The Mountain on the Other Side of Light: The Search for the Opening

Lured to the troubled Realm of Omelyn by the sinister fairground clairvoyante Retsinis, Bridget and Tom find a land dominated by warring military factions. It is also devastated by fierce storms blowing from the giant, brooding volcano of Fles, which regularly smother the country in toxic waste, at the same time demotivating and demoralising its inhabitants. The friends try to decipher a series of coded messages from the mysterious seer Kalmom, who warns them against Retsinis and the other dark forces seeking to undermine the rightful ruler of the Realm, the Broadlord, and the traditional religion of ‘The Balance’. Kalmom’s messages also seem to be guiding them towards a mysterious ‘Opening’ which, they hint, could lead towards an explanation – and possibly a solution – to the problems that beset the once-peaceful land…

Malcolm Haslett has been involved in conflict situations from an early age. Brought up in Northern Ireland, he worked as a volunteer for two years in Rwanda, and for most of his career worked at the BBC World Service trying to explain Russia to the world, and – rather more difficult – the world to Russia. He is very happily married, with three adult children, and lives in London.