Tobin holds the fate of Shadonia in his hands when he discovers his unexpected power that is drawn from the ancient world itself. Tobin lives in two worlds. As the son of an important mayor, he must be loyal to the dominant Forenzian Empire, but he cares more about the ancient and suppressed world of Shadonia. When his grandmother dies, she leaves him a wooden flute with powers Tobin barely understands. As Tobin watches a street theatre troupe one day, he realizes the puppeteers are criticizing foreign rule under the cover of light amusement. When he overhears plans to arrest them, he warns the puppeteers to escape across the nearby river. But soldiers pursue the players, and Tobin remembers his grandmother's words: in times of trouble, he must play the pipe. When he does, it raises the spirit of the river in a terrifying wall of water, enabling the puppeteers to escape, but at great cost to the Forenzian army. So Tobin has an unbelievable power to help his country break freeof colonial rule n but he must learn how to use it. Horrified at the deaths his first attempt has caused, he flees with the puppeteers, who are at the center of a secret movement to free Shadonia. Tobin wants to help his country to be free, but how can it be done peacefully and without bloodshed?

Linda Smith has previously published three novels with Coteau: The Minstrel's Daughter, Talisa's Song, and The Weathermage. Together, these titles make up the "Tales of Three Lands" trilogy, a series that acted as a prequel to Smith's previous "The Freyan Trilogy", published by Thistledown Press. She also published several children's pictures books, and poetry and short fiction in literary periodicals.Both Talisa's Song and The Minstrel's Daughter were finalists in the British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta Young Readers Choice Awards. Born in Lethbridge, Alberta, Linda earned a B.A. with distinction from the University of Calgary. She then moved on to the University of Alberta, where she earned a Library Science degree. She also attained her Masters in Children's Literature from the Centre for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College in Boston, Massachussetts. Linda went on to work in Saskatoon, Nova Scotia and Boston. From 1984, she made her home in Grande Prairie, Alberta, where she worked as a children's librarian, and eventually wrote full time.Linda passed away in August, 2007

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