The Riddles of Epsilon [Paperback]

Christine Morton-Shaw (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2006

Something dark has awoken on the remote island of Lume

Jess is not pleased when her parents drag her off to live on the weird little island of Lume. But then she encounters an eerie presence in an abandoned cottage, and her anger turns to fear when it begins to lead her through a series of creepy riddles. As she slowly unravels the mysteries of Lume, she finds the writings of Sebastian, a boy who lived one hundred years ago and whose life contains unsettling reflections of her own. To her horror, the dangers he unearthed in 1894 now begin to threaten Jess and her family . . . and if Jess does not unlock the riddles in time, she may lose her mother forever.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A modern teen battles ancient evil aided by an invisible guide and an old diary in British author Christine Morton-Shaw’s The Riddles of Epsilon. While exploring the property around her mother’s ancestral home, fourteen-year-old Jessica finds a falling down cottage. Within resides Epsilon, a being that could be wraith, angel or demon. Through ghostly IM exchanges on her computer, Epsilon leads Jessica to an 1894 diary written by a boy named Sebastian Wren. Jessica is disturbed to discover that Sebastian’s actions seem to mirror her own, right down to sharing the same dream. Even more upsetting is the fact that Jessica’s mother seems to be slipping away mentally, just like Sebastian’s mother did many years ago. Epsilon tells Jessica that the only way to free her mother’s mind is to find a cursed relic that Sebastian failed to uncover. But can Jessica trust Epsilon? And if not, is she strong enough to break the age-old family curse on her own?

Morton-Shaw’s use of light and dark symbolism is eerily effective, and teen readers will be reminded of The Watcher in the Woods by Florence Engle Randall, or more recently, the spooky Midnighters series by Scott Westerfeld. While the writing doesn’t always hit the mark (Jessica’s characterization is slap-dash and stereotypical; primordial Epsilon often slips into modern slang), the mood of the book is nevertheless deeply creepy, and readers under twelve may find themselves sleeping with the lights on. (Ages 12 and up) --Jennifer Hubert --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-9–Jessica White, 14, is trying to adjust to her parents' abrupt move to the Isle of Lume (off the English coast) when she discovers the ghostly presence of Epsilon and the fascinating letters of Sebastian Wren, who lived 100 years earlier. Slowly the clues come together, revealing that the danger (or is it madness?) her mother faces appears to be the same thing that destroyed Sebastian's mother. Epsilon clearly has something for Jess to do, but he speaks only in riddles, poems, and haunting songs out of Lume's history. Morton-Shaw's first novel deals ultimately with an age-old curse and the battle for power between good and evil. Teen readers will identify with Jess's sense of isolation from friends, her chat-room visits, her attraction to the unknown, and the variations in her relationship with her parents (ranging from rebellion to overwhelming love and concern). Ultimately, though, she is just too brave and too clever to be believable. She faces fear and the unknown with a flinch but never weak-kneed. Some of the clues and riddles are too obvious; others are so obscure that even when Jess explains them, they are difficult to grasp. Finally, the conclusion, meant to be a jaw-dropper, instead comes across as what some might consider a cheap trick.–Melissa Moore, Union University Library, Jackson, TN
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (September 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060728213
• ISBN-13: 978-0060728212
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #991,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh and exciting approach to writing, June 28, 2005

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Riddles of Epsilon (Hardcover)

Jessica is angry with her boring new hometown and the total unfairness of life in general. But she's especially angry with her parents. So what if she's been hanging out with so called troublemakers and getting her nose pierced? Is that reason enough to be yanked away from her friends and home to live on a secluded island named Lume in an ancient, rundown house that her mom had inherited?

According to her parents, yes, it's reason enough. And there's not a whole lot Jess can do about the situation. But she certainly isn't going to be happy about it, or talk to them about her day, and she definitely isn't going to help them with their projects. So when her dad asks her to fix up the coop in preparation for the chickens' arrival, and her mom assigns miles and miles of house rehabilitation chores, Jess decides it's time to disappear for a few hours.

That's when she discovers the mysterious cabin with the overgrown garden completely hiding it from view. Right away, Jess feels as if she's not alone there, that she's being watched. But despite the small case of the willies, this secluded cabin provides the perfect hideaway from her demanding parents. Besides, the cabin is intriguing with lots of ancient artifacts lying around, the comfortable hammock, and the interesting doorstep with the strange symbols etched on it.

But then things really start getting weird. Later on, Jess hears flute music calling her back to the cabin where she finds a journal entry by a boy written 100 years earlier. The boy writes about a dream he had, of a girl who wears pants and who lights a "lantern" at the flip of a switch. On the back of the entry, he has drawn a sketch of the strange dream girl, and Jess is shocked to see a drawing of herself! Then there are the mysteriously encoded messages, the three locked boxes, the ghost-like images fading in and out, and then to top it off, her mom starts behaving very strangely. And then there's the dark tower that has no doors or windows, being guarded by the four sinister stone gargoyles. Jessica is drawn right into the middle of this mysterious battle between good and evil, but will she be able to figure out whom to trust in time?

Author Christine Morton-Shaw takes a slightly different and fresh approach to arranging her story, alternating chapters of Jessica's diary entries with transcriptions of chat room visits. She weaves a fast-paced story full of mystery and action. Every chapter --- in fact, almost every page --- offers colorful excitement and attention-grabbing events. Readers will enjoy trying to solve the many riddles Morton-Shaw has planted throughout the story ---- that is, if they can stop turning the pages long enough to think through the clever conundrums. Prepare for an exciting adventure on the island of Lume with Jessica and her mysterious co-islanders!

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Horror, a Thriller and an Adventure, June 28, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Riddles of Epsilon (Hardcover)

When Jess gets moved to the remote island of Lume, she isn't happy. She was with exciting friends, had gotten her nose pierced, and was looking forward to a great summer. Unfortunately, it was for these very reasons that parents chose to move. And when her parents force her to do chores around the house, Jess can't stand it. So she runs away to a mysterious ,rundown cabin to spend some time alone.

The cabin is the perfect place for a hideout, besides the facts that Jess feels she is watched, there are strange symbols on the doorstep, and she finds a bucket with the words "Epsilon" carved onto the base.

From there on out, Jess is caught into a whirlwind of adventure, action, betrayal, and the ever consistent battle of good-versus-evil. Made up of confusing riddles, spine tingling escapades, and fast-moving plot, Christine Morton-Shaw has written a horror, a thriller, and an adventure that is to captivate many.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good morals and a touching ending, but not my cup of tea, February 8, 2007

By 

Masuri Sokawa - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Riddles of Epsilon (Hardcover)

The Riddles of Epsilon starts off engaging when the main character Jess is contacted by an entity who calls himself "Epsilon". He then ties her into the distant past where a young boy named Sebastian seems to be struggling with the same strange familiar problems she is now.
The problem is that the key relationship between Jess and her mother is too vague at the beginning of the book, along with a lot of other important connections. I don't want to give anything away but it also feels like things aren't "settled" at the end.
Still, the book kept me engaged up until the end and was a fun read that kept me trying to solve "the riddles of Epsilon."