This isn't just a book about fishing, although that is the thread that stitches everything together. The span is broad, and the book reflects what we see but sometimes fail to recognize. The changing of the seasons; the constant battle for survival – both animal and human survival; the many and varied characters and personalities we encounter in our lives, and who inevitably mould us into who we eventually become. But there always are the fish –Small fish; to enchant a young boy with his first encounter.Big fish; that bring smiles and adulation to the most seasoned of anglers. And the fish of dreams – those mythical creatures that exist on the periphery of vision, and hope; legends that are tantalisingly out of reach, but if you could just stretch that little bit further…All the characters, above and below the water line, face major changes and, as Old Ted is all too well aware, only the strong will survive.Young Smiffy has to learn to adjust to life in the country, after having spent his first dozen years in the confines of boarding schools or his parents' Chelsea home. But maybe an equally young Neil (Posh) Becks can help with that adjustment, and show Smiffy the wonders that Mother Nature has laid before them.Stan strides from the acclaimed prequel 'The Myth' into 'The Keeper' full of confidence, but his world is soon tipped upside down and he, has to re-adjust and re-learn if he is to move forward. Fortunately, his old buddies, Rhodie, Sid and Buzz are on hand to assist, if only to ensure that their future is secured as well.Then there's Old Ted. His is the wisdom of the trees, the knowledge of a true countryman. His history is mysterious, and its memory both grieves and soothes him, but his goal is simple – to ensure that everyone survives. But, as he knows too well, that outcome is never quite certain.Illustrated with a small number of Suzanne Lane's wonderful illustrations … Welcome to the world of Old Ted – The Keeper.'A truly fantastic, exhilarating read. Every time I picked it up it excited me and touched a place in my own adventurous heart. I could relate to it on just about every level, if only the world we lived in were more like this, it's there, but most don't see it.' - Carl Bullock.
