The Spider Gem: Book One of the Portal Chronicles

Taff Lovesey
BookSurge (2005)
ISBN 1419621394
Reviewed by Ian McCurley (Age 12) for Reader Views (12/06)

The story begins when two Welsh boys, Rhys and Michael, go exploring in Salty’s Cave.  As they explore the cave, they have no idea that they are about to become part of an extraordinary adventure.  With the help of some magic pendants, they are transported into the magical world Portalia. They meet three new friends inside Portalia:  Ashley, a girl from Oregon, Lan, a senile old man and Kyrie, a young Centaur. With the help of the Portalians, they must defeat the evil warlock Shangorth. Shangorth commands an army of Graav, lava rock monsters and, using the Spider Gem, controls a gigantic horde of spiders.  He also controls the vicious Black Eagles. 

The five friends team up with the Centaurs and travel to Forttown where they meet the Pinn Warriors who ride the mighty Fire Eagles.  As they reach the town, they find the Warriors burying most of the town’s occupants.  No one knew exactly what happened, but all suspected that Shangorth was behind it.  They are joined by those who escaped and the army of dwarves led by King Swiftaxe.  With the Penn infantry and cavalry plus the added bonus of expert Elvin archers with enchanted arrows that could pierce metal, they prepared for a last stand against the approaching army of Shangorth which would soon lay siege to Forttown.

The emphasis of “The Spider Gem” was that the various peoples of Portalia could come together to defeat a common enemy.  The author was quite straightforward in getting this point across.  Taff Lovesey writes very eloquently and is an overall good story-teller. 

This book is a good read for all audiences.  Children and adolescents will love the magical world, and adults will enjoy a brand new approach to an age-old topic.  Everyone will like the epic battles, creative creatures and colorful story.  My favorite parts of the book were the epic siege of Forttown and when the nasty spiders got squished (I personally hate spiders). 

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who is interested in fantasy novels.  “The Spider Gem” has everything a reader could want.  From colorful characters to a spell-binding story, “The Spider Gem” is an overall good book.

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