BOOK REVIEW: The Lost Chronicles Of East London: The Streets Of Darkness

TITLE: The Lost Chronicles Of East London: The Streets Of Darkness
AUTHOR: Guy Evans
PUBLISHED BY: Pegasus Elliot MacKenzie

This exciting debut novel from Guy Evans is set in the East End of London where he grew up. He has created a gritty world with down-to-earth characters; trio Joe, Flo and Eddows make a great team who look out for each other but also tease and argue. These characters behave like real kids; full of sarcasm, teasing one moment but caring the next. This well-written story with vivid descriptions makes readers feel that they are in the adventure with them.

Teenager, Joe Druitt, is an average fourteen-year-old, sulky and grouchy, with a vocabulary of words of two syllables or fewer and not a fan of school. It doesn't help that he can't read and has no friends.

Living in the East End with his mum and nan in a run-down flat, he ignores the bustling metropolis that embraces people from all walks of life but he is about to learn that some London legends never die, won’t stay buried and want to rule the future; one of those legends is Jack the Ripper.

This book is a wonderful blend of fantasy, London history and magic; the characterisation and locational set up is superb, plus the passages of descriptive writing are even better. The writing is vibrant, readers are left in no doubt about the danger the friends are in. It is a dark adventure which gave me chills.

It is a real page-turner which I found hard to put down; from the gritty world which is generated to the easy style of writing which doesn’t put the teenage audience down, it includes real-life people who are respected and believable.

It is a very fresh take on the Ripper murders and their legacy for East London coupled with suspense mixed with humour; right from the start readers will feel the dark lurking in the background.

It is an excellent coming of age fantasy book; a great read for the target audience with its mixture of history, fantasy and teenage angst.

Reviewer - Anne Pritchard