Would Harry Potter Read This Great New Book?

You can decide for yourself, for the next big magical adventure book – The Magic Islands - is completely free to download.

(PRWEB) April 11, 2006 -- Hidden beyond the great fog lies a magical new world set amongst long forgotten magical islands. Full of magic, adventure and monsters, this exciting new book has been the subject of much discussion in the last months – creating a little magic of its own.
If you’ve not set sail on the boat with Marcus and Toby, then you’re already late.

It’s been downloaded over 300,000 times and everyday more people swarm to the official site to download their free PDF copy. It is becoming something of a virtual phenomenon as people pass it on to friends across the globe. Fans from more than 40 countries have been taking part in this free experiment.

We asked author Steve Bell – Why is it free?
“I just put it on the site for anyone to enjoy,” says Steve Bell. “Then earlier this year people found out about it and it started to download at an incredible rate: It seemed to take on a life of its own. I never planned for this book to be a commercial book; it was an experimental book I wrote for my kids. I’m just thrilled people are enjoying it. If it means people get to know me as a writer, then that’s great.”

The book has been touted as the “next Harry Potter” but the author is playing that down.

“I’m honoured to have such comparisons, but that’s a big set of magical boots to fill. Books such as Harry Potter, Narnia, Lord of The Rings and the Hobbit have inspired it. But I hope it also something new and fresh – something exciting and different.”

The book is part of a planned trilogy, with the second instalment being written. Eager fans have been flooding the author’s email asking for the next instalment of the adventure. The Book of Secrets is scheduled to be released some time in 2007.

So is this free book a genuine gift to fans or some cunningly clever marketing campaign to get people hooked on the trilogy?
Either way it’s a great book, and if you can read it for free – then why not?

To download the book head to www.themagicislands.com

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