"This fascinating tale sparks their imagination and will have them gripped"
The Independent
How do you defeat evil when science is not enough? You get Magic...
London, 1820: Isambard is just like any other 16-year-old engineering genius until he stumbles across a radical plot to kill the Prime Minister. Things get really complicated when he discovers that the conspiracy is being led by a French revolutionary supposedly executed 25 years earlier.
With the help of the eccentric Candlewick sisters, whose magical shop has a habit of losing itself in the labyrinthine streets of Georgian London, Isambard defies his father and joins forces with the Bow Street Runners. But none of them have any idea about the ancient magic they are taking on.
Will a home-made messaging machine, a pair of telepathic stones and a talking gas be enough to help Isambard thwart the dark magic of the Conspiracy?
If you like magic, contraptions and adventure then you’ll love “Isambard and the Cato Street Conspiracy”.
What is Isambard hiding?
Judge this book by its cover...
Isambard is always looking for new and interesting ways to do ordinary tasks - at one point we see him using a metal tray as a kind of early skateboard. He takes after his father, so when he needs to get from London to Oxford he calls on his father's old friend, balloonist and showman, Lunardi
Isambard and his friends Millie and William would rather get around London across the rooftops. William is a risk-taker and Millie is the smart one...
At first it looks like Isambard's biggest problem is a group of Revolutionaries intent on killing the King. But he soon discovers that this is only a front for a bigger threat, one which reaches back to England's greatest enemy
Isambard is a firm believer in the power of science to save the world - his view of magic is somewhat less positive. But as the stakes get higher and the truth about the challenge becomes clear, Isambard begins to appreciate the role that Magic can play
About the Author
Robert Guidi is a curious mix: half engineer, half storyteller. He studied Engineering (Mechanical, of course) at Manchester University where he wrote and staged 2 plays. On graduating he helped design a robotic vacuum cleaner at Dyson, tried writing for a couple of London magazines and failed to organise a charity cabaret. He then spent 6 years installing engine production lines for a car company before going solo as an engineering consultant and, latterly, landing a grown-up job in Mergers & Acquisitions.
In his idle moments, Robert enjoys creating musical and visual doodles that, until now, have never seen the light of day. Isambard and the Cato Street Conspiracy is his first novel and brings together his love for magic, history and scientific contraptions.
Robert lives with his wife and three kids near the Devil’s Punchbowl in the UK.