BOOKS
Magic in Ravenswood
This children’s book by Nigel was published by Heinemann. It is the story of young Prince Tristan, whose parents have gone off on a quest and left him, an eleven year old boy, in charge of the kingdom. And then one day an alarming new tutor, Dr Bolgin, arrives, saying that he has been sent by Tristan's parents. He is only about a metre high and has large ears, large feet and a pointed nose. And what do you know, he is accompanied by a whole band of soldiers who look the same! In fact, Prince Tristan is subject to a goblin takeover. Dr Bolgin is aided in his endeavours by the Black Talon, the punning leader of a band of verminous ravens. But Tristan has friends too. One is his beautiful, if difficult, French cat, Madame Minette, who has never been fooled by Dr Bolgin for a moment. She seeks the advice of Theodosius, tawny (owl) at law, on whether she may reveal to Tristran that animals can speak to humans in certain circumstances and so reveal what is going on. Madame Minette and Theodosius help Tristan in his double struggle, both with the goblins and the bad side of his own nature. Tristan is further assisted, after a fashion, by an absent minded witch and Percival, a nervous and clumsy pigeon, who in many ways turns out to be the real hero of this story.
'--good marks for Magic in Ravenswood, the story of young Prince Tristan rescued from a goblin takeover by Theodosius, the not totally wise owl, an inefficient but friendly witch and a feather-brained - yes! - pigeon. The aristocratic cat is also on his side, but prefers a certain aloofness from anything disagreeable. All the characters are well-defined, the ravens of the wood being a nasty, tough crowd. There is enough irony to give it strength to deal with a traditional situation without going soft or silly.’ Naomi Mitchison in the Times Educational Supplement
'I liked Magic in Ravenswood by Nigel Osner, the witty story of a young prince's battle against his evil goblin tutor has a lawyer owl, a bumbling pigeon and a gang of outrageously punning , thuggish ravens.' David Twiston Davies in the Daily Telegraph
'Theodosius the town owl was so wise that his doorsign said "Tawny at Law". The beastly ravens however worked by rule of claw and in Magic in Ravenswood --- Nigel Osner's clever prose relates how the owl and the pussycat aided by a simple pigeon beat the goblins.' Tania Plowden in the Yorkshire Post
Nigel adapted this story into a musical and you can read about that under Musicals. He will be republishing the book in the near future.
Illustrations by Robert Wilson
World of legends – a romantasy adventure series
This will be a trilogy. At present the first two books are available on Amazon.uk. They are either on Kindle or print on demand. This is a link which will take you to them. https://bit.ly/4segUer
- worldoflegends.com
Henry Prince is a nervous law student who lives in London. One summer he encounters a former school-friend, Rupert, now a successful spin doctor. Rupert shows Henry a fantasy world, which can be glimpsed through a website. This world contains a myriad of heroes and villains from stories, myths and legends. Rupert then swaps worlds with his legendary doppleganger, Rumpelstiltskin. Rupert joins forces with the villains, such as Dracula and Medusa from this world of legends - to help improve their public image. Rumpelstiltskin, meanwhile, offers the possibility of limitless gold to a Government minister. Henry, to his horror, finds himself transported into the world of legends, and there he is known as a hero called Prince Henry and is expected to live up to his name. As the barrier between the two worlds begins to disintegrate, will Henry be hero enough to create his own legend and save both his own world and the world of legends?
- Rumpert
There had been just one Henry Prince. Now there are two. In our world he is a 60 year old judge. But there is that parallel world filled with every legendary hero and villain that has ever been imagined. In the World of Legends, because of his exploits thirty eight years before, Henry exists as a hero called Prince Henry and is only 22 years old. Prince Henry’s life is turned upside down when he is captured by an extraordinary and dangerous individual called Rumpert - a fusion of Rumpelstiltskin and a spin-doctor from our world called Rupert. Rumpert has the power to absorb and therefore erase iconic villains such as Dracula and Loki. Each time he absorbs one, Rumpert takes on elements of that character and his own power gets stronger
60 year old Henry Prince must find his way back to the World of Legends in order to rescue his 22 year old heroic self and stop Rumpert in his evil mission, before the barrier between his world and the World Of Legends disintegrates forever.