What had been a dull green checked pattern now shone with an inner emerald glow. Dark green, light green, grids apparently backlit like thinly sliced greenstone, and all this on a background of golden green like new leaves. It was beautiful, and I handled it reverently as befitting the precious thing it was. ‘Fraser!’ Katherine’s voice was sharp with alarm. ‘Isn’t it lovely?’ I showed it to her, wanting her to see it, wanting her to understand its luminous loveliness. Her voice was angry. ‘No it isn’t, Fraser! It’s awful! It’s hideous! And it’s working on you!’... The Emerald Encyclopedia glowed with possibilities Fraser could not resist. But why did it promise so much, and then deliver so little? And why did each promise contain an increasingly sinister catch? Could Fraser resist the dark forces attempting to manipulate him, or would he betray everything he held most precious? Honour Award, Senior Fiction Category, AIM Children’s Book Awards, 1995. Also by James Norcliffe: The Carousel Experiment, The Chinese Interpreter, Letters to Dr Dee.