Gaslight Geezers: Part 3

By GARRY KILWORTH, Illustrator JOHN HOWE

'It's my cousin again,' replied Monty, taking the chibouque out of his mouth to answer the question.

'Spindrick?'

'Yes - he says he's going to blow up the city. Blow it to matchsticks, if I know him.'

'Oh, what? Not again.' Bryony watched as a steam-driven red stoat queen about three centimetres high shot forward and knocked the clockwork black stoat queen into a gutter around the board with a triumphant hiss of hot vapour.

'He's always letting off bombs all over the place. I suppose that's what anarchists do?'

All the red pieces were steam-driven, all the black pieces, clockwork. It was a fair reflection of the views of Muggidrear's population, some of whom were for steam, others for clockwork. In reply to the red queen, a black knight whirred and clicked and leapt across the board to avenge his defeated monarch.

Publisher: Random House

Price: $16.95

Age group: 9 years plus