Welcome to stop on the blog tour for the exciting new fantasy from Tamsin Mori, Gargoyles: Guardians of the Source. Today, I am thrilled to share with you an article from the author on gargoyles:
Gargoyles
Gargoyles are everywhere once you start looking for them . . .
They often look scary – monstrous, even – but their purpose is to protect us. They work silently and unnoticed, defending the world from darkness in all its shapes and forms.
I was born in Paris, which is home to many gargoyles, so they have inhabited my imagination from a very early age. My favourite gargoyles are the small mischievous animal ones that peek out of hidden corners. But Paris has some huge gargoyles too – enormous beasts that perch high on the very tallest buildings, keeping watch over the streets below. Why are there so many gargoyles in Paris? There’s a lot of magic there, that’s why. A lot of magic calls for a lot of gargoyles.
Magic is neither good, nor bad – it just multiplies the dreams you feed it. Gargoyles help to keep the balance – protecting us against the worst of those dreams.
Growing up, I really wanted my own gargoyle. I wasn’t great at standing up for myself and there were moments when it would have been useful to have a monster on my side. Over time, I gradually became braver and learnt how to stand my ground – speaking up for myself and my friends too, when they needed it. Part of this bravery grew out of picturing a gargoyle standing quietly at my shoulder, lending me strength and courage.
Only a very few people get their own gargoyle. In ancient times, these people were known as Guardians. There are few of them left, now. They have retreated to defend the last remaining sources of magic.
In Gargoyles, Guardians of the Source, Callen needs a gargoyle for more than just standing up for himself. A long-sealed source of magic is leaking, lending power to every hope and spite and fear – conjuring them into reality. Once, there would have been Guardians, fighting to protect against the worst of these dreams. But the Guardians are long gone. Now, there’s only Callen – trying to figure out how to befriend a gargoyle, before it’s too late.
How would you go about it befriending a gargoyle? I wonder if you’d make the same mistakes Callen does?
What kind of gargoyle would you want by your side? They are often a strange blend of different animals and ideas; a wild boar with bats wings, or a fire-breathing cat; a griffin with a sword and shield, or an owl with reading glasses and all the answers. Gargoyles come in every shape and size – as varied as the people they protect and the monsters they defend against. There is certainly a gargoyle out there who would be a perfect match for you.
Next time you’re out and about, look up. Maybe you’ll see something you’ve never noticed before. On old buildings and churches, in gardens and hidden on high walls in narrow streets, gargoyles are constantly on guard, watching over us and protecting us. And wherever there are gargoyles, you know there’s magic too.
With your appetite now whetted, you can read my review for the book here.
My huge thanks go to publicist Antonia Wilkinson and publisher UCLan for both my gifted review copy of this fantastic title and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour. Don’t forget to check out the other stops on the tour:
Mrs Sydney's Famous World's Smallest Library 