This YA fantasy follows the traditional quest format of high fantasy. The story is very intricate and difficult to summarize. A teenager, Will Lightfoot, finds himself suddenly in an alternate dimension. The land of Stories, where all stories are begun and end and continue. He is befriended but soon finds out he is being sought by Malabron, the Night King, who has sent his right hand man, The Angel, and hordes of his minions, demons and strange creatures of the night. Will and a motley group of friends, including a talking wolf who has waited hundreds of years for his arrival, set off to find a portal to send Will back where he belongs. There are many references to "stories" such as Red Riding Hood, Santa Clause (a toymaker named Father Nicholas), Freya (the Norse goddess of war, battle and many other things). I'm also sure there are probably references that went over my head. I'll admit the book was a bit hard for me to get into. We are thrown right into this strange new world and must figure things out as we go along. I also found the character of Will not really fully developed. I didn't have any real feelings or concerns for him as a person. But, again I'll admit that at a certain point I became hooked on the plot. It is a very interesting and unique world Wharton has created. I was also pleased that the sub-plot within this series was completely resolved but enjoyed how the book ended with the feeling that there should be another chapter, well lots more chapters and I will certainly read the next book in the series.

I discovered Thomas Wharton through my university courses. His book "Salamander" was listed for a course I was planning to take. At the last minute the class was cancelled but I had already bought the book and decided not to waste a piece of potentially perfectally good literature. I fell in love with "Salamander" and I have now read Wharton's other titles. I even came close to ordering a somewhat expensive book from the rare and used book section just to have the opportunity to read more Wharton. It turns out I nearly purchased a medical reference title from a Thomas Wharton in England from several years ago. So, when I found out that Wharton had a new book coming out, I was more than a little excited. In fact, when the French version came in, I actually considered trying to read it in French (a plan that got scrapped rather quickly). "The Shadow of Malabron" deals with what appears to be one of Wharton's favourite topics, books and storytelling. Will Lightfoot finds himself transported into the Perilous Realm after he crashes his father's motorcycle. Here he meets a variety of characters as he tries to find his way back home to the Untold. His adventure becomes part of his story and he is joined by other characters that are living out their own stories. Wharton's passion for stories frequently surfaces as he includes snippets of common stories such as "Little Red Riding Hood" and "The Three Little Pigs". And while some of the references are obvious there are some hidden clues that you only catch as you get further into the story. I enjoyed this title but I definitely feel like he has done better in his previous title. This title is intended for a younger audience and there are times when that seems rather obvious. It also seems like Wharton possibly read Michael Ende's "Neverending Story" at some point and forgot he read it. There were moments in the story that seemed very familiar to me. In the end, I am still glad that I am a fan of Thomas Wharton. He has a passionate writing style and a real love of books that is easy to see in his narrative. I would actually recommend people start with "The Shadow of Malabron" to become familiar with his writing before delving into his more challenging titles. And finally, now that I have finished this new title, I am still excited, because the spine of the book says "Volume One" which means there is more yet to come!