Labyrinth of Fire

514 Amazon ratings

$2.99 Ebook

In the sequel to Island of Fog, Hal and his friends are coming to terms with their new-found shapeshifting abilities. But they're completely unprepared for the tasks that face them in this dangerous new world. Centaurs kicking up a fuss about mining operations? Harpies plundering a village and stealing babies? Dragons feasting on humans? As terrifying as it is, the children must confront their alternate kinds...

Published November 13, 2009

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September 10, 2010 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Philip Mannering Island of Fog was a great book, so Labyrinth of Fire faced the rather steep challenge of following in its footsteps. However, the job was done, and in an excellent manner.

The characters are as usual fun to read about, but it's the plot here that steals the limelight. Each idea was unpredictable. Each twist was unpredictable. Each event was unpredictable, and the outcome even more so. I really enjoyed Hal as a character, and I liked Abigail's glass. Who would have thought that it was important to the plot? Not me for one.

One slight niggle is that some opening scenes seem a bit long, particularly those ones of the journey to Charlie Duggan's place. But after reading some pages of narrative, the reader is rewarded by reading some excellent action scenes. All in all, a good audience.

Apart from that, I really don't have anything bad to say about this book. It was a great and entertaining read, and the surprise twist at the end made waiting for Mountain of Whispers almost unbearable.

Great work on writing this book.

April 10, 2010 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Brian Beck I happened by Keith Robinson accidentally while looking up some Enid Blyton books that I might buy for my kid. I was interested in his first novel because he'd just taken the plunge and did what many of us would love to do. His first book, Island of Fog was a fine read with a very original premise. I finished Labyrinth of Fire over a few days. I had read the first two chapters online but never quite got around to starting the book. Am I glad I did! Wow, what a great read. I am the last person to get into kids' books, don't really read fiction and I abhor fantasy novels. But there is something very attractive about this series of books. The writing style is lucid and clear, the language is clean, easy to follow and the author takes time to explain the story as things progress -which they do at a rapid rate. The plot twists and turns and you never know what is going to happen next. You find yourself wondering how is the author going to get out of this plot tangle when suddenly, it all makes satisfying sense. Despite the fantastic nature of the adventure, the author skillfully makes it all so plausible demonstrating a solid knowledge of the subject matter. Highly recommended for overgrown kids. The only negative thing is that the book is so intriguing and easy to read, it's consumed in a few hours!

February 11, 2010 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Piers Anthony, bestselling author of the XANTH series Find this review in Piers Anthony's FeBlueberry 2010 newsletter.

I read Labyrinth of Fire by Keith Robinson. This is a sequel to the author's Island of Fog that I liked last year, a children's story. Okay, the protagonists are still twelve year old shape changers, but this is no pantywaist effort. It is realistic within its framework and hard-hitting physically and emotionally. The protagonist Hal can turn into a fire-breathing dragon, but he can't fly, which puts him at a severe disadvantage. Because real dragons can fly and have taken to eating people, and it is Hal's job to talk them out of it. Yeah, sure, like President Obama talking the Republicans out of filibustering his projects: lots of luck even if you don't get toasted. Hal also can't admit that maybe possibly he just might like a girl a little, Abigail; worse, she knows it. Remember, he's twelve. I recommend this novel for adults as well as children; it's not really juvenile. I have just one significant reservation: there are eight children, introduced in Island of Fog, and they are difficult to assimilate all at once. There should be a bookmark with them listed, or a listing of major characters and their abilities, so that the reader can get them straight without hassle. Meanwhile, try my solution: I folded the corner of page 17, where one paragraph lists each child and his/her alternate form. Then I had no trouble. And the author says he will make such a bookmark.

January 4, 2010 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Michelle The second book in the Island of Fog series. Island of Fog was probably my favourite read for 2009. I love that it was such a great book and it was Keith Robinson’s debut novel. So in my world that makes it special.

Labyrinth of Fire continues the story of 12yo Hal and his friends as they settle into their new home and their new ‘world’. They aren’t given long to adjust when they are sent on their first ‘errand’ on behalf of the people who created them. All the kids are still stretching their ‘alter-ego’ muscles, getting to know themselves as the magical creatures they can shapeshift into. Hal especially is feeling ill-prepared and is worried that he may have been brought into the new world too early. Despite looking, feeling, smelling and breathing fire like a dragon, he still can’t fly.

A village in a volcanic area is being attacked by harpies and dragons. The kids are sent to negotiate with their ‘kind’ to stop the attacks. They have to discover much more about themselves in order to succeed and secure the protection of the humans.

Keith Robinson has a wonderful easy writing style that never slows you up. I was shocked how quickly I read the first book and am equally so with this one. Labyrinth of Fire is well written, exciting and absorbing. I am thoroughly confused as to who the kids can trust and am very anxious to read the third installment. It is great entertainment for both children and adults.

Thank you Keith Robinson.

December 30, 2009 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Darren Robinson (Iguana Proofreading) Labyrinth of Fire picks up the baton left by the first book in the series, Island of Fog. While the characters and the style remain the same, Labyrinth is a very different book to its predecessor. Gone are the Blyton-esque mysteries and intrigue, and the childlike inquisitiveness, of the first book, replaced by a more serious, focused set of characters. It's clear the children have had to grow up in a hurry, a necessity born from the demands of a new world, new abilities and new responsibilities, and all the dangers they bring. As a result, friendships, relationships and personalities blossom as they are forced to use their shapeshifting abilities to work together as a team in much the same way as the cogs in a clock.

There's a whole slew of new characters and creatures to delve into, from an ornery centaur leader to a shapeshifting griffin to a fiercely proud dragon, and there is much to learn of the ways and customs of Elsewhere, including the mysterious geo-rocks that provide power to the myriad machines and devices of the human-folk. An unfortunate but unavoidable side-effect of this ground-laying work is that the opening third doesn't quite engage in the same way that Island of Fog did, but the final half more than makes up for it with no lack of drama, gathering pace and momentum which leads to the book's final shocking revelation.

In all then, this is a worthy follow-up to Island of Fog and in its flow proves hard to put down, offering natural progression and leaving you waiting impatiently for its upcoming third installment...