Half Term Treats for Halloween - Katherine Roberts

 'Tis the season of witches and wizards, spells and pumpkins... hopefully, everyone will be able to get out at Halloween to enjoy some trick-and-treating this year, too! The trees are turning gold, and the world does seem just a little bit more magical at this time of year.

There might be a good reason for that enchanted feeling. Did you know that trees can communicate underground via their roots, and will even send help if one of their number needs nourishment or is threatened? This is known as the Wood Wide Web and was the concept behind my 2000 novel SPELLFALL, where the trees in my parallel world of Earthaven are gigantic soultrees that bear magical fruit and seeds.

Spellfall (first US edition)

Their root system acts rather like the London Underground, and it's possible to travel around it in living capsules, operated by the trees themselves, known as 'organazoomers'. The soultrees and the Spell Lords who look after them can also use this root system to communicate, much as we might use the internet in our technological world. But that's not the whole story... those who have Earthaven blood, like Spellfall's heroine Natalie and her friend Merlin, can use the fallen seeds of soultrees to cast spells. In Earthaven, spells literally grow on trees! But don't be caught out in the woods at Halloween looking for them, because that's when the Boundary opens and all kinds of creatures can cross from one world into the next, and they are not always friendly unicorns.

If you missed this classic fantasy adventure that was part of the "Children's 76" in America on its first publication, you can download the ebook editions of 'Spellfall' and its sequel 'Spell Spring' all this week for only 99p each.

To download for Kindle use links below - only 99p/99c until October 31st

SPELLFALL

SPELL SPRING

To download for epub readers use links below - only 99p/99c until October 31st

SPELLFALL

SPELL SPRING

Both Earthaven books are also available in paperback, these cost a bit more than 99p though :-)

Spellfall

Spell Spring


Katherine Roberts writes fantasy and historical fiction for young readers.


More books by Katherine Roberts, including her Branford Boase Award winning debut Song Quest, can be found on her website

Comments

Umberto Tosi said…
Fascinating. I can't wait to read more. I'm always happy to learn that I'm not crazy for talking to trees!
I'm glad somebody else talks to trees - I also hug them :-)

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