The synopsis: Thomas Fawkes is turning to stone, and the only way to cure the Stone Plague is to join his fathers plot to assassinate the king of England. Silent wars leave the most carnage. The wars that are never declared but are carried out in dark alleys with masks and hidden knives. Wars where color powers alters the natural rhythm of 17th-centurey London. And when the king calls for peace, no one listens until he finally calls for death. But what if death finds him first? Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague. Igniters think the Keepers did it. But all Thomas knows is that the Stone Plague infecting his eye is spreading. And if he doesn’t do something soon, he’ll be a lifeless statue. So when his Keeper father, Guy Fawkes, invites hime to join the Gunpowder Plot – claiming it will put and end to the plague – Thomas is in. The plan: use 36 barrels of gunpowder to blow up the Igniter King. The problem: Doing so will destroy the family of the girl Thomas loves. But backing out of the plot will send his father and the other plotters to the gallows. To save one, Thomas must lose the other. No matter Thomas’s choice, one thing is clear: once the choice is made and the color masks have been put on, there’s no turning back.
Remember, remember, the fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know of no reason why the Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, ’twas his intent
To blow up the king and Parliament;
Threescore barrels of powder below,
Poor old England to overthrow,
By God’s providence he was catch’d,
With a dark lantern and burning match.
During a recent vacation I was able to stop at Barnes and Nobel and get a book I had wanted since I’d heard of it. Fawkes by Nadine Brandes, the author of the Out of Time trilogy. ( I totally recommend it for high schoolers.) This author is a word master. Her stories are like a suction cup that make you fall head first into them. I’m serious. Fawkes is a historical fiction novel that includes a fantasy aspect. The historical part is based on the Gunpowder plot. The fantasy part relies on color masks and powers. Red, blue, green, yellow, brown, grey, black, and white. Red, controls red things, yellow controls yellow things, blue, blue things, green, green things, etc. The only exceptions are black and white. You’ll have to read the book to figure out what they do. 😁😏 I can’t say to much without giving the story away, but the gist is this. Thomas Fawkes is nearing the day he gets his mask and is considered a “man” and not a “boy”. Something, however, goes wrong and he needs to find his father to fix it. When he finds him, he discovered that his Keeper father is apart of a plot to “blow up the king and Parliament”. His father tells him that going the plot will rid him of his plague so he does. However, their happens to be a problem. (Of course! Isn’t that what makes a book so good?) Keepers never speak to White Light (In order to understand that you are going to have to read the book😏) But it keeps talking to Thomas and he’s having a hard time not responding. Also, the plot will kill some family members of a girl he likes. (Dear me! what ever will he do?) So, he’s stuck. And in order to see what he is going to do about that, you are going to have to read the book.
Now, this book is definitely a book for high schoolers or mature 7th-8th graders. It’s got violence, like her other books, and a few comments that make this a book for older kids. There is also a love story that gets more the focus towards the end of the book.
Nadine Brandes is the author of four books including Fawkes. She wrote one of my favorite trilogies so I got excited when I first heard she had another book coming out. I recommend reading Fawkes. When I read, my brain does a weird thing of classifying books by color or depth. Fawkes got classified as like a black or nighttime blue with a good bit of depth. It’s not one of those books that only brushes the surface, like books written without meaning or a theme. It goes deeper, like her Out of Time series. I really enjoyed it and hope you will too. This is definitely a book you should read.
I’ve linked to the book on Amazon and also Nadine Brandes’s website.
Also, if you want to know why I’m turning to stone, GO READ FAWKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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