[The Book of Silence 02] • Duncton Rising

A wintry dawn, and a hurrying mole...

As cruel flurries of wind harry the highest and most ancient trees of Duncton Wood, timid Pumpkin reaches the Stone to pray for help. Only he and the venerable Master Librarian Stour have been left to defend Moledom's greatest library against the Newborn Inquisitors who have taken over the system. But Pumpkin's best hopes rest with Privet, scholar and scribemole, and her adopted son Whillan, who have escaped from Duncton Wood in search of the Book of Silence, seventh and last of the ancient books of Moledom.

To find it, Privet and her friends must go to Caer Caradoc, centre of the Newborns' power, and face their sinister leader, Thripp of Blagrove Slide. Harder still, she must reveal the grim secrets of her past and give up all hope of reconciliation with the only mole she has ever truly loved: Rooster, Master of the Delve. And only then can she embark on the most daunting journey of all...

William Horwood's Duncton Rising, Volume Two of The Book of Silence, is an unforgettable tale of courage, love and faith which will introduce countless new readers to Duncton Wood and its brave moles. A million devotees have already discovered the books that make up this classic imaginative epic, Duncton Chronicles.