Retail Price: AUD$25.95 Our Price: AUD$24.95 (USD$)* ISBN: 978-1-920764-86-9 Subject: Young Adult/Science Fiction Publication Date: March 2007

Synopsis
Thomas' escapades reach a whole new level in Guardians of The Realm, where we return once more to the vast alien Realm and follow as he unwillingly discovers more of his own past, and yet another sinister secret that threatens to destroy them all.

With his ever-faithful friends unable to help, the fate of the Realm rests on a somewhat reluctant Thomas as he struggles to accept his own fate while fighting a millennia-old enigma.

Guardians of The Realm is the third novel in the popular Thomas Strange series and continues the adventures of Thomas and his friends, who we first met in The Forgotten Past and The Secret of The Rift.

About The Author
Chris Garrett was born in Hastings, England and emigrated to Australia with his parents when just a child. He grew up in the small seaside town of Bargara, near Bundaberg in Queensland, then in 1985 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 switched to IT, where he still works today as a Network Administrator for a large, multinational organisation.

Chris has an overwhelming desire to write full time and is still not fond of peeling vegetables. He has published a number of stories in both magazines and short story collections, the most recent being in Volume One of the FlashSpec anthology project from Equilibrium Books.

His first novel, Thomas Strange and The Forgotten Past, was published in 2004 and has been favourably reviewed both online and in print. Thomas Strange and The Secret of The Rift, the second book in the Thomas Strange series, was published the following year and has proved to be even more popular than the first, receiving many positive reviews from a small but growing fan base.

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
Thomas had to be very careful that he didn’t slip and fall. He thought the place smelt really bad and he turned up his nose as it made him feel a little sick. He really wondered how Sally could have hidden in here when she was younger. They skirted round one pile of crates and then another. Just then a shadow fell across the opening behind them and Sally turned and looked around.

"THERE HE IS!" she screamed and she turned and ran.

Thomas didn’t look back and quickly ran after her. He could hear heavy footsteps getting closer and closer just like he remembered from the tunnels on the planet of spires. He felt very scared and expected the man to grab him from behind at any moment. Suddenly the man yelled. Thomas heard a loud crash and an empty milk crate skidded past. Then there was nothing.

When they reached the end of the alley Thomas carefully looked behind. The man was gone and he could see no movement at all.

"What are you children up to?" a gruff voice suddenly said close by.

Thomas jumped with fright. Both he and Sally turned and stared wide-eyed. A tall man was standing nearby. Thomas hadn’t even noticed him when he and Sally had first stepped out of the alley. The man was dressed in black and wore a broad peaked cap. He stared sternly at them for a moment then quickly walked over. At first Thomas had thought it could have been another man helping the one who had chased them, then he saw it was a police officer.

"A man is chasing us!" Sally blurted out. She ran closer to the officer then pointed back into the alleyway. "He’s in there," she said.

The policeman looked down the alley then turned and stared at Thomas. For a moment he frowned. He pulled a picture from his pocket then looked up. "You’d be Thomas then?" he asked in a common drawl.

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