Paladin

Paladin by Dave Luckett (Omnibus for Scholastic Australia) 

PB RRP $17.99 

ISBN 9781862918672

Reviewed by Dawn Meredith

Sam and Finny know each other from school, but in the other world, the dangerous world where the magic in dark forests is real, Sam is a natural born Paladin, champion of right, unafraid of wizards and bullies.

Tricked into staying in the strange land of Westron, ruled by the Council of the Wise, Sam must fight their battles for them in order to return home to his mother, whom he is increasingly worried about. What confuses Sam is where he got his powers from. Evil is lurking everywhere in Westron. Sendings, dark beings of immense power and slobbering rage pop up when you least expect it. But where are they coming from and who is creating them? For what purpose?

When Finny, a powerful wizard herself, goes missing, Sam is assigned to experienced knight Sir Hugh to find her. In the real world, where her stepfather Jamie cruelly reigns, Finny’s natural magic is of no help to her. Now Sam has to fight for truth and justice in both worlds.

Dave Luckett is the award winning author of the Rhianna and Tenabran series and lives in Perth, W.A.

Dawn Meredith writes from the Blue Mountains and is a May Gibbs Fellow 2011. You can follow her exploits at www.dawnmeredithauthor.blogspot.com