The Stolen Lake

Dido Twite in American New Cumbria on her wildest adventure yet.Aboard the man o`war, the Thrush, on the way back to London from Nantucket, Dido and crew are summoned to the aid of the tyrannical Queen of New Cumbria who has appealed to England as her oldest ally for help - someone has stolen her lake. Her island is an infernal place with a suspicious lack of girl children, where birds called Aurocs carry off men and fish eat human flesh, streets are cobbled in silver and thirteen active volcanoes keep the citizens in a state of constant apprehension. Dido is abducted twice and has many dangers to overcome, before she can return to England on the Thrush.Fitting in between NIGHTBIRDS ON NANTUCKET and LIMBO LODGE, THE STOLEN LAKE can be read as an independent story.

“The Stolen Lake is zanier and more devilishly fiendish than ever”

The Stolen Lake is zanier and more devilishly fiendish than ever The New York Times
A natural storyteller with the gift of endless and usually comic invention Guardian
Joan Aiken's imagination is inexhaustible Daily Telegraph
Joan Aiken is the best contemporary writer of historical fantasy we have -- Susan Hill

Prize-winning Joan Aiken was born in Sussex in 1924 and came from a family of writers. Her father was the novelist and poet, Conrad Aiken and her sister, Jane Aiken Hodge, writes historical fiction for adults. Before joining the 'family business' herself, Joan had a variety of jobs, including working for the BBC, the United Nations Information Centre and then as features editor for a short story magazine. Her first children's novel, The Kingdom of the Cave was published in 1960. Since then she has written over 100 books for young readers and adults and has been awarded the MBE for her services to literature. Joan Aiken died in 2004.

Dido Twite, heroine of Black Hearts in Battersea and Nightbirds on Nantucket is on her wildest adventure yet. On her way back to London aboard the Thrush, Dido and the crew are summoned to the aid of the tyrannical queen of New Cumbria. Her island is an infernal place where birds carry off men and fish eat human flesh. The queen is greatly distressed because a neighbouring king has stolen her lake. Dido faces fire, flood, wild beasts and, ultimately, threat of execution to get the lake back. Is she equal to the challenge? A rich mixture of legend, fantasy, humour and pure snowballing adventure. 'Joan Aiken is a natural storyteller with the gift of endless and usually comic invention'. John Rowe Townsend, Guardian. 'The Stolen Lake is zanier and more devilishly fiendish than ever'. New York Times.

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