Four young people have slipped from our world into the enchanted land of Tir in this 'epic adventure that just does not stop!' (Glenda A. Bixler on Authorsden), where they must face a malicious demigod and an evil witch.

Alan, Kate, Mark and Mo could be an enormous force for good in this beautiful but war-torn, deeply oppressed world - but one of their number has been kidnapped and one lost, and one is changing almost beyond recognition. It's up to Alan to reunite them and restore their strength - but the Great Witch Olc, scheming in her Tower of Bones, has resurrected the malicious demigod Fangorath to use for her own evil ends, and she is planning to lure Alan into a trap.

Millions are depending on them, but they're not just fighting for one world any more . . .

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 *
Writing as crisp as cold water, to skip out on Mr Ryan's great instalment of his series would be criminal * popculture.com *
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 *
It is the detail with which the author writes that is so immersive. There are moments of real fear in the book, when the characters seem to be in real danger. All the characters in this book are crafted well . . . Ryan has crafted a world of such detail that it deserves a read at least once. It's refreshing to read a fantasy novel which is relentlessly dark as it is all the more satisfying when something good happens. Strong . . . the next entry can't come soon enough! * Starburst *

With awesome reviews and plenty of fanfare the decision to read The Snowmelt River was a no-brainer . . . there is content galore to cause any youthful reader to stay tuned. His evil characters[are] so deliciously foul. The pace of the book is ferocious. You can feel Ryan's influences, reminiscent of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, the epic scale and facelessness of evil is Tolkienesque, but I also caught an air of C. S. Lewis. 8.5/10

* Fantasy Book Review *
Ryan's grand epic style . . . Passionate and dedicated fantasy fans will find a rich, immersive world and carefully handled characters * Booklist *

The author's knack for description and character development kept my interest. The descriptions are rich and I was absorbed by the otherworldly descriptions of this book - so different and yet believable. I would love to see [this] in film

* Writers Write *
One of the most exciting and accurate sagas I have read in a very long time * Niamh Hunter *
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 *
It's hard to imagine either teen or adult getting bored * Irish World *
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 *



Book Information
ISBN 9781780877402
Author Frank P. Ryan
Format Paperback
Page Count 559
Imprint Jo Fletcher Books
Publisher Quercus Publishing
Weight(grams) 388g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 144mm * 36mm