Martin Howard (Author), Chris Mould (Illustrator) - Alfie Fleet's Guide to the Universe - Blog Tour Book Review

Step this way people as the UNIVERSE is now open for business. This is the second installment in Martin Howard's brilliant Alfie Fleet's series and has been given the title Alfie Fleet's Guide to the Universe. It is guided superbly by Chris Mould's expertly produced black and white illustrations and maps showcasing the narrative. This book is out in all galactic bookshops especially on OUTLANDISH, WINGSPAN and other holiday hotspots destinations around the globe now. You don't have to wait to join and enjoy this amazing adventure, so pick up a copy now.

Back in business with the Unusual Cartography Club or the UCC to its members, Alfie and Professor Pewsley Bowell-Mouvemont and Derek are travelling to far-flung planets. They are in search of the best holiday destinations for us to visit and fleece us out of our hard-earned money. They'll make sure you buy a gift from the gift shop on the way out! But don't worry,  I hear they are doing a roaring trade in Chris Mould's model Sheds which are made out of smelly socks, bits of fluff and, the all-important, blunt pencils.

Whilst exploring the narrative, you can expect to bounce along at an average pace on Betsy the Moped.  In other parts of the universe, time might vary so check the reader's ability and how many hands they have. On the FLEET, Unsuality Scale is a whopping eight and a half - it definitely tick-tocks with fizz and many moments of fantasy craziness. I can guarantee that you'll enjoy the journey immensely whilst holding on to your trousers as you fight off a bunch of pirates in ladies' clothes.

The peril in this adventure is a high octane nine on the danger twonk scale as you find yourself part of a sword chopping adventure. However, this involves none other than green, bogey-eating monsters and grog-swigging seadogs. All mixed in with many BAD PIRATE jokes. The biography of the Chosen One will become an outer planet classic that exhumes a bad smell of language as the windup translator malfunctions. The ingenious creativeness is only as good as the great scum baskets in the plot which are both cheesy and smelly. Lots of trout-waggling maybe encountered to give the reader a sense of character whilst falling over a knobbly knee.

This is a book that readers will not be reluctant to read as they are driven through a fantasy narrative by aliens or a mouthful of fruit. The book has a satisfying crunch with a fantastic array of characters that could have their own spin-off movies. The language is definitely aimed at children with the introduction of many nonsense words. However, the only thing you'll need for protection is a suit of armour and lots of emotional support.

On this website, we rate all the books. We show you the best, not too bad, and never-go-there-in-a-million years. However, this book is one to definitely give a spin, or even place it in your sock drawer with Chris Moulds Model shed! You'll look to revisiting and rereading this book time after time. Thanks for reading - I'll see you on the next voyage.

Martin Howard - The Cosmic Atlas of Alfie Fleet - Blog Tour

Here we are on a cosmic adventure with Alfie Fleet and Professor Pewsley Bowell-Mouvemont. The OUTLANDISH blog tour arrives at Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books with an interesting Q&A interview that might just get your Bowells (Mouvement) going in the wrong direction. 

The book has been reviewed here if you fancy taking a quick look at it - Click Here. It will take you to another world! It's certainly not one to miss out on.

There's also an amazing opportunity to WIN your own copy of this brilliant book. All you need to do is send a tweet, write a Facebook comment or leave a message on the blog mentioning the words BRAINS-IN-JARS!

In the meantime, jump aboard Betsy the moped as we set off to INFINITY and BEYOND...


In The Cosmic Atlas of Alfie Fleet it says that there is a stone circle in the basement of Number Four, Wigless Square, that opens portals to different worlds. Is that true? 

Alfie: It sounds bonkers but it’s completely true. All stone circles have the same power. Up until now no one knew why Stonehenge was built thousands of years ago. When you understand that it was put there so tourists from other planets could visit Earth it all makes sense though.

Professor: That’s why there are stone circles all over the place, you see. Australia, America and all over Europe, of course. There are some very silly theories about them. Some archeologists think Stonehenge was used as a giant musical instrument, the idiots! The truth is that Earth was very popular with tourists back in the days before all the noise and pollution and celebrities. 

How many other worlds are there? 

Professor: Well, we have the co-ordinates for a few thousand, but there are plenty more to discover. Here at the Unusual Cartography Club we make maps of them and put the best ones in The Cosmic Atlas. This morning we’re off to … ahh … where are we going again this morning, Rupert?

Alfie: It’s Alfie, Professor. My name’s Alfie, remember? And we’re going to visit planet Earwax II. 

Professor: Oh yes, that’s right. Thank you, Rupert. Marvellous place, Earwax II. I discovered and named it myself you know, just after I discovered Earwax I. Couldn’t think of a decent name at the time and I do get a terrible waxy build-up in my ears, so … 

Alfie: We get the idea, Professor. 

Professor: It’s an interesting planet. Very pretty. Some lovely vistas and landscapes only slightly spoiled by the fact that the whole planet is overrun with giant gibbon things that try and pull your arms off. Luckily, we have Derek so giant gibbon things aren’t a problem for us. 

Alfie: Derek’s my best friend but she’s quite scary. 

Oh yes, Derek’s from a world you visited called Outlandish, isn’t she? 

Alfie: Yes, it’s all in the book. Her full name is Hunter-of-the-Vicious-Spiny-Dereko-Beast and she’s from a tribe called the Children of Skingrath. She was their Under-Sixteens Beating-People-Up Champion. 

Professor: Where is young Derek? 
Alfie: In her room, learning English. She’s learning from her favourite pop songs so she says ‘yeah yeah baby oh yeah’ a lot at the moment. It’s a bit weird, but we don’t mention it.

Professor: Derek is quite likely to pull your intestines out and wear them as a scarf if you say the wrong thing. 

What’s the best world you’ve visited? 

Alfie: I’m new at the UCC so I haven’t seen very many yet but I really loved Outlandish. Apart from all the horrible danger and people trying to kill me every five minutes I had a lot of fun there. Plus they have elves and actual magic. Proper, twinkly, finger-waggling, ka-boom magic, not just people in silly hats pulling rabbits out their sleeves. My mum likes a world called Blysss, which is a beach paradise world. The people there bead your hair as soon as you arrive and you’re forced to lay around in a sun-lounger all day drinking fruit cocktails with umbrellas in. 

Professor: Hmm, that’s a tricky question. I’ve seen hundreds of worlds since I joined the Unusual Cartography Club but I very much like a planet called Sminkey-Sminkey. 

Alfie: Is that one of the worlds where you’re worshipped as a god, Professor?

Professor: Yes, yes it is. The slugfolk of Sminkey-Sminkey always welcome me with open feelers, and they have an excellent Moustache Museum. The Temple of Bowell-Mouvemont is well worth a visit, too … 

And the worst world?

Alfie: The Professor discovered a world he named Maureen a few months ago. It’s just a big desert with sand lobsters and really boring.

Professor: Although it does have three suns, so it’s a good place to get a tan. I once got lost on a lost world called Lost. Had to eat moss and my own dandruff. Plus, the local people would shove me into a sack every week and throw me into a pond. I never did find out why. It wasn’t very pleasant though. 

Professor, you are the President of the Unusual Cartography Club. Can you tell us more about it? 

Professor: No one really knows exactly how old the UCC is, but its members have been mapping planets around the universe for at least ten thousand years. I joined in 1763, when I was just a young lad of fifteen. Of course it was all very different back then. Toffee was made from sheep bladders and there was a total eclipse of the sun that lasted thirty-eight years. Everyone dressed in leaves back then, and had a twitch in their left eye. Is it leaves, or leafs? I can never remember.” 

Alfie: Leaves. And none of those things happened on Earth. You’re thinking of another planet, Professor.” 

Professor: Am I? Which one? 

Alfie: I don’t know. I wasn’t born in 1763. 

Professor: Well that was silly of you. Those were good times. Happy days. Except for wearing leaves. Surprisingly, they’re not as comfy as they look.

Alfie: You’re supposed to be talking about the history of the Unusual Cartography Club. No one’s interested in wearing leaves. 

Professor: Hardly surprising. It’s the caterpillars, you know. They wriggle into your ears and that feels weird, though a few weeks later butterflies come flapping out. It’s quite lovely when that happens. 

Alfie: The UCC, Professor. 

Professor: Of course. Of course, of course, of course. Where was I? What am I talking about? Who am I?

Alfie: You’re fifteen and joining the Unusual Cartography Club.” 

Professor: Ah yes, so it was 1763, a very good year if you liked skin diseases and stepping in horse poo. Oh, we used to have a lot of horse poo back then. It’s very good for growing cucumbers … 

Alfie: Professor!

Professor: What? Eh? 
Perhaps a different question … What’s next for the Unusual Cartography Club? 
Alfie: Wait and see! The UCC has always been a secret society but we’re going to change all that and open it up to everyone.

Professor: It wasn’t really a secret society, you know. It’s just that people lost interest in stone circles. 

Alfie: It’s all about how you present the information. If you wander up to people in the street and tell them you just got back from a cheese-eating trip to Cheeseworld they just give you funny looks. But if you give them a glossy brochure offering three week holidays on the paradise planet of Blyssss for a very reasonable price … 

Professor: There’s a Cheeseworld? Why wasn’t I told? Really, Rupert, you know how much I enjoy cheese and I am President of the UCC. I should be informed if you’ve discovered a world of delicious cheeses. 

Alfie: It’s Alfie, and there’s not really a Cheeseworld. I just made it up as an example. 

Professor: And I’m feeling quite peckish. Forget Earwax II. Come along Rupert. Let’s be off. Cheeseworld awaits. Toot toot. Coming through. To infinity and behind … 

Dragging Alfie behind him, the Professor straps on a motorcycle helmet and strides away, bringing this interview to a close. The last thing we notice is that he squeaks when he walks, exactly as if he’s wearing a tight ladies’ corset under his clothes …

Do check out the other stops on the blog tour for more fun, frolics, and mayhem.

Also check out Martin Howard at the following places @MJHowardWrites on Twitter and visit his website: https://booksbymart.pub 

Thank you for reading and have a great adventure. 

Martin Howard (Author), Chris Mould (Illustrator) - The Cosmic Atlas of Alfie Fleet - Book Review

We are on the younger person's book trail with the latest installment by Martin Howard. The Cosmic Altlas of Alfie Fleet will be published with love on March 7th, 2019 by Oxford University Press. The book supports a cracking book cover with delightfully energetic black and white illustrations by local illustrator Chris Mould. The map of OUTLANDISH is very cool and I think I might just have to acquire it from his studio! However, I'll make sure I get a slow getaway on good old Betsy the moped. 

This is a fantastic book full of pure escapism and jolly wild capers. Hop on for the ride of your life at 5 miles an hour! Strap yourselves in and put on your crash helmet. Alfie Fleet's problems started when he was feeling very sad about not having any money. All Alfie wanted to do was give his loving mum a foot spa as she worked long hours on her feet at a fish market. Life could be so dull some times, however, this foot problem took him on an unbelievable adventure. All it took was one add in the local newspaper. HELP NEEDED due to a bad back.

Simple words that then catapult the dear reader into a mighty escapade that will pop all imaginary clogs before you even finish the book. You've been WARNED! 

The story takes the reader on a far-flung fantasy adventure filled with fun, FROLICS and rather copious amounts of humour. You will travel a whole universe full of wonders with a crazy old professor and his bristly moustache all aboard the trusty old moped. You'll have a giggle and a google (make sure you check the map first) at the places they visit. It's a book full of eccentric characters that will knock out your teeth or make you smile and then, of course, there is Derek. 

The book is brilliantly creative and will engage all readers regardless of age. It has so much to offer the reader in this original heartfelt story full of action, thrills, and plenty of spills. You'll meet deadly hoarding dragons, elves that want to be supermodels and crazy gods. 
  

The diary style ramblings are a slice of genius and give us an insight into how the main character thinks through the exploits and explorations that take part on the road to INFINITY.  This, for me, worked brilliantly and enhanced the wonderful illustrations which worked in harmony with the ongoing story. It's a very cool plot for the seasoned adventurer; a great pootle of a ride into a world and beyond. This is a fully recommended family read that will uplift your mood in seconds leaving you wanting so much more. Hopefully, to be delivered very soon...

Now, let's take an OUTLANDISH blog tour with the author. Check the banner below for all the visits and come and say BRAINS-IN-JARS. It might give you a chance to win your own copy of the book. You can also Tweet me on TWITTER or contact me via FACEBOOK. The blog tour starts on Tuesday with Book Lover Jo, so don't forget to check it out. 

Bored of the same old routine? 
Longing for a bit of adventure in your life? 
Love living life on the edge? 
Then join Alfie Fleet and discover a whole universe of wonders (and things that are not so wonderful too, but we won't go into that now). 
From giant sand lobsters on planet Maureen and the Twang Bears of Mumsy, to the eerie (yet oddly quite boring) brains in jars on Brains-in-Jars World - there's something for everyone. And if danger's your thing you won't want to miss Outlandish, with its gold-hoarding dragon, take-your-life-in-your-hands cuisine, and welcoming locals who'll fire lightning bolts at you. 
Thrills and adventure await, just hop on board the slightly old and rusty moped of infinity! 

Matt Haig Writes Christmas Book - A Boy Called Hope - Illustrated by Chris Mould

Canongate have acquired a splendid new children's book by Matt Haig. A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS tells the story of the early years of the world's most beloved hero. It is a gripping adventure set in eighteenth century Finland full of elves, reindeer, kidnapping and an eleven-year-old boy called Nikolas who isn't afraid to believe in magic.

'Father Christmas is the original super-hero. And Matt Haig, master of big hearted story-telling, is the perfect writer to bring his early years to life. In the utterly brilliant Chris Mould, Matt has found the perfect creative partner. I can see this book lighting up so many faces young and old this Christmas, and for many Christmases to come.'

A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS will be published in the UK in hardback on Nov 5th 2015. Canongate have paired Haig with British illustrator Chris Mould who has created over 60 illustrations which help tell this unforgettable story.

About Matt Haig: Suffered a breakdown in his early twenties. After battling depression for a long while he turned to writing. He now believes that reading and writing books saved his life, and believes that 'in a world trying to increasingly isolate us from our environment and our true selves, books are our route to freedom, and to each other'. . His novels include the bestsellers The Last Family in England, The Radleys and The Humans. His books have been translated into 30 languages. All his novels for adults have been optioned for film. He has also written novels for children, including Shadow Forest, To Be A Cat and the new YA novel Echo Boy. His next book is about his experience of depression, called Reasons To Stay Alive.

About Chris Mould: Was born in Bradford and has lived and worked there all his life. He began drawing at a very early age and hasn't stopped since. He trained in Art college for six years altogether starting in Dewsbury College and moving to Leeds, during which time he gained a joint honours degree in Graphic Design and Illustration.