-OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF AUTHOR-
MALCOLM HASLETT
OUT NOW!
.jpg)
The Mountain on the Other Side of Light:
Fles
Part 3 of 'The Mountain on the Other Side of Light' Trilogy
​
Bridget and Tom have entered the giant, smouldering volcano of Fles. They discover an astonishing sophisticated community which uses the power of the Mountain to transmit 'thought messages' back to the Realm of Omelyn.
​
But a fierce struggle is taking place to decide what those 'messages' should be. Should they contain highly-coloured, provocative images to excite citizens of the Realm and help them forget the drudgery of their lives? Or should they be truthful and instructive messages, helping people to ward off the threats of war, famine and climate change that hang over them?
​
Bridget discovers her friend Pageya is to be used as a pawn in one faction's bid for dominance. Can she and Tom help their friend escape an awful fate in the fiery cavern of Flesethro, thwart the evil wizard Shoderim and save the Realm from the doom which his plans would inflict on it?
Happy to have finally read the third volume of this beautiful fable on an imaginary world where young people will put in check the pernicious wills of power of some.
​
We must read this story as an allegory of our world governed by the media and where the powerful ones dream to dominate the peoples by offering them "panem et circenses": bread and games. This is a lesson given by a good teacher who knows something about it, and he advises us to develop our critical spirit with regard to the media, without letting ourselves be indoctrinated. The "thought messages" remind us of the subliminal images sent by television, among other things.
​
This story is a hymn to friendship and brotherhood among men, it proves that they can hold in check the prophets of misfortune who seek only to enslave man in order to satisfy their thirst for power.
The image of the rushing river coming from lake Esiruel and a wall of water engulfing evil and transforming the desolate landscape into a laughing and fertile valley is very beautiful and an excellent metaphor.
​
The adventures of Bridget and her friend Pageya in the Realm of Omelyn end after amazing revelations and quite dramatic adventures by the peaceful image of a family reunited on a beach. The absent ones are in their hearts and are not forgotten.
​
Thanks to the author for this beautiful story, well written with a great dose of suspense and rich in twists.
Solange Cara, France
OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES
The Mountain on the Other Side of Light:
A Cry For Help
Part 1 of 'The Mountain on the Other Side of Light' Trilogy
On holiday at a small seaside resort, Bridget meets Tom, whose aunt pilots the airship Goodcheer that takes tourists on sightseeing trips around the bay. She does not guess what a role the airship will play in her life as she gazes out to sea with her wheelchair-bound brother and remarks casually: 'Isn't it funny how we often see clouds on the horizon and like to think they're mountains?' Nor does she foresee the role of the sinister Madame Retsinis, a fairground fortune-teller who talks darkly of opportunities to travel to far lands... Or what it all has to do with the strange local tales of Manny Reeve, a local eccentric who claimed to have visited a land whose people were threatened with ecological disaster, fierce tribal conflicts and power-hungry tyrants.
This first volume of a beautiful epic heroic fantasy will appeal to all ages, it is well written, full of twists and mysterious characters, friendly or threatening. The imagination is drawn into a marvelous world threatened by black characters, some weak and cowardly, others drunk with power and wealth. The word games of all names of places and characters are fun to try to discover, some are anagrams, others more difficult to drill! We focus on young heroes and we quickly want to know more. The second volume of this book accessible to all audiences is eagerly awaited!
S. Dietsch, France
The Mountain on the Other Side of Light:
The Search for the Opening
Part 2 of 'The Mountain on the Other Side of Light' Trilogy
Lured to the troubled Realm of Omelyn by the sinister fairground clairvoyante Retsinis, Bridget and Tom find a land dominated by warring military factions. It is also devastated by fierce storms blowing from the giant, brooding volcano of Fles, which regularly smother the country in toxic waste, at the same time demotivating and demoralising its inhabitants. The friends try to decipher a series of coded messages from the mysterious seer Kalmom, who warns them against Retsinis and the other dark forces seeking to undermine the rightful ruler of the Realm, the Broadlord, and the traditional religion of 'The Balance'. Kalmom's messages also seem to be guiding them towards a mysterious 'Opening' which, they hint, could lead towards an explanation - and possibly a solution - to the problems that beset the once-peaceful land…
In the vivid, suspense-filled world created by Malcolm Haslett, “going beyond” to the Mountain on the Other Side of Light is a profoundly perilous venture. Bridget and Tom must solve one riddle after another to avoid becoming victims of the dreaded Grey Pestilence…it is a rollercoaster read. In this second part of the trilogy, allegorical themes that underpin The Mountain on the Other Side of Light continue to take shape. Battles between good and evil come no more imaginative than this!
Mike Wooldridge, Journalist and Broadcaster
​
