This is a very engaging young adult novel, probably one of the best, if not the best, that I have read, and I think the reason for that is that the language is never in any way childish. This book will appeal to teenagers and adults alike.

The Stone Crown tells the story of Emlyn and Maxine, two young people who are new to the Borders area of Scotland and are, in effect, outsiders. They just don't fit in with everybody else at school. One day, Emlyn witnesses Maxine in the woods in a place called Sleeper's Spinney, having an argument with Hugh McCrossan, a local youth and not one of Emlyn's favourite people. When Hugh leaves Maxine alone in the woods, she kicks down part of a wall and this lets loose a power from Arthurian times, together with a horseman that only Emlyn can see. When they then find a group of carved horsemen which contain the trapped spirits of Arthur and his men, they end up removing one accidentally and the Keepers of the carvings, who happen to be the McCrossan family, will stop at nothing to get it back and to protect the legend that they have been looking after for 1500 years.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a very easy book to read, and it kept me absorbed from start to finish. Malcolm Walker's writing is excellent and the story is well put together and fast moving. Interspersed into the modern day story are chapters told by one of Arthur's men, and this explains how the carvings came to be made and how the spirits of the men became trapped inside them. The story is full of myths and magic, together with family history and secrets, and is the sort of book where you want to keep on turning the pages (nice, short chapters help in this!). I look forward to Malcolm Walker's second book, and recommend reading this one in the meantime! ( )

If you thought you knew the story of King Arthur, think again. In his imaginative debut novel, The Stone Crown, Malcolm Walker puts his own, darker spin on Arthur's classic legend. It starts like any other fantasy novel starts: a prologue with a bit of confusing action, followed by an introduction to our teenage protagonist, who inexplicably sees an intruder from another world. This heralds the start of a danger which only he can resolve, as foretold, of course, by an ancient prophecy. Soon enough, however, the plot begins to deviate from the usual formula – and the farther it deviates, the better it gets.

For starters, Walker has eschewed the clichéd Middle Earth mould in favour of good old Scotland; a tactic that makes the novel more accessible, more original and easier to connect with. (Not to mention the benefit to the dialogue, which resonates with the wonderful Scottish accents!) The chapters are short and the plot is pacy, with parallel narration by both Emlyn and the horseman to keep readers interested. The characters are lively, rich and realistic. The descriptive language is strong throughout, with occasional moments of brilliance. Best of all are the maps: carefully constructed, meticulously detailed drawings which help to orient the reader in the drizzly highland village of Yeaveburgh. After all – where would fantasy novels be without good maps to support them?

Despite the overall quality of the novel, however, there are numerous hiccoughs that threaten to puncture the reading experience. All are relatively minor – a grammatical error here, a poorly motivated character decision there – but, annoyingly, they always seem to crop up just when the reader has settled into Walker's writing. The prophecies, for example, should never have made it into the book – they add little to the story but a cliché. Emlyn's father's insanity occasionally threatens to become too stereotypical, especially for a man who does not actually have a diagnosed mental disorder. And while the short chapters may be effective in the body of the novel, they make the ending seem protracted and fragmented.

Minor flaws aside, however, The Stone Crown is an enjoyable read – a creative and entertaining fantasy that readers will easily lose themselves in. Recommended for fantasy fans aged twelve and older.