Sanctuary (Stone Man Mysteries Series #2)

by Adam Stemple, Jane Yolen, Orion Zangara (Illustrator)

Overview

A demon seeking redemption, Silex has kept vigil over Edinburgh for countless years atop a local church as a gargoyle. With the help of his human assistant Craig, Silex solves the mysteries of the city below. But now a mystery lurks inside the church in the form of a young woman seeking sanctuary.

The panicking girl raises Silex's suspicions. Craig has a more welcoming spirit—but he lacks his gargoyle mentor's centuries of experience. When they discover the young woman's connection to new threats menacing Edinburgh, will any of them be prepared for the danger that comes next?

The story unfolds against the moody backdrop of Scotland in the 1930s, and feature infamous grave robbers Burke and Hare who return in this work of dark fantasy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541510432
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/01/2018
Series:	Stone Man Mysteries Series , #2
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	88
Product dimensions:	6.02(w) x 9.01(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Adam Stemple is an author and American folk rock musician based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has co-written many books with his mother, Jane Yolen.

Jane Yolen lives in Massachusetts and has written more than 400 books across all genres and age ranges, including the Sydney Taylor Honor book Miriam at the River. In 2022 she was named the The Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Winner. She has been called the Hans Christian Andersen of America and the Aesop of the twentieth century.

Orion Zangara is an illustrator and comic book artist who lives in the Washington, DC, area. He is a graduate of The Kubert School, an art trade school, with a concentration in sequential art.

Editorial Reviews

"In the second installment of the Stone Man Mysteries series, Silex the gargoyle and his assistant, Craig, continue to solve mysteries in 1930s Edinburgh. This time, the two focus on the mysterious murder of a man who died recently, yet somehow also died decades ago, which may be related to the girl who recently requested sanctuary at their church. Though it's not really a mystery, as the answer is instantly spelled out rather than deduced, it is a fascinating gothic novel that hits the many tropes of the genre. The occasionally clunky dialogue is laced with lots of Scottish brogue, like when Father Walker, the priest of Silex's church, says, 'If ye cannae speak of it . . . I dinnae think we can help ye.' Though the trappings might be a bit clumsy, at its heart, the story is engrossing, particularly with its dark and suspenseful atmosphere. Zangara's sketch-heavy artwork adds to the dusky mood and the old-fashioned look of the pages. Hand to fans of spooky mysteries."—Booklist

From the Publisher

03/01/2018
Gr 5–8—Craig McGowan continues his work investigating crimes in Edinburgh at the behest of Silex, a gargoyle watching over the city from the cathedral roof. Craig looks into strange disappearances and a resurgence in crimes that haven't been committed in nearly 100 years and is drawn to a girl demanding sanctuary of the church's new priest, chased by a mysterious cloaked figure and spectral hounds. Evolving from the first volume, the artwork presents the narrative primarily from Craig's perspective, using framing devices to indicate storytelling and information from other sources. An addition of ink wash gives the visuals depth and atmosphere and provides a better presentation of gloom, weather, and the city than the stark linework of the previous tale. However, the action sequences remain muddled, lacking clear transitions between frames and scenes and failing to establish dynamism when it is required. The novel fails to reveal further depths or details about the characters beyond the purposes of plot. A final expository spread papers over plot points and promises a third tale in a manner designed to be ominous, but which leadenly violates the fair play aspect of readers being able to potentially solve the mystery. VERDICT The gothic atmosphere will entice some, and any previous readers of the series will appreciate the artistic growth of the illustrator, but the weak execution of the storytelling won't create many loyalists.—Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH

School Library Journal

2018-02-05
Prolific mother-and-son pair Yolen (Mapping the Bones, 2018, etc.) and Stemple (The Seelie King's War, 2016, etc.) return with another installment in their gritty noir graphic-novel series featuring a mystery-solving Scottish street urchin and his gargoyle employer.Picking up where the previous volume left off, orphaned Craig is still reeling from having to commit an unspeakable act against a dear friend. Despite his regrets, he continues to work as a detective for Silex, a stone gargoyle affixed to a church parapet who oversees the city below. When a seemingly anachronistic young woman shows up on the church doorstep claiming sanctuary, Craig and Silex must help her before another Mephistophelian force unleashes evil upon 1930s Edinburgh. Building upon the evangelical explorations of the first volume, this is a dark and introspective thriller mixing equal parts history, Christian theology, and mystery. Readers will notice a definite improvement in Zangara's (Stone Cold, 2016) moody black-and-white art; while he has sustained the atmosphere, he has sharpened his lines, rendering previously sketchy characters clearer and more distinctive. Each volume completes a case, although readers are forewarned of the religious and literary importance of the number three, laying the groundwork for what could only be Craig and Silex's next adventure.Although well-wrought, the elaborate combination of atmospheric historical details and a Christian theological slant may be daunting for some. (Mystery/fantasy. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews