THE Meq may look like 12-year-old children, but in reality they are members of an ancient and enigmatic race, some of them hundreds of years old, who have been living in the midst of unsuspecting humanity for centuries. Few in number, they have, through the ages, witnessed some of the most glorious and shameful events in history.

Twelve-year-old Zianno Zezen loses both parents on an ill-fated train journey through the Rocky Mountains in 1881. It is his twelfth birthday and he has not the faintest idea that he is Meq. This book is about his discovery of his inheritance and true nature.

Rescued by a bearded stranger, he meets other friendly Meq and begins a quest to understand more about them and their purpose that takes him from St Louis to China, Africa and England. Along the way he unites with his Meq friends against a renegade Meq called Fleur du Mal who brings tragedy and heartbreak to Zianno and his human "family".

A fascinating story, well told, that keeps your attention throughout and leaves you wanting more - which is just as well as it is part one of a trilogy.

Updated: 08:54 Wednesday, May 19, 2004