The Dawn of Adonis

LoveReading4Kids Says

June 2025 Book of the Month

One always has a frisson of anxiety when about to embark on a sequel, or in this case prequel, to a much loved and admired book. Will this live up to the excellent When the Sky Falls? But really, I was foolish to worry! With Phil Earle you are in very safe hands, and I have to say he has absolutely excelled himself with this powerful, evocative historical adventure.

The opening chapter is a masterclass in how to hook a reader; we are deep in the jungle, with ruthless hunters wanting to capture a gorilla and then horrified by the heartbreaking failure of the silverback, who died trying to rescue what we realise later must have been his mate. Then we are immediately immersed into the grim London Docklands in the early 1900’s, the destination for the gorilla, who is a rare and exotic animal with a large price tag.

We also begin to meet the human characters who will be indelibly ingrained in our minds and weave their way into our hearts. Goliath Deeds is a magnificently terrible villain who has plans to rival Charles Jamrach (an actual historical figure) as a purveyor of exotic animals. We also meet Toff Squabble, an orphan taken from the workhouse by Deeds, who claims to be his uncle. We are not sure what side Toff is on at first. Is he a villain too? Then we meet Nettie and her veterinarian father somewhat unwillingly dragged by Toff to attend a very abused and neglected gorilla giving birth.

Nettie is a wonderful, brave, indomitable character who will not contemplate any animal suffering, and she is still grieving for her mother and baby brother who did not survive childbirth. This adds such a poignant element to what turns into a perilous pursuit of Nettie and Toff and the baby gorilla they are trying to save, Toff has definitely joined the right side by this point, with Nettie’s compassion and bravery bringing out the best in him. It is almost unbearably tense as the peril seems very real for them all.

This is a magnificent, well researched and entirely immersive, can’t-put-it-down reading experience, with a deft weaving of character’s back story with fast paced action. There are some challenging themes of loss, grief, abuse, greed, oppression and death that are ripe for discussion, so this would make a wonderful class read, as well as one that will be passed from reader to reader. We can only conclude that it is no wonder that Adonis captured our heart in When the Sky Falls when his life had such a shattering start. Simply brilliant!

Joy Court

Find This Book In