
Maara the girl with three blessings stares in disbelief out of the window of her uncle's cottage down by the harbour The terrible army from the Land Beyond is marching out of their lives after one hundred years of cruel occupation Thus begins the story of Ambamar & its inhabitants iron-mining Anvil People gigantic agricultural Timekeepers mysterious scholarly Scribes & Mariners
- the fisher folk Their histories were written long ago in secret papers & in a magical speaking book that Elin & Arolan the two trumpeters who herald the promise of a new dawn carry down from the Iron Mountain where it had lain hidden for a century It is imperative for the people to learn these fantastical tales that bind them for along with freedom are hatching the worms of hatred & distrust Elin & Arolan's attempts to bring peace bring them instead to the brink of disaster It is left to Maara & her band of like-minded citizens to try & save them & to stop the ruin of Ambamar Their task is fraught with danger as they encounter destructive nature spirits heroes & villains raging seas desert sands dark forests & magical creatures As well as being a cliffhanger of an adventure story Noontide Owls is on a deeper level concerned with relationships between different social groups & ethnicities & the futility of war & conflict It also deals with issues such as prejudice tolerance & self-esteem & of course love It's is a tale for all ages from 9 to 109