In a blaze of light, rush of wind and scrabble of claws, Rachel and Eric are ripped through the wall and hurtled on to another world. Like thousands of other children before them, they have been snatched away by the Witch. But this time the Witch has met her match. Rachel discovers that she has extraordinary gifts: she can transform herself into a feather, or fly on an owl’s back, just as the Witch can. The Witch is excited she has found someone to use for her own evil purposes. But for the Witch’s victims, Rachel is their only hope. Reviews 'High fantasy, richly imagined and refreshingly well-written—an excellent novel.' The Sunday Times 'Brilliant, breathless and filled with action from page one.' Kids Out 'Gripping, racy, children have been fighting to borrow it.' The Guardian 'An incredible world in which the reader will become totally absorbed.' The Bookseller 'A vivid world of magical possibilities.' The Times 'A thrilling and magical read - there is a real build up of suspense with plenty of twists and turns. It is full of brilliant descriptions of events, characters and places.' Library and Information Service for Schools 'Places him firmly among much more well-known names such as Philip Pullman and C.S.Lewis - Ithrea is a truly complete world, and the characters are beautifully conceived to obtain an emotional response from the reader.' BookMonster

Rachel and her brother Eric are extraordinary. She is a spell-maker, able to fly, take any shape, see far and wide with her many-coloured eyes. He is a destroyer of spells. On the planet Ool, home of the Witches, the high Witch Heebra wants Rachel and Eric crushed, and her old adversaries the Wizards slayed. A party of Witches is dispatched to Earth to locate the thousands of children who have powers like Rachel’s, and turn them into a ferocious army. Rachel, in search of the children, finds their magic at work across the world. In Africa she encounters the infant Yemi, whose gifts transcend all others. In Chile she meets the menacing Heiki, a girl who will perform any evil to win the approval of the Witches. And in the frozen wastes of the Arctic she and Eric engage in a desperate struggle for the hearts and minds of all children.

The magic of all children has been released. Throughout the skies of Earth they swoop, crossing continents, changing shape, diving to the ocean depths and playing the deadly new spell-games. Rachel bides her time, watching the skies for what she knows will happen - the invasion of the Witches. But when it comes it is not in the way anyone expects, and there is also a new enemy—the huge, terrifying Gridda-breed. To confront them will require all of Rachel's and her brother Eric's skill and courage, as they embark on a journey that takes them to Ool, home of the Witches—a world where mountains move and breathe, the sun never pierces the clouds and the snows are alive. Reviews 'Cliff McNish writes with energy and sparkling imagination in this most compelling conclusion to an extraordinary trilogy.' Nought to Twelve 'The writing is atmospheric and the plot gripping, as the children battle against awesome forces.' Good Book Guide 'A fast-paced, gripping read.' Times Educational Supplement 'After the first two novels in the series, we have a finale that grips like a vice, and is full of the pace and all the imaginative and descriptive flair we have come to expect from this remarkable author.' Amazon 'The characters are believable; it is beautifully written, with page after page of powerful imagery; it is utterly compulsive and inventive reading for young teens.' Birmingham Post

Trilogie waarvan de beide eerste delen eerder werden uitgegeven in de reeks 'Robin en de Aardskinderen'. In 'Het duistere kasteel'\ belanden Robin en haar broertje in een nare, koude wereld waar duizenden kinderen door een heks gevangen worden gehouden. In 'Het magische spoor'\\ nemen de moederheks en haar andere dochter, samen met 756 van de beste heksen wraak omdat Robin de machtige heks Dracuena verslagen heeft. Het afsluitende deel is 'De laatste strijd'\\\. Voorin deel 1 en 3 staat een kaart van het fictieve gebied waar een en ander zich afspeelt. Smeuiïg verteld en breed uitgesponnen heksenverhalen, waarin figuren en situaties zeer plastisch worden beschreven. Lekker griezelen dus! Goed geschreven en vertaalde verhalen, opgebouwd uit vele hoofdstukjes, die per deel een eigen inhoudsopgave hebben. Begrijpelijk taalgebruik met veel dialoog; wat de spanning echter realistischer maakt: je wordt gemakkelijk meegesleurd in het verhaal. Kleine letter. Voor kinderen vanaf ca. 10 jaar, die zich niet laten afschrikken door de omvang van het boek.