Our Price: AUD$23.95 (USD$)* ISBN: 978-1-920764-71-5 Subject: Young Adult/Science Fiction Publication Date: July 2005

Synopsis
In The Secret of The Rift, the second book in the Thomas Strange series, we return to the vast alien Realm and follow as the ever-curious Thomas discovers more of his alien heritage.

As many facets of the fascinating yet mysterious Realm are revealed and some of its darker secrets brought to light, Thomas finds himself unwillingly caught up in another off-world adventure that is destined to change the very nature of the Realm forever.

About The Author
Chris Garrett was born in Hastings England in 1967 and emigrated to Australia with his parents when just a baby, and although he spent his entire childhood on the beach, he still managed to retain that pale-white and blotchy freckled skin that is much sought after by people of English origin.

He grew up in a small seaside town called Bargara near Bundaberg in Queensland where he swam a lot, went to a number of schools and rode motorbikes. Then in 1985 Chris left home and moved to Brisbane with the intention of becoming a chef. After four years of peeling vegetables he decided that he wasn't cut out to be a chef so he started working in IT, where he still works today as a Network Administrator for a large multinational organisation.

Chris Garrett has an overwhelming desire to write full time and still dislikes peeling vegetables.

The Secret of The Rift is Chris Garrett's second novel and continues the adventures of Thomas Strange, who we first met in The Forgotten Past.

Reviews
"In Thomas Strange and the Secret of the Rift, Chris Garrett proves that Thomas Strange and the Forgotten Past was not just a one off book. This is an author to watch. His carefully constructed stories are told with a wonderful simplicity and naturalness. The brief episodes of drama spice the mysteries and questions that power the book along. Here is a science fiction story that does not just pander to techno-junkies, that has gigantic themes but plays no dramatic tricks. The reader sees it through the mind of an ordinary child who just wants someone to tell him what is going on.

"The narrative unfolds a complex history only vaguely hinted at in The Forgotten Past. Chris' masterful style holds the reader's interest on each page as the vaguely perceived mystery comes into focus. The Secret of the Rift is more complex than The Forgotten Past but is delivered with the same effortless writing that made the first book so satisfying. The end pulls a whole tapestry of threads together to resolve the mystery and then leave the hint that there is more to come. I look forward to the next Thomas Strange book."
A MacFarlane

Beneath the headline Move Over Harry Potter, the Bundaberg News-Mail featured Thomas Strange and the Forgotten Past on 21/08/2004. The paper went on to say that the book "had children enthralled" with its "easy-to-read style" and that Chris Garrett "could become the next JK Rowling".

From The Book
When Thomas opened his eyes at first he couldn’t see, but it wasn’t dark and he winced in pain before quickly shielding them from a bright light. He slowly sat up and glanced around. He recognised nothing. He was in a small room with bright lights and grubby white walls. It was simply furnished, with a single bed and a small table and chair to one side. After a moment he turned and swung his legs over the side of the bed. His head was heavy. He felt very groggy as though he had been sleeping for far too long. He tried to imagine how he came to be here. He remembered getting up very early in the morning then sneaking downstairs and through the black room before Gran was awake. The previous evening he had kept thinking about Teynor and what Signus had said about the previous interface. He had wanted to get to school as early as possible so that he could start searching the archive. He thought for a moment longer. Abruptly he remembered something else. That morning, as soon as he had appeared in the large ring room on the Home World, someone had grabbed him then everything went black.

He slid off the bed and dropped to the floor.

The door was ajar and through the crack he could partly see a dimly lit corridor with a closed door at the far end. He listened for a moment. Apart from his breathing it was eerily silent. He quickly reached for PAD then abruptly stopped and stared. The golden braid around his collar and down his left arm was completely black and the back of the glove was torn where the small screen had been ripped away. Without PAD he couldn’t call for help and Matron wouldn’t know where he was. He suddenly felt very afraid. He quietly walked to the door and gently pushed it wider. The hallway was empty. He wondered whether he should chance running just in case whoever had abducted him should suddenly return. He glanced back into the room and noticed something he had missed the first time. Hanging on the back of the chair there was a dark brown cloak. It immediately reminded Thomas of the one worn by the man who had nodded to him in the ring room the previous day.

“Diamedies,” he thought and he shivered nervously.

Equilibrium Books^®, logo device and ^™ are Australian registered trademarks. ABN 29 101 629 413
Copyright © Equilibrium Books 2002-2008. All rights reserved. Privacy, Terms and Conditions
*US currency amounts updated regularly but provided as a guide only and are subject to fluctuation.