Ruarc and his little brother Aidan are playing knockstones on the floor long after they both should have been in bed when a curious creature of light and flame appears and violently steals Aidan away. His parents injured in the attack, young Ruarc must strike out on a path to retrieve his brother. Armed only with the fantastical stories of his grandfather, he chooses The Goblin Road.
Ruarc’s choice leads him to newfound friends but also through dangerous obstacles and as the Goblin Road snakes through the territory of long-forgotten magical creatures: from loyal brùnaidhs and gatekeeper trolls, to menacing goblins, black-hearted pixies, and worse. As this unlikely hero struggles onward, he will be troubled by doubt. Does he have the strength to meet this road’s challenges? Can he trust in its mysterious architects? Will he live up to Grandfather Uilliam’s expectations? Are the fortitude of friendship and the bond of brotherhood enough to see him through?
This story frightens with its hardships, surprises with its revelations, and entertains with its imaginative universe, but ultimately it tells the tale of the lengths that one stouthearted boy is willing to go to for his friends, for his brother, and for himself.