It’s October 1922, and fourteen-year old Danny Hawthorne is determined to uncover the truth about the Yeti. During a family horseback trip through the Himalaya foothills of Nepal, Danny and his younger sister Rachel are isolated by an accident in a remote valley.
Here they encounter tall strangers in animal-skin clothing who are neither ape-like nor quite human. Are these creatures responsible for the legend? The children are escorted to an ancient, uncharted city, and invited to stay for a few days. They watch a horseback competition, learn archery, and even teach local youths to play football. Communication is possible thanks to the creatures’ telepathic skills, which begin to rub off on the children.
Every century, this community entrusts a few, select humans with far-reaching secrets, and the two are now given the opportunity. Danny and Rachel’s departure for home is delayed when an old, inter-clan feud erupts, and again when winter storms arrive early. Meanwhile, their parents organise search parties to find the missing children. The city is spotted by plane, and Nepali forces prepare to move in after the first thaw. However, Danny and Rachel are sympathetic toward their hosts, and must devise a way to preserve the lost civilisation, while also ensuring a Hawthorne family reunion.
A unique children’s book, City of the Yeti is a fantasy novel aimed at readers aged 10 and upwards. Set in the evocative and mysterious mountains of Nepal in the 1920s, this book takes a refreshingly different and compassionate look at the Yeti, and the consequences of human encroachment on their territory.
