An exciting story about a young boy's adventures as he travels the harsh drovers road seeking work in Merthyr Tydfil in 1804 when he assists the ironmasters to catch thieves during a ride on Richard Trevithick's pioneering steam engine; for readers aged 8-12 years.

Stori gyffrous am anturiaethau llanc ifanc yn teithio ar hyd ffyrdd geirwon y porthmyn i chwilio am waith ym Merthyr Tudful yn 1804 pan lwydda i gynorthwyo perchnogion y gwaith haearn i ddal lladron yn ystod taith ar injan stêm arloesol Richard Trevithick; i ddarllenwyr 8-12 oed.

Adventure and history come together in this story set in 1804 in a lightly disguised Merthyr during the hurlyburly of the Industrial Revolution. The reader is a bystander shown a world on the cusp between the rural and the industrial, where horse power is about to be superseded by the traction engine.

The straightforward, conventional plot presents orphaned, horse-loving Gwilym’s lonely and eventful trek along the Drover’s Road from country to town in search of work; lessons in life come thick and fast in a male dominated, harsh world where survival depends on quick thinking and lucky friendships. The resilient hero’s chance encounters lead to both good luck and bad, the novel gaining a roller coaster momentum – with dangerous travelling conditions, dubious characters, petty crime, fisticuffs and highwaymen – which eight to twelve year old readers, especially boys, will enjoy.

What makes this book memorable is the convincing portrayal of Iron Town and the inclusion of actual people and events; social and economic elements are honestly presented and made real through the main character’s experiences as we effortlessly learn about ways of life, living conditions, the industrial processes of iron production and its many uses, the rivalry of the iron masters and the revolutionary technological development of Cornishman Trevithick’s steam locomotive put through its paces at Penydarren.

Sceptical Gwilym initially thinks that ‘anyone who thought the newfangled contraption could draw ten tons of iron without the aid of horses must be stupid’ before wondering at the amazing machine ‘lit by flames’ and ‘breathing clouds of steam like a dragon’. Twenty-first century children will be intrigued by the transport changes and their effects whilst maybe still agreeing that ‘Nothing could beat horses, not even a dragon tamed into being an Iron Horse’.

M. Lorna Herbert Egan

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio’r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.