'The Dungeon' paperback launched at Mdina Dungeons

Children's author Lynne Reid Banks yesterday launched the paperback version of her latest book The Dungeon in the fitting mediaeval setting of the Mdina Dungeons.

Like a child herself, she joked that she had jumped at the idea of launching her book in a real dungeon, and augured that she would not be interrupted by "piercing screams and crashing thunder".

Ms Reid Banks, the best-selling author of over 30 internationally acclaimed books for children and adults, chose Malta for the world launch of her latest literary work, published by HarperCollins UK.

It has already been shortlisted for the prestigious Booktrust Teenage Prize.

Spanning mediaeval Scotland to the exotic hinterland of China, The Dungeon is a gripping novel of historical fiction, ideal for children between the ages of 10 and 14. It is testimony of the author's vivid imagination and contains detailed descriptions, while its exciting plot ends in a dramatic twist.

The book had a "rather strange gestation period", the author explained, and was an offshoot of a previous book, Alice by Accident, which included Alice's two-page version of the dungeon story.

After rereading Alice's story, Ms Reid Banks felt "it was a great pity to waste it in two pages", feeling it deserved a book of its own and embarked on the writing of The Dungeon as a full-length novel.

She was aware that it was highly unlikely that a Scottish tyrannical laird, Bruce McLennan, would travel to China in the 14th century, bringing back a Chinese slave-girl, Peony - as the storyline of The Dungeon goes.

But "fiction is fiction and means saying: what if?"

McLennan is a man whose family was brutally murdered and who has lost everything. He is fuelled by revenge, Ms Reid Banks recounted.

While she penned the book, the author questioned whether love could be reawakened in his frozen heart, but concluded that "things don't always have a happy ending".

Ms Reid Banks is not in the habit of writing unhappy endings, but the theme of the book was the "devastating seriousness of losing the ability to love... freezing your heart and having it thaw too late. It was not redemption," hence the tragic conclusion.

So, "if you insist on a happy ending, don't read the book," Ms Reid Banks warned.

However, The Dungeon does not end on a completely downbeat note, she said, adding that there was always a need for some uplifting.

"In my story, there is hope at the end. There is a sense of redemption, rebirth and carrying on."

Children may close The Dungeon weeping, but not without some hope, she said. After all, they have to be reminded that "we are a flawed species".

Ms Reid Banks's visit to Malta is intended as a reading and book promotional initiative, and is being organised by Merlin Library, with the collaboration of UK publishers HarperCollins and the Malta Tourism Authority.

The author's intense two-week schedule includes meetings with both older students and younger schoolchildren in a drive to broaden interest in reading, supported by private schools and the Education Ministry.

Tomorrow, Ms Reid Banks is signing her book at Merlin Library in Blata l-Bajda at 6 p.m. and at the Manoel Theatre Courtyard at 7.30 p.m.

On Saturday, she is participating in a children's event at 10 a.m. at St James Cavalier, which includes the screening of the film version of her book, The Indian in the Cupboard.