Interview with Children's Illustrator: Maxine Lee-Mackie - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

Good morning and welcome to Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books. Today is the first of several interviews with some of the best children's book illustrators around. So I'm delighted to be able to introduce Liverpool Illustrator, Maxine Lee-Mackie, who has been ever so kind in answering some personal questions about her career, inspirations and what makes her tick in the art world. 

If you would like to find out even more about her other illustrations and work then you can find her being artistically messy at www.maxinelee.com 

Equally, she's on Instagram: @MaxineLeeMackie or why not visit her Etsy Store. She has wonderful prints and a very interesting graphic novel which I, myself, have just purchased called The Ghost in the Window. So there's plenty to check out if you are interested. I hope you all have a great day!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to become an illustrator?
I'm a children's illustrator from England, and I've been working on children's books since 2011. My sister and I were always given beautifully illustrated books as children, the kind of books that were otherworldly and special - the illustrations from those have always stayed with me. My mum is very creative and loves writing stories and poems, and my dad used to love drawing for us when we were small. I was always drawing as a child, but it was seeing my sister's pencil drawing from secondary school that really pushed home the idea that art is a real thing that people take seriously. I wanted to draw like that.

Can you tell us anything about any of the upcoming projects that you are working on at the moment?
I can tell you that I've just completed a giant bugs book which was very challenging - I love drawing bugs, but I don't much like looking at real ones doing their thing. Illustrating books like that requires lots of research, so I had to look at lots of bugs doing lots of things. At the moment I'm working on some fairytales from around the world featuring brave girls and women, a biographical book about a prolific storyteller who EVERYONE knows, and a book cover for a spooky follow-up.

What is the most unusual project you have worked on and why?
I work with international clients and sometimes stories are told in different ways depending on where you are from. Some of the stories I have worked on haven't always worked out with a happy ending - just recently, one ended up with me having to draw some bones at the end...that was strange.

What resources and techniques do you use and do you have a favourite you enjoy working with?
My favourite techniques all involve getting messy with my materials - black ink with sticks, cardboard, sponges, and anything else I can put my hands on, is the best. That said, when I'm working on work to be published, I work digitally. I do enjoy working on my computer, it opens up lots of ways to experiment and it makes me a bit faster so I can meet my deadlines, but I do like getting my hands dirty when I have more time.

What do you find rewarding as an illustrator?
I find it rewarding when I've solved a problem. I like coming up with unusual ways to show something that might seem boring. It's also really cool to receive the first copy of your book from your publisher!

What is your favorite book cover illustration/design and why?
I have so many of these! Today though, because it's on my desk, I can tell you why I love the cover for Issun Boshi, illustrated by Mayumi Otero. Everything about this book is beautiful. It has carefully chosen colours, very strong contrasts, and pure geometric shapes mixed in amongst organic shapes. In my personal work, contrast is the thing I'm always trying to capture. I can't always do this with client work, so I make as much experimental work as I can. It's kind of my hobby.



Who are your favourite illustrators and why?
I have so many! Brecht Evens is amazing and does lots of layering and translucent paint effects which are so delicate and powerful at the same time. Annette Marnat uses beautiful strong shapes with delicate textures and creates wonderlands that pull you on. I've just recently discovered Beatrice Blue and I'm struck by the layers of detail and light in her work.

                                   (Illustration by Annette Marnat)

Where should a person start if they want to pursue a career in illustration? 
Start with concentrating on what you want to do. Try lots of things out, build up a body of work that reflects who you are and what you want to do. Don't bend to fit the idea of what you think your illustrations should look like. Think of your illustrations like your voice - you can control it, you can imitate the sounds other people make, but in the end, only one sound feels natural. Work with that sound, and hone it. Once you've accepted this part of yourself, you'll feel a lot more confident in what you produce and it will be uniquely yours.

Asia MacKay - Killing It: Bad Guys Can Wait. Bedtime Can't - Blog Tour (Short Book Extract) (Adult Post)

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books are part of the blog 'road' tour for Asia Mackay's debut book "Killing It :Bad Guys Can Wait. Bedtime Can't". This was a runner-up in the Richard and Judy's Search for a Bestseller competition in 2017. Recently, it has been published by Zaffre (12 July 2018) and has since gathered momentum. 

This book depicts real-life parenting intertwined with being a covert government agent "MUM". It's a new breed of hero: clutching a nappy bag in one hand and the latest gadgets in the other. The plot is thrilling and is laced with witty adult humour, fast-paced action WHILST BEING very observant about everyday life. Here is a small extract to pique your interest in picking up a copy. 

Every working mum has had to face it.
The guilt-fuelled, anxiety-filled first day back in the office after maternity leave.
But this working mum is one of a kind.

Meet Alexis Tyler.
An elite covert agent within Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Her first project back is a high-stakes hit of global significance and the old boys network of government espionage is far from ready for the return of an operational mother. But woe betide anyone who ever tells Alexis Tyler 'you can't'.

She will have it all. Or she'll die trying . . .

Packed into a full eastbound commuter train, I deeply missed the VIP status of Transport for London’s tacky ‘Baby on Board’ badge. I stood rammed up against the doors and looked around the carriage. It was all dark clothes and solemn faces. The only splash of bright colour came from a woman in a party dress with panda eyes and bed hair. She kept tugging down at the short frayed hem as suited men watched her over the top of their newspapers. 

I had forgotten how miserable the morning commute was. I pulled out my phone and clicked on my ‘GigiCam’ app. Up popped a live feed of Gigi, now indulging in a strawberry yogurt facial. I stroked the screen. I missed her already. But having access to an arsenal of government-issue surveillance equipment was definitely helping. 

Thanks to motion-activated cameras hidden all over the house and the GPS tracker in the pram I could not only keep an eye on what Beata was pureeing for Gigi’s lunch, but track their movements all over Chiswick. I had also tasked Bryan in R & D to work on a prototype tiny camera that could be hidden inside Gigi’s amber teething necklace. He had been making good progress although he had warned it was unlikely the image quality would be the requested HD. To make up for this disappointment he had added a sound sensor notification to the app – if Gigi’s crying reached a certain decibel I would immediately get an alert to my phone allowing me to check the cause of her tears and assess Beata’s reaction to them. Hands-free parenting made easy. 

Gigi was currently staring transfixed at Beata, who was balancing a 
bright pink plastic cup on her head and wobbling around the kitchen with more grace than I expected from someone of her build. Gigi had thankfully taken to the no-nonsense mother-of-four immediately. My own confidence in Beata was undoubtedly helped by the office undertaking several exhaustive background checks, a month of surveillance and even arranging for a local agent to visit her small hometown in Eastern Poland. 

The cup fell from Beata’s head and Gigi squealed with laughter. 
The worries I had quietened, the tight knot in my chest loosened. Gigi was being well looked after, I was getting back to work, this is what I always wanted. To have it all. And, one day, it would prove to my daughter that she could, too. 
But hopefully with a job that didn’t involve quite so much bloodshed. 
I looked around the carriage and saw nothing but glazed eyes and stifled yawns. Not me. I felt more awake than I had been since I entered the baby haze of sleep-deprivation. I felt ready. Fully prepared for my first day back. Excited, even. I could do this. I was an Assassa-Mum. 

I definitely needed to work more on the name.

R. S Holt – Modern Magic Interview Questions for Mr Ripley’s Enchanted Books (Adult)

One of the most intriguing books for me this year has to be Modern Magic by R.S. Holt. The book was published by The Book Publishing Guild, which is a well-established independent book publishing company from Brighton. It has been publishing books for over 30 years. This particular book is aimed at an adult audience with good-old fashioned magic at the heart of the story. I wanted to find out more about the book before I purchased it, so I decided to ask the author some questions. Please find below the responses. I hope you enjoy the post as much as I did. 

Modern Magic is an adult fiction that follows a group of friends who live normal lives as shopkeepers by the New Forest and in Bloomsbury. The reader discovers that they also share secret lives of magic. Their charming, amusing and intellectually rich narratives take the reader through magical experiment exploration and daring adventure - raising some surprising emotional conclusions. The Stories of the Overbury Shops are three separate successive stories within one novel, following Pip, Geoffrey and Eleanor - each with their own narrator.


What element are you most proud of in this book? 

When writing Modern Magic I wanted to set out explanations for problems generally disregarded in fantasy writing; for example: we usually meet only male goblins; transformation into animals has a string of practical difficulties; curses must have a science of their own, which my characters deal with by modern methods; they rationally investigate bases of group magic such as whether nakedness is significant. I also wanted to demonstrate to myself that intelligent and mostly good characters can be interesting and sympathetic. 


How do you sum up Modern Magic: Stories of the Overbury Shops? 
I’d describe Modern Magic as contemporary realist plus fantasy. The founder of this work is Edith Nesbit as acknowledged by C.S. Lewis and others. 

Did you get any of your ideas for this book working as a museum curator? 
There are scenes in the book in the British Museum at night, but I just walked in the Museum to imagine these. My work as a museum curator was the basis for the ice skating in the book because I wrote an exhibition called Farewell Ice Rink when Richmond Ice Rink closed. Our exhibits included Torvill and Dean’s original Bolero costume, made in Richmond, and Robin Cousins’ Olympic costume worn for competition at Richmond. 


Tell us a little bit about yourself perhaps something not many people know?
One of my favourite pastimes is putting selected sea sand under a microscope and listing the shells I find, some babies of big species, and some that never get bigger, even living as parasites on bigger sea snails. I also find first stages or fragments of other sea creatures such as starfish, sea urchins, fish and crabs. The lists aid conservation mapping by the Conchological Society. But I do it because it’s beautiful, even just the sand grains in water under strong light. It’s entering another world. In my novel, Eleanor’s seaside holiday draws on this interest. 


Have you written any other books that have not been published? 
I’ve written a story of about a dozen short chapters which is narrated by Millie now aged thirteen (eleven/twelve in Modern Magic). I shall put it on a free author’s website when it’s been seen by my usual checking readers. I have many other stories planned, but unfortunately, I have other demanding projects for the next year or two.
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Huw Powell - The Pirate King (Spacejackers) - Book Review - Published by Bloomsbury Children's

The galaxy is at war and Jake Cutler is at the heart of it. With his friends and allies captured, it's up to teenage space pirate Jake to go into battle and take down the corrupt Interstellar Government once and for all. But in order to win this battle, Jake must find his father and confront secrets from his own past …


Prepare for blast-off with the explosive third book in the Spacejackers series – perfect for fans of Star Wars, pirates and space adventures of all shapes and sizes.

The Pirate King has been published today and, sadly, this is the last instalment of the Spacejackers series. This has been one of my favourite on-going series, but it has now come to a galactic supernova end. It has been a fantastic series, but the question everyone wants the answer to is: will we ever see Jake Cutler and the crew again? Well, you will have to buy the book and turn the pages as fast as a rocket launching to find out. So go on, what are you waiting for? This fabulous book is out now in all good bookshops across the galaxy.  

The third book follows on seamlessly from the second book 'The Lost Sword'. Jake finds himself searching for the answers about his father and whether he is alive or not. This leads him into interesting scenarios and dangerous situations. However, you'll have to read the book to find out more. 

Jake forms the group The Independent Alliance to unite the galaxies to fight the corrupt Interstellar Government. He leads the independent colonies into battle which results in a climatic battle that will fill your space boots full of swashbuckling capers.

From start to finish the story is brilliantly engaging. It has been injected with a gravitational pull that super-charges your imagination and will capture the mind of all readers regardless of age and gender. Any loose ends are neatly tied up by the end of the book to create a satisfying reading experience.

You could read this book as a standalone story but, if you do, then it should make you read the other books with gravitational force. It will fill you with humour and action battles as well as giving a massively explosive space opera. It has a great setting full of brilliantly executed, imaginative characters as well as a wonderful plot straight from a childhood dream. Will you be sucked into a black hole (or two!) or as a reader will you come out fighting fit? This is a fantastic series. In fact, it is one of the very best to keep your attention from the first book until the very last page of this book. MAGNIFTY!!!

Please keep an eye out for the interview with Huw Powell which explores The Pirate King (book 3) and his writing career. This will be available on Mr Ripley's Enchanted books website early next week.

Read an extract here: http://media.bloomsbury.com/rep/files/the-pirate-king-extract.pdf

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Guest Post - Iris by HP Wood - (Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet)

Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet by H.P. Wood is one of the best adult books that I've read in a very long time. I really would recommend it with my heart. If you would like to read my book review for it, then click the link Here. This guest post, by the author, is a really good insight as to how the book has evolved into the story that you will hopefully read. I hope this post inspires you to pick up a copy and give it a try. 

My book, MAGRUDER’S CURIOSITY CABINET, is set among the sideshow folk of 1900s Coney Island.  Consequently, it features many characters who were considered “oddities” at the time, but who we today would describe as “disabled.”

As someone born into a pretty typical body, I had a lot of thinking and listening and researching to do, in order to create believable characters whose lives were so different from my own.  The seed for all those characters can be traced back to someone I met more than 30 years ago.

I was just a kid—maybe 11 or 12? I’m not even sure now—and I’d gotten the opportunity to volunteer at a Special Olympics event.  (Special Olympics was founded in 1968 to provide athletic opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities.)  Each volunteer was paired with an athlete, and volunteers were charged with helping the athletes make their way from event to event, assisting them in whatever way they might need, and just generally being their buddies and personal cheering section. 

I still remember the pamphlet I filled out in order to volunteer.  So many smiling, joyful faces—people cheering, sharing snacks, putting medals on each other.  And hugging.  Lots and lots of hugging.  

I was the only child of a taciturn New England family.  I was down for some serious hugging.

So when the big day arrived, it was with much eagerness—and stored-up hugs—that I greeted my athlete.  Let’s call her Iris. 

Iris was not at all what I expected.  She was older than me, for one thing, which was not important in-and-of-itself, but the thing was: Iris seemed aware that she was older, in a way that I wasn’t prepared for.  Suddenly this notion of little me as Iris’s “helper” took on a weight I didn’t expect.  I felt embarrassed of myself in a way that I couldn’t begin to understand at the time.

Iris didn’t smile.  She didn’t seem to want to be friends.  And she didn’t want a helper.  

But she had trouble sorting out which event was next.  The little map we’d been given seemed mysterious to her.  Managing her sneakers and sweatshirt and backpack plus a water bottle and that damned map seemed insurmountable.  So she did need me.  But she didn’t want me.  And she sure as hell wasn’t going to hug me.

We trudged from event to event, mostly in awkward silence.  “Do you want to do X,” I would ask.  “Should we go see about Y?”  Iris would shrug and keep walking.  

All around us: cheering, laughing, the occasional skinned knee.  And hugging. Just like the brochure promised: lots and lots of hugging.  But not for me. 

At the end, I returned Iris and her participation medals to her kind-eyed parents.  “Congrats on your medals,” I said with as much enthusiasm as I could fake, “it was great hanging out with you.” 

“Sure,” Iris said down at her sneakers.  And that was it.

For a long time, I kept this story in my mental file of “Life’s Minor Disappointments.”  But decades later, when I started working on MAGRUDER’S, the memory of Iris returned to me.  And I realized that there’s a very different moral to that story than I’d realized when I was young.

Iris didn’t step out of some brochure.  She was a kid like me. In a certain sense, yes, she was unlike me. But she was a complete individual with moods and motivations just as complex as my own.

Maybe it angered her to be led around like a puppy by someone younger than herself.  Maybe she felt—even if she couldn’t express—humiliated or even enraged by the power dynamic between us.  Maybe the whole spectacle offended her: all these neurotypical kids bused in to see how the other half lives, patting each other on the back for being such good little volunteers.  Scooping up un-earned hugs like so many participation medals.

Or maybe the problem was simpler.  Perhaps she wasn’t feeling well that day, maybe she’d argued with her mother.  Heck, what if Iris just didn’t like sports?  I never liked sports—my school’s annual “field day” events were nightmares for me.  So why did I assume Iris liked sports?  

On the other hand, maybe she had a perfectly fine time, and she just wasn’t able to communicate as much.  I believe she let me take her hand at one point. To me, a poor substitute for a hug.  But it could have been the very best she had to offer.

The point is, Iris was a subject—her own subject.   She was not my object.  It was not her job to make me feel good, or to compensate for whatever hug deficit I might have been experiencing.  

Remembering Iris was just the beginning of the work I had to do in order to write MAGRUDER’S.  But holding her in my mind, revisiting those eyes that didn’t owe me a goddamned thing, was definitely the foundation of everything that followed.

To be clear, the disabled characters in my novel aren’t angry, necessarily.  I mean, sometimes they’re angry.  Sometimes they’re happy.  Sometimes they’re scared.  Sometimes they’re in love.  Sometimes they’re a little drunk.  

Just like the rest of us.  

About H.P. Wood: Is the granddaughter of a mad inventor and a sideshow magician. Instead of making things disappear, she makes books of all shapes and sizes. She has written or edited works on an array topics, including the history of the Internet, the future of human rights, and the total awesomeness of playing with sticks. She lives in Connecticut with a charming and patient husband, a daughter from whom she steals all her best ideas, and more cats than is strictly logical. You can find her at hpwood.net.

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New Survey Launched on Kindness Day Reveals London as the Kindest Region in Britain (Penguin Random House Children’s)

New survey launched on Kindness Day reveals London as the kindest region in Britain

 Friday, 10^th June 2016: A new national survey carried out by YouGov and released today by Penguin Random House Children’s UK and The Diana Award reveals over 63% of Londoners have received a random act of kindness from a stranger over the past 12 months, making it the kindest region in Britain. London, often considered one of the loneliest places to live in the UK, came out on top of other regions in research released today to mark Kindness Day. 

The survey, which was based on a representative sample of 2,060 adults in Great Britain between the ages of 18 and 55, shows that over the last twelve months, receiving a compliment (34%), directions when lost (20%), and strangers listening to problems (16%) were the most popular types of random act of kindness received by British adults.

A 'random act of kindness' was defined as a selfless and spontaneous act which one individual performs to a stranger, with the intention to help them in any way.

Kindness Day, now in its second year, was founded by Penguin Random House Children’s in partnership with The Diana Award in 2015. A nationwide campaign, Kindness Day encourages kindness in schools and was inspired by the internationally bestselling novel WONDER by R. J. Palacio, soon to be released by Lionsgate as a major film in April 2017 starring Julia Roberts. 

Author R. J. Palacio commented: ‘The idea of having one day where everyone can take time to think about kindness and celebrate those who are kind is truly inspiring. Over the last few years I have been blown away by readers’ reactions to WONDER. Auggie’s story has been life-changing, not only for me but for millions of adults and children around the world who understand this really isn’t just a book about a kid with a facial anomaly: it’s a celebration of kindness.’ 

To support Kindness Day, Penguin Random House Children’s and The Diana Award Anti-Bullying Campaign launched a social media campaign kindness trail (#KindnessDay) asking users to vote for

the UK’s kindest person, school and celebrity.  The winners are today announced as: Kindest person: Jackie Costello. Jackie is 48 years old from Hanley in London. Not a day goes by when she doesn’t demonstrate kindness, whether it’s taking elderly and vulnerable people out for the day or inspiring children in schools. 

• Kindest celebrity: Ed Sheeran. In March Ed Sheeran raised money for a number of charities near his hometown by donating his whole wardrobe, including outfits he took to the Grammy Awards, to be sold off for charity.

• Kindest school: Waddington Redwood Primary School in Lincoln. The whole school will be celebrating Kindness Day with various activities, including giving compliments and sending kindness cards.  The school has Diana Award Anti-bullying Ambassadors and playground buddies who support students and encourage kindness all year round.

Alex Holmes, Head of the Anti-Bullying Campaign, commented: ‘Whether you’re in a school, a workplace or out in the street- kindness is something we are all capable of. WONDER is an inspiring book that celebrates kindness and can help us realise that we can all do something to make someone’s day. We’re delighted to be shining a light on individuals and schools with our new Kindness Day Awards.  We hope they inspire everyone to choose kindness.’

The Diana Award has trained over 18,000 young people as Anti-Bullying Ambassadors who each day promote kindness throughout their school.   Supporters of Kindness Day include James McVey from the Vamps, Kodaline, Danny O’Carroll, and Jedward.

WONDER has been published as both an adult and children’s book and has sold in 38 territories across the world. It has sold almost 5 million copies worldwide and continues to be a #1 New York Times bestseller. This week Lionsgate announced the Wonder film will be released on 7^th April 2017, starring Julia Roberts and rising star Jacob Tremblay.

 Hollywood actress Julia Roberts said of the book: ‘I recently read WONDER, a young adult book that blew me away. I bought it for my eldest son, and ended up reading it myself. It gives you such a clear picture of people’s lives and misunderstandings… As a grown-up, I was reminded that there are ten sides to every story. But for a child, especially a boy, it’s nice to see different points of view.’

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: H. P. Wood - Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet - Adult Book Review

May 1904. Coney Island's newest amusement park, Dreamland, has just opened. Its many spectacles are expected to attract crowds by the thousands, paying back investors many times over.  

Kitty Hayward and her mother arrive by steamer from South Africa. When Kitty's mother takes ill, the hotel doctor sends Kitty to Manhattan to fetch some special medicine.  But when she returns, Kitty's mother has vanished. The desk clerk tells Kitty that she is at the wrong hotel.  The doctor says he's never seen her before, although Kitty notices he is unable to look her in the eye.

Alone in a strange country, Kitty meets the denizens of Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet. A relic of a darker, dirtier, era, Magruder's is home to a forlorn flea circus, a handful of disgruntled Unusuals, and a mad Uzbek scientist. Magruder's Unusuals take Kitty under their wing and resolve to find out what happened to her mother. 

But as a plague spreads, Coney Island is placed under quarantine.  The gang at Magruder's finds that a missing mother is the least of their problems, as the once-glamorous resort is abandoned to the freaks, anarchists, and madmen.

Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet is one big curiosity at the wrong end of Coney Island set around 1904. Opening the door only increases the likelihood that someone might actually come on in. However, only a fool like me would enter, but enter you should. Dust down those fantasy braincells and enter into the world that is breathtaking, amazing and very original.  

This is NOT a children's book even though the book cover might lead younger readers into believing that it is due to it's playful nature. However, this book has to be one of the best debut adult books that I have read for some time. The last book to make me feel like this was Erin Morgenstern's 'The Night Circus' which does have some similarities, in my opinion. Both books have a magical and mysterious setting that will absorb you slowly and intellectually into the story; they are written and researched very well. Attention to detail is a key for books like this - trying to get the period details as accurate as you can. Getting the mood of the time and making it feel "real" and "believable" enables the writer, in this case, to draw you into a chaotic and vibrant world that is unique, enchanting and very, very strange.

Once you start on this journey and turn the pages, the plot will certainly fly by. You will not only read this story you will actually inhale it, feel it and almost touch it. You will walk the Boardwalk in the footsteps of an eclectic mix of characters known as the Unusuals or "freaks of nature". These are biological rarities that were exhibited to shock you and sometimes deceive you. In this case, they will charm you like a prize rattlesnake in full flight. You get to feel and uncover all of the characters emotions and back stories - not just the main ones. It's gripping stuff! You start out with Zep as he unlocks the heavy oak door of Theopilus P. As a result of Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet, like all of the other characters, you will soon find yourself gravitating to this special place of intrigue, mystery and science. You will really not want to leave. 

This book pulls no literary punches and hides behind no fairground ride. It is a book of death, violence, corruption and certainly greed. The inhabitants of Coney Island face a deadly coughing strand of the plague, which brings a world of chaos, mayhem, destruction and a rather unpleasant death. It will have you engrossed until the very end of the narrative and beyond.

This is a very special read that you will not forget in a hurry. It's a rollercoaster of weirdness and the extreme bizarre. It's full of sadness, happiness, action, friendship, murder, mystery and romance. It's a fantastically colourful insight into a lost world; around every corner you will marvel at the craziness such as the flea circus, mad scientists, con artists and disgruntled characters. 

It is all in there as it has been lifted out of the author's amazing imagination and put before your very eyes. Some people may not get everything behind this book, as it's an acquired taste for sure. However it's an incredible read that I really loved, and I really hope that you will too. I only wish that I'd visited Coney Island on my recent NYC holiday. I would love to see H.P Wood write another story around this setting; the characters certainly deserve this, in my opinion, and so do I as the reader. This book is due to be published in the US by Sourcebooks in June 2016.

Graphic Novel/Comic Books on Mr Ripley's Reading Table - Jan/March 2015 Post

Secret Origins: Volume 1 Written and art by Various. Published by DC Comics. At last, the Secret Origins of the World's Greatest Heroes in The New 52 can be revealed! The beginnings of the most popular characters in the DC Universe are finally told here, in stories that fans have been clamoring for since September 2011. Included here are the origins of The Last Son of Krypton and Kara Zor-El, Supergirl, plus the first Robin, Dick Grayson. Written by a host of the industry's brightest talent including Jeff Lemire (Justice League United) Greg Pak (Batman/Superman) and Tony Bedard (Green Lantern Corps) with painted covers by Lee Bermejo (JOKER), this new series is a fantastic way to jump on with the DC Universe! Collects Secret Origins #1-4.

Secret Origins Volume 1  available from February 24th. 

The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures Written and art by Dave Stevens. Published by IDW Publishing. Cliff Secord, a down-on-his luck pilot, is always looking for ways to make a fast buck. Discovering a stolen rocket pack could be the one thing that will turn his fortunes around... but will it? What follows are government agents, German spies, deception, danger and adventure. This is the world of... The Rocketeer! All of Dave Stevens' original The Rocketeer comics collected in one book!

The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures is available in Paperback from March 10th.

Daniel Hartwell & Neil Cameron - The Pirates of Pangaea: Book 1 (The Phoenix Presents) The year is 1717. The newly discovered island of Pangaea is the most dangerous place on Earth, where dinosaurs still walk the land - Sophie Delacourt has been sent to Pangaea to stay with her uncle. But little does she know its perils - for Pangaea is a lawless wilderness, teeming with cut-throat pirates! Kidnapped and imprisoned, Sophie must escape from the ruthless Captain Brookes and embark upon an epic journey, to find her way home -

The Pirates of Pangaea: Book 1 is available in Paperback from 5th. February 2015 by David Fickling. 

Master Keaton by Naoki Urasawa published by Viz Media. 

Taichi Hiraga Keaton, the son of a Japanese zoologist and an English noblewoman, is an insurance investigator educated in archaeology and a former member of the SAS. When a life insurance policy worth one million pounds takes Master Keaton to the Dodecanese islands of Greece, what will he discover amidst his scuffles with bloodthirsty thieves and assassins?

Master Keaton is available in paperback Viz Media, Subs. of Shogakukan Inc (29 Jan. 2015)

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Young Adult/ Older Reader Book Picks - February 2015

Ari Marmell - Covenant's End: A Widdershins Adventure - Published by Pyr (3 Feb. 2015)

The thief Widdershins and her own "personal god," Olgun, return to their home city of Davillon after almost a year away. While Shins expects only to face the difficulty of making up with her friends, what she actually finds is far, far worse. Her nemesis, Lisette, has returned, and she is not alone. Lisette has made a dark pact with supernatural powers that have granted her abilities far greater than anything Widdershins and Olgun can match.

Together, Widdershins and Olgun will face enemies on both sides of the law, for Lisette's schemes have given her power in both Davillon's government and its underworld. For even a slim chance, Shins must call on both old friends--some of whom haven't yet forgiven her--and new allies. 

Even with their help, Widdershins may be required to make the hardest sacrifice of her life, if she is to rid Davillon--and herself--of Lisette once and for all.

Mark Stay - Robot Overlords - Published by Gollancz (12 Feb. 2015)

To find his father, one boy must defy an empire...

Three years ago, Earth was conquered by a force of robots from a distant world. They have one rule:

STAY IN YOUR HOMES

Step outside and you get one warning before you're vaporised by a massive robot Sentry, or a crawling Sniper, or a flying Drone. That's if the vast Cube doesn't incinerate you first.

But Sean Flynn is convinced that his father - an RAF pilot who fought in the war - is still alive. And when he and his gang figure out a way to break the robots' curfew, they begin an adventure that will pit them against the might of the ROBOT OVERLORDS.

This fast-paced, thrilling novelisation is based on the hit British film starring Sir Ben Kingsley (IRON MAN THREE), Gillian Anderson (THE X-FILES) and Callan McAuliffe (THE GREAT GATSBY). A perfect companion to the movie, it expands on the story with additional action, characters, and a special peek behind the scenes.

Melinda Salisbury - The Sin Eater's Daughter - Published by Scholastic (5 Feb. 2015)

Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she's engaged to the prince, Twylla isn't exactly a member of the court. She's the executioner. As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month she's taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla's fatal touch, avoids her company. But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he's able to look past Twylla's executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla's been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen. However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla's problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

V. E. Schwab - A Darker Shade of Magic - Published by Titan Books (27 Feb. 2015)

Most people only know one London; but what if there were several? Kell is one of the last Travelers magicians with a rare ability to travel between parallel Londons. There is Grey London, dirty and crowded and without magic, home to the mad king George III. There is Red London, where life and magic are revered. Then, White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. But once upon a time, there was Black London...

Holly Black - The Darkest Part of the Forest - Published by  Indigo (5 Feb. 2015)

 Near the little town of Fairfold, in the darkest part of the forest, lies a glass casket. Inside the casket lies a sleeping faerie prince that none can rouse. He's the most fascinating thing Hazel and her brother Ben have ever seen. They dream of waking him - but what happens when dreams come true? In the darkest part of the forest, you must be careful what you wish for...