This is a story of medieval magic, mystery and adventure. Finding that the level of water in the river is falling, the king"s son Yan travels to the mountains to explore the source of the river. He succeeds in avoiding several traps along the way but eventually succumbs to the magic of the witch queen Grimhelda. When Yan fails to return, the king organises a search party. The members of this party are the king himself, his cook, his secretary and astrologer, two knights and the prince"s younger brother and sister. The exploits of the rescue party in the mountains are at times hilarious, but there is also a strong mythological "bite" to the story, which draws on aspects of Greek and Indian legends. As the tale develops, Yan"s younger brother and sister have an increasingly important part to play, but in the final unravelling of the plot every member of the royal party is directly or indirectly involved. An exciting story with some very engaging characters, The Golden Falcon will appeal to children interested in adventure stories from 8-12 years old.