story of Thomas, Kate and Raphah continues, with Beadle assisting Raphah (who has not died after being thrown overboard, but has been swallowed by a whale!). Jacob Crane, the smuggler captain of The Magenta, takes Kate and Thomas to London. Raphah and Beadle travel to London by coach, fleeing the evil Vicar Demurral and searching for Thomas and Kate. They meet a varied group of travelers, among them Cartaphilus Barghast and the young and magical Lady Tanville Chilnam. When Crane's his boat is seized, he helps Kate and Thomas to flee to a refuge in Salamander Street.

Crane's old friend Pallium is oddly different. He is thin, and fixated on counting money--and praises his landlord Galphus. Kate discovers a haunted painting in her room, of a young woman named Isabella. Galphus seems kindly and safe, but is he really? What sorts of shoes does he make in his huge factory filled with child workers? Are Raphah and Beadle being followed by a change-shifter, a nasty huge beast of dog? Some of their fellow travelers seem to be on the same trail, also looking for two children. Who can be trusted? Who will survive?

The three friends are re-united finally at the end of the book, after harrowing dangers, in a cataclysmic and frightening conclusion.

Armchair Interviews says: The imagery, symbols, characters and the depiction of dark magical times is wonderfully wrought.

A great read.......2007-08-06

I enjoyed the book very much. If you liked Shadowmancer you will enjoy this one too.

Part of a series.......2007-07-26

This book is part os a series, not the first, so it would have helped to have known the characters from a previous book. The story is a fairly routine adventure with good guys and bad guys. It provides mild distraction for a reader who has nothing else to do for a couple of hours.

gripping dark fantasy .......2007-05-16

In 1752 England Obadiah Demurral continues his quest to conquer heaven in order to rule on earth. Three children (Raphah, Thomas and Kate) with the help of the angel Raphael thwart his last efforts, but he is not finished. The three children travel to London aboard pirate Jacob Crane's ship, who has become a believer. He is taking his previous cargo to Salamander Street, supposedly a place of safety from Demurral.

Raphah gets separated from the others when he falls overboard. When Beadle, Demurral former slave happens upon a beach he sees a whale and out of his mouth comes Raphah. They head to London together. Meanwhile Crane, Kate, and Thomas reach London but officials board the ship and confiscate his cargo and inform him that Demurral sent word ahead that Crane kidnapped the children and stole something precious from him. When they reach the inn on Salamander Street Galphus takes Thomas to his factory and forces him to sign indenture papers. Later Kate is taken to Galphus's factory as a prisoner. Crane eventually is captured as well. They are waiting for Demurral to reach them as Galphus is his minion as good and evil clash for the souls of the children and their allies.

This dark fantasy grips readers with its good vs. evil war on earth in which Demurral seems more powerful than even the angel Raphael. The story line is action-packed never slowing down in its epic battle on the streets of eighteenth century London, yet the key players are fully developed so that the audience understands motives (some altruistic to save the world; others ambitious to rule the world). G.P. Taylor provides a wonderful fantasy with a religious theme that readers of all ages will appreciate.

Harriet Klausner

Average customer rating:

Wonderful book for teens and adults alike!
Cat Club Review: www.freewebs.com/hlgstrider
foolish copy
when is the next book coming?
Awesome fantasy novel with a Christian view

Shadowmancer
G. P. Taylor
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B0009HARM0

Amazon.com

An apocalyptic battle between good and evil is vigorously, violently fought in British author G.P. Taylor's suspenseful, action-packed fantasy. The story, set in the 1700s on the Yorkshire coastline, revolves around Vicar Obadiah Demurral, a corrupt-but-inept, dead-conjuring "shadowmancer" who desires to control the universe by overthrowing God, or Riathamus. When two hard-luck near-orphans, (13-year-old Thomas Barrick, a bitter enemy of Demurral, and his troubled friend Kate Coglund) band together with a young African stranger named Raphah, they spend the rest of the book trying to stop the wicked Vicar as if their very souls are at stake...they are. Along the way, the three youths meet an enormous cast of friends and foes, some agents of Riathamus, others of Satan (Pyratheon), and some godless (but not for long) smugglers like Jacob Crane.

Readers who love fanciful storybook characters will find mermaidlike Seloth, smelly hobs, leg-dragging servants, goodhearted whores, and benevolent boggles. Age-old superstitions abound, though old magic and witchcraft are clearly denounced here as the work of the devil. Indeed, the author, an English vicar himself, tells a very Christian story and his often deliciously dramatic adventure lapses into stiffly presented glowing-halo Touched by an Angel moments(readers will be lured into the Enchanted Forest, but tricked into Sunday school). Nonetheless, Shadowmancer, the first of a series, is a pageturner bursting with magic and myth, and will appeal to fantasy lovers who don't mind the Bible mixed in with their boggles. (Ages 11 and older) --Karin Snelson

Book Description

#1 New York Times Bestseller!

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful book for teens and adults alike!.......2007-08-03

My daughter, son and I loved this book. It is a fantasy, action story with a good message. We borrowed this book from a friend and then went out to purchase it in hard cover. We can't wait to read other books by G.P. Taylor.

Cat Club Review: www.freewebs.com/hlgstrider.......2007-07-13

Overtime the masters of fiction have invented myriads of miraculous relics, powerful artifacts, and secret treasures, all of which would wreak worldwide havoc in the wrong hands. Some of these need to be thrown into volcanoes. Some can only be destroyed by lifeblood or true love or dragon fire. Many are hidden in deep, dark lairs carefully guarded and booby trapped . . . You know the sort.
So whether ring or grail or nuclear banana, these things must be properly dealt with. Usually there are two choices: the thing in question is either innately evil and must be destroyed or it is just too powerful for mortal use and must be handed over to the proper authorities to be wielded as they see fit. Best I can tell the golden idol thing in G. P. Taylor's Shadowmancer is of the second variety, though how the "side of light" benefits from the potent little thing's existence is never explained. In fact, a lot of things in this thinly disguised Christian myth go unexplained.
Set in England about 1700, the main character is Raphah, a lad who has pursued the stolen Keruvim from his home in Africa to where a devious English parson has evil plans for it. Don't ask me to be more specific.
Raphah is shipwrecked, befriends two local children, and fights said evil parson while changing the lives about him with the power of his god, Riathamus. What Taylor thinks he accomplishes by calling the very thinly disguised holy being "Riathamus" rather than "Jesus" doesn't work. Anyone with brains and basic theological knowledge will understand who Riathamus is. Anyone without the above will probably be turned off by the occasionally preachy style anyway.
The most intriguing character (Raphah and the two children tend to be a little flat) is the smuggler, Jacob Crane, who at least starts on an interesting character arch. However, the book ends without really finishing up on Jacob, so I felt a bit cheated. The plot has some large holes but is mainly strong. I wouldn't recommend buying this book (which I did. . .), but it is a short read, so if you happen to have a copy lying about, go for it. It was at the very least a valiant attempt to bring Christian fantasy to the masses . . . I just plan to do better.

foolish copy.......2007-07-09

this hole book spins around the idea of anti magic. it seems to me that this book was written as an anti book for Harry Potter. don't bother to read it.

when is the next book coming?.......2007-01-16

This book was hard for me to follow at first, but I could not put it down.
I am still waiting for the next book! HURRY UP!

Awesome fantasy novel with a Christian view.......2006-11-05

What G.P. Taylor has written is a novel that my 13 year old son and I both agree is exciting, scary and thought provoking. The deeper your knowledge of religious history, Christianity and/or evil, the more believable this novel is. I like to read what both my youngest sons are reading so that I can put things in the proper perspective, and use the books as a teaching tool. From the reviews I've read, I plan to read all the rest of the books Taylor has written. P.S. We also liked Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Eragon and Eldest.

Average customer rating:

awesome comic
GORGEOUS ADAPTATION

G.p. Taylor's Shadowmancer
G. P. Taylor , Tony Lee , and Pedro Delgado
Manufacturer: Markosia Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1905692048

Customer Reviews:

awesome comic.......2007-05-08

This comic was everything i hoped it would be. The art was excellent & the story was a good adaptation of the novels.

GORGEOUS ADAPTATION.......2007-01-14

G.P. Taylor's best-selling fantasy novel comes to life in graphic format from Markosia enterprises. Taylor's tale is set 1700's England and center around an epic battle between good and evil. The evil is deliciously represented by the wicked Parson DeMurral. DeMurral is after two small angelic statuettes known as the Keruvim. If he can obtain them both, he will have the power of God! Standing in his way is young Thomas Barrick whose mother was killed when her home caught fire, leaving Thomas to fend for himself, living in caves along the shoreline.

While DeMurral can call upon the dark arts to aid him, Thomas has allies of his own. Raphah is a young man from Africa who is after DeMurral for an object that he stole from his people. Then there is spunky Kate,the daughter of the tax collector who aids the pair for her own reasons. They will find more allies in the unlikely form of the well-known smuggler Jacob Crane as well as a mysterious family that lives in the mysterious Boggle Mill.

I didn't read Taylor's novel but the adaptation by Tony Lee does a great job of moving the storyline along although there are a lot of characters to get to know in a relatively short period of time. The art in Shadowmancer truly stands out. Pedro Delgado's art has an anime look to it that is very clean and expressive. I also have to mention the colors of Eva De La Cruz that perfectly complement Delgado's art and capture the look and feel of the period extremely well. You feel like your watching an animated feature while reading the book.

Perhaps the only drawback is that the book is to be continued but I guess you can't expect to adapt an entire novel in one 128 page graphic novel. I will certainly look forward to reading the next part.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

G. P. Taylor: Sin, Salvation and Shadowmancer

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Highly recommended.
Excellent Book
Heart wrenching and Inspirational

G. P. Taylor: Sin, Salvation and Shadowmancer
Graham P. Taylor , and Bob Smietana
Manufacturer: Zondervan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0310267404

Book Description

Bestselling author G. P. Taylor has had a life as weirdly fantastic as the plot of one of his novels. From punk to police officer to bestselling author, this is a life filled with twists and turns that you simply won’t be able to predict.

Customer Reviews:

Highly recommended........2007-06-06

Harry Potter was at the top of his game until a first-time writer, G. P. Taylor, decided to take him on with a wildly delicious novel. In the span of a summer, Taylor's first book, Shadowmancer, became "hotter than Potter," garnering the attention of critics and readers around the world. But Taylor, an unknown to the literary world, was a mystery. His bio simply read, "Graham Taylor has spent the whole of his life searching for the hidden secrets of the universe. He lectures on the paranormal and folklore and lives in a secluded graveyard."

In Sin, Salvation & Shadowmancer, Taylor maintains that every word of his bio is true: "I've searched for the secrets of the universe all my life, and we lived in the middle of a church graveyard. I just wasn't going to shout out `I'm a vicar' and have people not buy the book because of that."

His autobiography takes a vivid look at his unconventional life. Taylor describes his parents as "hardworking, loving people," but all those hours at work took a toll on Taylor. He eventually grew angry and resentful of his father's absence, and began hanging out with the wrong crowd. Drinking, smoking and girls soon followed. His party life and rebellious behavior got him in trouble not only in the classroom but also in the streets. Despite poor grades and expulsions, Taylor was given a break and accepted into college. By the end of the first year, he was kicked out.

Promising himself and everyone he knew that he was going to be famous one day, he packed up and headed to London. He landed a job with CBS Records, where he promoted new releases --- including Bob Dylan and Earth, Wind & Fire --- to radio stations. He ended up partying himself out of the job, but soon landed a position at Virgin Records. Taylor quips, "Employing me was one of Richard Branson's only mistakes." This was particularly true on the evening Taylor crashed Branson's yacht. Needless to say, Taylor didn't work at Virgin Records much longer.

Yet God was constantly working behind the scenes. Wherever Taylor went, he found Christians who persistently shared the love and kindness of God with him. Eventually, he gave in and felt a call to ministry. Taylor continued to work an assortment of jobs usually accompanied by colorful capers (including working as a police officer) before becoming a vicar.

One day, he was challenged to come up with something better than the magical novels kids were devouring. He decided to give it a try. Of writing Shadowmancer, Taylor says:

"From that first morning in March, the story took shape little by little each day. Most days I found ten or fifteen minutes to write. The odd thing was, once I put the characters on the page, they took on lives of their own. They started to act and behave in ways that I did not completely control. As soon as they opened their mouths, their words would change the course of the story. The process was very exciting as the characters started to talk to each other and things started to develop. I never knew from one day to the next where the story was going."

The blockbuster success of Shadowmancer, which was originally self-published, was completely unexpected --- as were the health issues that accompanied Taylor's rise to stardom.

Taylor's life is a portrait of grace, a story of God's pursuit of one man. If you love his books, which also include Wormwood and Tersias, you'll love his story. Highly recommended.

--- Reviewed by Margaret Feinberg

Excellent Book.......2006-11-16

I heard about Shadowmancer and came to Amazon to buy a copy, where I also found this book. I decided to buy it and learn about Taylor's life so I had a little more perspective when I read Shadowmancer.

This is an excellent book - it reads as if written by Taylor himself, and leads the reader on a chronological journey of his life - from a rough start, to finding God, to devoting his life to spreading God's word, and culminating with a worldwide pulpit through Shadowmancer.

It's an easy read - crisply written with riveting details that keep the pages turning quickly. I can't wait to read Shadowmancer and then share it with my children and others.

Heart wrenching and Inspirational.......2006-09-23

Bob Smietana has done an excellent job of piecing together the life of G.P. Taylor. You get a an great sense of how the events of Taylor's life affected his journey to faith and how that journey ultimately ended up with him on the best-seller lists on both sides of the Atlantic. The story of Taylor's life will make you believe in miracles and is a true inspiration. Get two copies so you can pass it on to a friend. Once you start reading you won't want to put it down!

Average customer rating:

A personal take of Shadowmancer
Lame and limp "shadowmancer"

Shadowmancer
G.P. Taylor
Manufacturer: Faber Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customer Reviews:

A personal take of Shadowmancer.......2005-12-23

Shadowmancer has taken the universally classic tale of good versus evil to new heights and places not visited before. Its a great parable rich with characters and settings. I found myself drawn in and not being able to put the book down and that's truly a sign of great novel. Simply brilliant and among Mr. Graham's best work to date.

Lame and limp "shadowmancer".......2005-07-31

Take a cup full of "Harry Potter." Add a teaspoon of hokey religious thrillers, a sprinkling of Tolkien ripoffs, and a dash of the fantastical. Mix thoroughly, and heat to lukewarm. That's basically the recipe for vicar/author G.P. Taylor's debut novel "Shadowmancer," a lame and limp semi-spiritual fantasy.

Like many a fantasy villain, Obadiah Demurral wants to play God, and the corrupt vicar does so by trafficking with evil powers -- all-out sorcery and devil-worship. Enter Raphah, a mysterious man from Africa who is after a mystery amulet that will be incredibly destructive if evil people get their hands on it. (Wow, that's original)

Are our heroes going to let Demurral and the forces of evil win? Of course not. Troubled teen Thomas Barrick (who has quasi-religious visions) and his pal Kate team up with Raphah to somehow keep Demurral from becoming king of the universe with the help of that amulet. But can our heroes win out against Pyratheon (read: the devil)?

Original fantasy is hard to come by, and "Shadowmancer" doesn't improve the situation. It's your basic good vs. evil-forces-stirring-up-Armageddon story, with a heavy layer of religious allegory. Taylor manages to dredge up a few interesting mythical creatures, and a solid Yorkshire setting, but they're drowned out by the trite writing.

No way is religious fantasy a bad thing in itself -- after all, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien rooted their stories partly in religion. But Taylor's brand of Christianity is very watered-down, very generic, very politically-correct and VERY preachy. He lays this bland religious goo on so thickly that it's hard to read without feeling twitchy and uncomfortable. "Riathamus [God] stands at the door of your life and knocks. If you hear his call and answer him he will share your life and live with you always," Raphah announces. It's like he's reading from a pamphlet.

Nor can you expect much in the way of character development; everyone is a symbol rather than a person. Demurral is a cackling, mustache-twirling devil-worshiper. Saintly Raphah is as dull as the proverbial ditchwater, and so are the plucky kids who accompany him. There are no shades of grey here. A flawed person either is evil, or he's just waiting to be redeemed.

"Shadowmancer" is packaged as a thrilling dark fantasy for kids. But under the skin is a lame religious thriller with tepid writing and bland characters.

Average customer rating:

Very British, VERY Funny!

Shadowmancer
G. P. Taylor , and Carole Hayman
Manufacturer: BBC Radio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0563523840

Customer Reviews:

Very British, VERY Funny!.......2006-04-28

I listened to this as an MP3 audio download (available through Amazon) which is a faster and cheaper way to buy this than on cassette.

Vera and Irene are two old age pensioners who live in different towns and met through some sort of social function. They now exchange letters full of news about their own lives and their childrens' and grandchildrens' adventures. Sound typical and maybe boring? It isn't! These two ladies are hilariously funny, particularly in the aftermath of each disastrous attempt to spend time together in person, which usually ends in some sort of physical injury and months of icily polite letters in which recriminations and suggestions of alcoholism or senility rage.

These letters are read by two wonderful actresses plus infrequent guest appearances by children or neighbors adding their 2 cents. The humor is sometimes gentle, as in their frequent malapropisms (they believe an elderly man of their acquaintance died of a heart attack brought on by taking "Niagara"), sometimes farcical and frequently laugh out loud funny. I thoroughly enjoyed the 3 hours of listening to this first segment of Vera and Irene's saga and look forward to more.

If you are the sort of person who likes the PBS "Brit-coms" like Keeping Up Appearances, you will probably enjoy the Ladies of Letters!

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Shadowmancer
G.P. Taylor
Manufacturer: Faber Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MC3ZN0

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Shadowmancer
G.P. Taylor
Manufacturer: Faber & Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HKIBEU

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Shadowmancer
G. P. Taylor
Manufacturer: Listening Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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Shadowmancer
G. P. Taylor
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download

Witchcraft | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000FIHLY0

Book Description

This volume examines recent attempts to show how, in theory and history, market transaction can emerge from the unregulated interaction of competitive traders. Alan Shipman examines the legal, informational, organizational, social and financial foundations of market trade, focusing on the possible routes by which it could arise without the influence of pre-market social conventions or political structures.

Transcending Transaction: The Search for Self-Generating Markets

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Transcending Transaction: The Search for Self-Generating Markets
Alan Shipman
Manufacturer: Taylor & Francis, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MVA5O8

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Mansfield Principles of Macroeconomics: Readings, Issues, and Cases, Second Edition
E. Mansfield
Manufacturer: W W Norton & Co Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0393091023

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Principles of Macroeconomics Readings, Issues, and Cases

Manufacturer: W W Norton & Co Inc (Np)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Macroeconomics | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Theory | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0393953297

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Principles of Macroeconomics: Reading, Issues and Cases
Edwin Mansfield
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Macroeconomics | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0393953408

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Oh so true! And funny, too!

Wisdom that gallops and whinnies.

All I Need to Know I Learned from a Horse
Pamela C. Biddle , and Joel E. Fishman
Manufacturer: Main Street Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Dancing with Your Dark Horse: How Horse Sense Helps Us Find Balance, Strength and Wisdom

ASIN: 0385482671
Release Date: 1996-09-01

Customer Reviews:

Oh so true! And funny, too!.......2000-03-05

If you are a horse person, reading this book will give your neck a lot of exercise. As you read each page, you will repeatedly nod your head in agreement. If you are not a horse person, you may wonder at some of the sayings, but for the most part will enjoy.

Perhaps a bit heavy on Hunter/Jumper truisms, there are plenty that apply to all equines and associated activities. There are even a few related to rodeos and roping. One of my favorites, "It's often the second buck that throws you," reminded me of a couple of unscheduled, abrupt dismounts by my ex-husband. Oh, so funny to remember! Another, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't keep him from rolling in it," allowed me to reminisce about the best horse in the world - the one who helped raise me and loved me for 23 years - who you'd better keep moving through water any deeper than 2 inches, for he'd lie down and roll!

Wisdom that gallops and whinnies........1997-02-11

Even if you don't own a horse, the gems of wisdom contained in this quick-to-read volume will make you think ... and smile. It's full of "horse sense" and wit. The authors have managed to craft word pictures on every page. My non-horse loving friends like it as much as the professional horsemen who've read it. Give it to that horse-crazy girl or the cowboy in the family and watch 'em smile

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