The Condor Stone - by Nick Smyth (Author House, £15.99).

A BEAUTIFUL girl, a sign with extraordinary powers and a force from the past that may have dramatic consequences in the future are the ingredients for Nick Smyth's supernatural tale The Condor Stone.

When an orphan from Cornwall falls in love, the event spells the beginnings of several cataclysmic events connected with a previous life she knows nothing of. Further on in her newfound relationship she becomes bewildered when her firstborn child develops extraordinary powers over birds, animals and other children. She later discovers a mysterious sign which she draws on a blackboard and ultimately has devastating effects on her family, as well as being discovered on an ancient gravestone by a university professor.

The young family is eventually forced to move from their quiet hometown and the professor uncovers a link with a legend from the distant past. Frightening visions and children with supernatural powers may stir visions of the edgier side of science fiction popularised on television in shows like Torchwood and Heroes, and Smyth's Cornwall backdrop gives this book a realistic grounding making this offering a real page turner.