When Christopher Columbus-wannabe Rupert Lilywhite decides to set sail and discover a new land - it's all the rage in the fifteenth century - Walter Bailey and his twelve-year-old nephew Hugo are employed as the ship's mapmakers. And when the sailors do eventually spot a mystery island, it is Walter and Hugo who are dispatched to investigate (nobody else can be bothered).
Arriving on a beach of purple sand, the intrepid pair believe that they have found paradise . . . until Walter is picked off by a giant flying rat. But with the help of some weird and wonderful talking creatures, including Pigasus the flutterhog, Delphina the water-breathing merphin and Savage, the tiny but fearless mouse, Hugo is given a chance to save his uncle and put his mapmaking training to the test.
According to his file Rob Stevens lives in Dorset with his wife and two young sons. He studied at Cambridge University – a notorious MI6 recruiting ground. Government documents list his occupation as `Airline Pilot’, which would be the perfect cover for a Secret Agent.