Wizarding Times

The fantasy mystery The Valley of Secrets, by Charmian Hussey, has been available for about five years, and why it isn't more well-known is a mystery in and of itself. This treasure trove of suspense and surprises has been almost as well-hidden as the mysterious creatures which inhabit the environs of Lansbury Hall, located in Cornwall, England. It is the inherited estate of young adult Stephen Lansbury, who has gone from being an orphan to managing the manor house and its grounds. Stephen's family background and the intrigue surrounding his identity are slowly revealed, sometimes confusingly so — as much to Stephen as to the reader — as we accompany him on this journey of discovery.

That Hussey, an archaeologist, also "preaches to the choir" about environmental balance and the need to preserve species, whether or not we see them as beneficial to us, can be overlooked to a great degree because of the book's entertainment level. I thought the ending to be a bit contrived (if hopeful). The wording gives the book a Victorian "air" about it, and Stephen's bouts of caution and recklessness, which never seem to occur at the appropriate moments, sometime distract from the "believability" of the plot. Yet, it is fantasy mixed with science fiction, so we can grant more leeway with such things.

There are some sorrowful aspects: violence, sexual innuendo, and death. Thus, the novel is appropriate for adolescent and older readers (maybe, too, for emotionally advanced Intermediate readers). The chapters are very short and lend themselves to a "read-aloud" option for parents and older children.

Happy Reading!