Lecturer revisits the world of fantasy fiction in second book

Published On Wed 19 Feb 2014 by Grant Hill

Photo opportunity: 1pm on Saturday, 22nd February at WH Smith, High Street, Perth.

A midwifery lecturer from the University of Dundee, who leads a double life as a children's author, will this weekend launch the second instalment of the Shian Quest, his trilogy that fuses fantasy and folklore.

Andrew Symon, a senior lecturer in the University's College of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing, will be reading from 'ack Shian and the Mapa Mundi' and signing copies for his young fans at WH Smith in High Street, Perth, on Saturday, 22nd February.

Whilst Andrew has previously written and edited books related to midwifery, his debut novel 'Jack Shian and the King's Chalice' was the first publication he wrote for a younger audience. The trilogy, aimed at the 9-12 age group charts the adventures of the eponymous hero, who belongs to an amazing and powerful group of otherworld creatures called the Shian who inhabit a 'magyck' world hidden underneath Edinburgh Castle.

Andrew has completed all three books and the final part of the series will be published in August 2014. He says that although the books are aimed at children they will also appeal to young teenagers and anyone interested in traditional Scottish and Celtic folklore.

'The first book was well received and I'm delighted that the second one has now been published,' he said. 'The story moves on from the King's Chalice, which saw Jack and his cousins seek out an ancient lost chalice that would make the Shian even more powerful only to find only there were others with the same ambition.

'This time around a new danger has arisen with the arrival of the menacing Kildashie. The ensuing power struggle sees Jack and his family forced to flee - but that takes them closer to the Mapa Mundi, an ancient treasure map.

'I've always been fascinated by Scottish folklore, and that has inspired me, as has the work of fantasy writers like JK Rowling and CS Lewis. The return of the Stone of Destiny was the spark my imagination needed to write a contemporary fantasy adventure with a Scottish background.'

'Jack Shian and the Mapa Mundi', published by Black & White Publishing, will be launched at WH Smith, High Street, Perth on Saturday, 22nd February. Andrew will be signing copies of the book from 1-2pm.

Signing sessions at various branches of Waterstone's will take place on Saturday, 1st March (Perth 10am, Dundee 1pm, and St Andrews 3pm) and Sunday 2nd March (Kirkcaldy 2pm and Dunfermline 4pm).

More information is available at www.facebook.com/TheShianQuestTrilogy?ref=stream.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
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