Life in Nem is difficult for Mel and his family. Simple weavers they stand little chance of saving sufficient money to purchase anything other than the most basic Pleasures necessary for their livelihood. So, although Mel shows great talent as an artist there is little chance that his family could ever afford to pay for him to join the appropriate Mystery and buy the Pleasures he would need to become a working artist.

So when Mel is given the opportunity to become an apprentice to the great painter Ambrosius Blenk he feels that his dreams have come true. But his parents will not give their permission. When Mel accidentally crosses members of the Fifth Mystery it seems that nothing can save him – except Ambrosius Blenk. As a result, Mel is taken to live in Blenk's household and begins his apprenticeship.

Soon he discovers a secret that is more fantastic than he could ever have imagined. But with this discovery comes the realisation that unless he and his friends manage to defeat the Fifth Mystery, they would become omnipotent leaving nothing but suffering behind them.

Mirrorscape is one of the most original concepts I have ever come across. The idea of the Mysteries controlling pretty much all aspects of life is not unusual – there are many books where one group of people exercise power over others. But The Mysteries are not any ordinary guild. Many years before the start of the book, when Nem was just starting to become prosperous, the trades were unregulated. Inevitably, as people became greedier, they would do anything to part people from their money – water the wine, counterfeit goods and mix sawdust in with the flour to increase its weight. Soon the honest artisans and traders realised that they had to do something to stop the flood of sub-standard products so they joined together to form The Mysteries, a cross between a trade union and a federation. The idea was that if you wanted to trade or produce a particular item you had to join the relevant Mystery and pay an annual fee. But as time progressed the Mysteries became more powerful and demanded more money – eventually coming up with the idea of Pleasures; meaning if Mel's father wished to produce anything other than the most basic of cloth, he must pay a large fee to his Mystery to purchase the relevant Pleasure.

Add to this the discovery that it is possible to enter certain paintings (if you know the relevant magical sigil) and travel through fantastic worlds and you have the ingredients for a stunning fantasy series that is guaranteed to keep you enthralled.

I love this book and I cannot wait until I get the chance to read the next instalment.

Synopsis
Enter the Mirrorscape - an amazing world limited only by the artist's imagination... Fulfilling the dream of a lifetime, Melkin Womper is apprenticed to a master painter, Ambrosius Blenk. Son of a village weaver, Mel is over-awed by the master's richly coloured and vividly detailed paintings. He is particularly amazed by the colours, because there are no colours back home. To have colour in your life, you have to buy the Pleasure, and the sinister scarlet-robed Fifth Mystery own the rights to such Pleasures. Soon, Mel and his new friends Ludo and Wren find themselves caught in a power struggle between the Mystery and the master. One that involves stepping through paintings into a world where the bizarre is commonplace and all logic is irrelevant. A world where angels, pyramid mazes, imaginary monsters, talking houses and - most importantly - the simple paintbrush all combine to form a hugely original and deeply compelling fantasy. This is a thrilling adventure filled with fantastical creatures in an incredibly visual secret world.