Four teenagers are drawn from an Irish mountaintop into an enchanted land and gifted with great powers: but with power comes responsibility, and a vast evil has noticed their arrival . . .

On the summit of the fabled mountain Slievenamon in Ireland there is a doorway to an ancient land of terrible power. The gate of Feimhin has lain closed for centuries, the secret of its opening long lost - until four orphans drawn together by Fate pass through the portal and find the enchanted but war-ravaged world of Tir, a strange land peopled by beings of magic. Here death waits at every corner, and they must learn to fight if they are to survive.

And they'd better learn quickly, because their enemy, the Tyrant of the Wastelands, is growing in power.

'The best fantasy novel I've ever read . . . an epic adventure that just does not stop!' said Glenda A. Bixler on Authorsden!

About the Author
Frank P. Ryan is a bestselling author of fantasy and thrillers, as well as a number of highly acclaimed science and diet books; his work has been translated into a dozen languages. His YA/adult crossover fantasy novels The Snowmelt River, The Tower of Bones, The Sword of Feimhin and Return to Arinn make up the THREE POWERS QUARTET, all published by Jo Fletcher Books. His other fiction includes the thrillers Goodbye Baby Blue and Tiger Tiger; he is also the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed science books The Eskimo Diet (co-authored with Dr Reg Saynor), The Greatest Story Never Told (The Forgotten Plague in the US), about the search for the cure for TB, Virus X, Darwin's Blind Spot (chosen book of the year for the entrepreneur Charlie Munger), Virolution, Metamorphosis and most recently The Mysterious World of the Human Genome. Frank Ryan was born in Limerick City in Ireland, but was brought up in Clonmel, in the shadow of Mount Slievenamon, the inspiration for The Snowmelt River, until moving to Bolton in Lancashire. After a near-death accident he switched from engineering to medicine, but in his first years at med school he was taken by the writing bug and started his first novel.

Reviews
Enthralling. Not many books have this cosmic ability * Los Angeles Times *
Ryan's grand epic style . . . Passionate and dedicated fantasy fans will find a rich, immersive world and carefully handled characters * Booklist *
Strong points include ambitious world-building and a sweeping scope, steeped in Celtic atmosphere and drawing from Irish myth and legend * Publishers Weekly *
Undoubtedly the best fantasy novel I've ever read. From the front cover through to the back, Frank P. Ryan has created an epic adventure that just does not stop! This book is a powerful, outstanding book, a must-read for Fantasy Lovers * Glenda A. Bixler, Authorsden *
Sprawling and imaginative . . . even before the gateway to the magical world opens, the green hills and dense forests and meadows with brightly coloured wildflowers feel lush and enchanting. When Alan, Kate, Mark, and Mo travel to Tir, the magical land beyond the gateway, the scenery becomes much more fantastical, and never fails to astound. It succeeds in its magnificent portrayal of Ireland's verdant landscape and the various strange wonders and horrors that await the young adventurers in Tir * Kidsread *
'Ryan is inventive, the races he peoples his strange world with are not the run-of-the-mill elves and orcs and the magic is more of a spiritual nature than the magic of other fantasy novels I've read. A fast-paced, action-packed and truly fantastical journey along the Snowmelt River. I would be willing to suspend my disbelief longer to continue the journey as there is more of this tale to be told' 4 1/2/5 * Fantasy Book Review *
The depiction of rural Ireland is full of striking imagery and nostalgia and the fantasy world is given the same treatment, so both places feel realistic . . . This is a book that's very black and white in its morality, and tonally has similarities to the work of Tolkien, even though it has a very different atmosphere. A magical adventure and will appeal to fans of traditional fantasy, and those who fancy some well-crafted escapism * British Fantasy Society *
Writing as crisp as cold water, to skip out on Mr Ryan's great instalment of his series would be criminal * popculturecoup.wordpress.com *
A great addition to the Fantasy genre . . . an interesting book that questions the reality of fate and destiny. I loved how the characters grew * Read, Write and Read Some More *
I loved how the characters grew in this book . . . brilliantly done. The author kept my attention the whole time. I wanted to continue the journey with these characters, I wanted to see them grow and change. I watched them learn and grow into their roles, it was fantastic * Annabelle, Goodreads *
His main characters are brilliantly depicted, as are the weird and wonderful adventures they embark on - it's hard to imagine either teen or adult getting bored by this incredible book * The Irish World *
The author has imagined a brooding sorcerous world filled with dark romantic landscapes and shivering cold, and haunted by dense blue-black shadows . . . Like all rousing adventure yarns, The Snowmelt River builds to a frantic and desperate conclusion * Thomas Cotteril *
Mr Ryan does do well to steer his characters away from the tropes we've come to expect (and disdain), and by the end of the novel all the characters have grown and evolved admirably. The tale is enjoyable. To my mind it is the Belgariad and Malloreon. Younger Readers will probably love this * South African Speculative Fiction review *
It succeeds in its magnificent portrayal of Ireland's verdant landscape and the various strange wonders and horrors that await the young adventurers in Tir * Teen Reads *
Takes fans of fantasy into a world of adventure, double dealing, warfare and also personal expansion, its wonderfully written with solid prose and great pace. Yet for me the real quality of this book is the author's depiction of the central characters who are not only well rounded but each have flaws yet together make up a stronger whole. It's cleverly crafted, wonderfully woven and all round really does give you something special * Falcata Times *
'Enthralling. Not many books have this cosmic ability' Los Angeles Times. * Los Angeles Times *
'a great addition to the Fantasy genre' Read, Write and Read Some More. * Read, Write and Read Some More *
'The page-turning and spine-chilling ability of a good novelist' Sunday Telegraph. * Sunday Telegraph *
'Magnificently tense' Sunday Times. * Sunday Times *
'Riveting' Publishers Weekly. * Publishers Weekly *



Book Information
ISBN 9781780877389
Author Frank P. Ryan
Format Paperback
Page Count 720
Imprint Jo Fletcher Books
Publisher Quercus Publishing
Weight(grams) 482g
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 131mm * 45mm