Book Review: Attack of the Giant Robot Chickens - By Alex McCall #GiantRobotChickens

This book will surely scramble your brain! The vision that you can see on the front cover is eggs-actly the same vision that is laid out within the story. I love this book cover - it's chicken fantastic in high definition glory A former winner of the fantastic Kelpies prize, this book has delivered a caper that will get you eggs-cited if you dare to read it. If not, then you are, in my opinion, a chicken.

The plot is hysterical and so much fun to read; it left me with a smile on my face and certainly brightened up my week. I really would love to see more outrageous offerings like this in future from other authors. There just aren't enough opportunities in stories for the exploration of humour set within a well imagined world.

This is a brilliantly written family-action read - who could not like this subject matter? Giant laser shooting robots with beaks that can peck through concrete as well as laying eggs-plosive eggs. These chickens are threatening to rule the roost and take control of the world. The streets are empty, the adults have vanished and the children of Aberdeen are running clucking scared. It's no fun living in a chicken apocalypse. It's a yolk of a predicament to find yourself being terrorised by domestic giant robot fowl. Jesse and his friends hatch a plot to stop these chicken fiends and take back their city.

There is an omelette mixture of many things going on here. The story is full of timely action but not everything goes eggs-actly to plan. The plot is very engaging for both younger and older audiences. In my opinion, this is very well written for a debut published book. It's zany, fun and full of many laugh-out-loud moments to keep you on your claws.

This is one of the best chick flick books that I've read. At least this is what I would describe as a chick flick read to be enjoyed. It is cool, easy to read and will transport you to a world of pure fantasy. Colonel Sanders would relish reading this adventure. He would be licking his fingers as he rampaged through the story feeding his appetite. I think he would describe this as 'finger-licking good'.  I think you'll find yourself hungry for more.... are there any sides to go with this?

This book is out now to buy in a chicken coop near you....

Published by Kelpies on the 20th February 2014.

Alex McCall - Attack of the Giant Robot Chickens - Book Trailer - Kelpies - Published Today

Why did the chicken cross the road? TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!! The city of Aberdeen is being terrorised by giant robot chickens who want to peck out every last sign of human resistance. The streets are empty, the adults have vanished - and those left behind are fighting for survival. Jesse and his friends are desperate to save their families and stop the feathered fiends. They hatch a master plan ...but can a gang of kids REALLY defeat an army of angry robot chickens? A hilarious, weird and wonderful adventure from a cracking new author.

Guest Post: Howard Sargent - The Forgotten War - Book Guild Publishing 2014

It would have been around 1972 when I was six or seven that, whilst visiting my auntie’s house I first spotted a book that intrigued me. It was called “Watership Down and had a picture of a rabbit on the cover. I “borrowed” it and spent the ensuing years reading and re-reading it so much the cover fell off. Then, about three years later my father, fed up with seeing this book constantly in my hand bought me a much larger book to replace it. Inevitably it was called “The Lord of the Rings” and I ended up reading and re-reading it until its cover too finally fell off. They were probably the two most formative books of my childhood so that when my sister, back in July 2011 challenged me to write something for her their influence was never far away. I tend to believe that, as individuals, we are influenced by everything we see or hear, consciously or otherwise but I would have to acknowledge other debts to the films “Dragonslayer” and the 1971 version of “Macbeth”. 

Both are rather flawed films but the former has the best pre (and maybe post) CGI dragon I have seen an cinema whilst the latter has bags of brooding atmosphere and castle courtyards full of mud and farm animals, all images I had in mind as I was writing. Finally I have to acknowledge a debt to the PC game “Dragon Age; Origins”, a great game in itself it gave the player the opportunity to start with one of several different types of backgrounds before entering the main quest line. It was this that gave me the idea of how to start my own attempt at a novel. What if, I thought, instead of having a single protagonist I had about three or four? If I were to create a world from scratch it would afford great opportunities to create something a little more multi layered than the conventional fantasy world. 

As for the over-arching concept I remembered watching sometime in the eighties a news report on the civil war in Mozambique. It was a war sponsored by apartheid South Africa, a war waged to destabilise a neighbour, one not driven by ideology or revolution, just a nasty little war barely regarded by most of the western world. So that gave me the title at least. Initially it was written as three separate stories with a fourth added later because there was one scene I wanted to include that would not have fitted in elsewhere. It was not until the book was actually finished that I went back and combined these stories and split them into chapters, it was not until about chapter 15 in the final book that I started writing it as one continuous novel. I tried to write at least a thousand words a day it taking me 3-4 weeks to complete a section of 30-40,000 words that I then emailed off to my sister. When I was stuck, I would leave it for a day or too, eventually the way forward would come to me, usually at 2 or 3 in the morning after a typically restless night. 

My record for a day was 10,000 words, a key chapter and one I wrote without letting up pretty much from dawn till dusk. And now it is finally in print. I have no great ambitions as a writer and genuinely would be happier if just 20 people read the book and enjoyed it rather than 20,000 read it with 19,990 hating it. It was fun to do and very fulfilling, which is probably the most important thing of all.   

Published by Book Guild Publishing to order your copy here: link http://www.bookguild.co.uk/the-forgotten-war-pr-1422.html

Also find him on Twitter: @howardjsargent 

Guest Post: Claire McFall - Bombmaker - Published by Templar Publishing

I don’t get much in the way of post.  A few bills, some junk mail.  Dentist appointments.  But the other day I came home from work to something very exciting: that little red postcard from the Royal Mail telling me there was something for me that was so awesome, it wouldn’t fit in my mailbox.  

Instead, it was in the bin.

Don’t panic.  I don’t have a renegade postie intent on destroying my only cool piece of mail in, oh, about six months.  This is the standing arrangement we have: my dog won’t kill him; he leaves my packages in the blue bin in the garden so I don’t have to trudge to the Post Office.  He keeps his fingers; I don’t have to walk through the rain.  And let’s face it, lately there’s been a LOT of rain.

I love the feel of new books.  The smell.  It almost feels like sacrilege to break the spines.  What was even more like sacrilege was having to turn right around and give some of them away.  I mean, family can buy their own, right?  

I’m so excited that Bombmaker is finally being released.  It just might be my favourite thing that I’ve ever written.  And, though I didn’t intend it, what with all the referendum hoohah (technical term) going on at the moment, it’s – accidentally – topical.  

So what’s the book about?  Well, Bombmaker is set in a near-future Britain where the recession has gotten worse, not better, and we’re all, for want of a better word, broke.  The powers that be in Westminster decide that it would be much better to keep the little money left where it matters, and cut off Northern Ireland, Wales and – yup, you’ve guessed it – Scotland.  

They build big barriers that would put the Berlin Wall to shame and declare a new law: anyone caught in England from the Celtic nations without a visa will be tattooed.  A Celtic knot on the cheek, where it’s impossible to hide.  Come back with a tattoo… and you’re shot.  No trial, no mercy.  

Independent Scotland in Bombmaker is a mess: no jobs, no money, no government.  No nothing.  The main character, Lizzie, is a Scot.  And she’s been tattooed already – caught squatting in an alleyway in London by the Government Enforcers – a special branch of the police armed to the teeth and faced with the task of getting us pesky Celts back to our rainy nations where we belong.  

Only there’s no future for Lizzie in Scotland, and she knows it.  Hitching her way to London, she struggles to survive in the new ‘Big Brother’ England.  On the night that should be her last, she avoids death by aligning herself with Alexander, a gangster, a Welshman, and a very, very scary man.  From that point on, he owns her – body and soul.  She becomes his “bombmaker”, with a talent for sneaking into places and an affinity for the circuitry of things that go BOOM.  

Bombmaker hit the shops on February 1^st.  It’s my second novel (I have books, how cool is that?), 

but it’s nothing like Ferryman.  Ferryman is about the afterlife.  It’s about coming of age, dealing with death, falling in love.  Bombmaker is very, very different.  And I hope fans of the first book are okay with that. It’s much darker, more action-y.  It’s about terrorism, survival, knowing who to trust… There are gangsters and drugs and life-or-death chases.  I love it.  What I’m really hoping – and what I’m anxiously waiting to find out – is whether readers love it to.  

So let me know!  Come find me:

Contact:

Web:www.clairemcfall.co.uk

Twitter: @mcfall_claire

Blog:http://clairemcfall.blogspot.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Claire-McFall/115270711870509?ref=hl

Events: Jorvik Viking Festival Meets Francesca Simon - The Lost Gods - Merchant Adventurers’ Hall York

                             

When gods become celebrities at JORVIK Viking Festival VIKING FESTIVAL

'The Lost Gods' with Francesca Simon -

19 February 2014 at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, York

What happens when Norse gods decide to become celebrities? A new book by children’s author Francesca Simon, creator of ‘Horrid Henry’, explores this very subject, as visitors to JORVIK Viking Festival’s mid-week ‘Meet-the-author’ event will find out on Wednesday 19 February at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall.

‘The Lost Gods’ is the sequel to her 2011 book ‘The Sleeping Army’, which re imagined a world in which Norse mythology had been adopted as the primary religion in England. In the second book, with their popularity waning, Odin, Thor and the crew decide to jump on board the celebrity bandwagon, with hilarious consequences.

On Wednesday 19 February, children have the chance to meet the best-selling author as part of the JORVIK Viking Festival, ask questions about the Norse-inspired world she created and have their books signed.

Francesca’s talk is just one of the literary-themed events taking place as part of the 30th annual JORVIK Viking Festival. On Thursday 20 February, St Helen’s Church in York becomes the setting for an atmospheric retelling of Beowulf. Peter Carrington-Porter presents a modern adaptation of the historic poem about Norse monsters and myths, continuing the Viking tradition of storytelling in a space lit entirely by candles.

Author Joanne Harris will also be hosting a Norse-mythology themed event as part of the Festival, talking about her book “The Gospel of Loki” on Sunday 16 February at York Mansion House.

Prebooking is strongly advised for all events, as places are limited. Tickets are available online via the Festival website (www.jorvik-viking-festival.co.uk). The Lost Gods takes place at 2.30pm on 19 February at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, with tickets priced at just £5.00 per person. Beowulf by Candlelight is hosted at St Helen’s Church at 4.00pm and 7.30pm on Thursday 20 February. Tickets are £7.00 for adults, £5.00 for concessions and £4.00 for children. The Gospel of Loki takes place at York Mansion House at 2pm on Sunday 16 February. Tickets are £7.00 per person.

Tickets are also available for the JORVIK Viking Festival’s grand finale event at the Eye of York on Saturday 22 February. Gates open at 6.00pm, with entertainment from 6.45pm, including thrilling live battle action, sound and light effects with stunning pyrotechnics. Tickets are prices at £12.00 for adults or £9.50 for concessions, with a family ticket (up to four people) for £36.00.

More information and tickets are available online at www.jorvik-viking-festival.co.uk, or telephone bookings can be made by calling 01904 615505.

Book Review: John Mcnally - Infinity Drake - The Sons Of Scarlatti - HarperCollins

                    

This is a very big debut book for 2014 which will go down a storm with the 8-12 year age group. It is a story that boys will definitely love and a book that girls will be intrigued to read. I have to say that I was definitely looking forward to reading this book. Fortunately I received a speedy review copy from the publisher. Many thanks for sending this to me and enabling me to have such a fantastic January reading experience. 

This is a big adventure involving a really small hero, 9mm tall to be precise, who is called Infinity Drake (aka Finn). He is every inch a hero with a really big heart. I like to compare this book with 'The Borrowers' meets 'Arthur and the Invisibles'. In my opinion, this is the biggest family read for years which is fast-paced, smart and also slightly zany e.g. Finn's psycho-knitting Grandma!

Finn is off on holiday with his mad-scientist uncle, when they are summoned to a crisis meeting. This leads to a madcap plot that will have you hooked to the point of no return. Meanwhile Scarlatti, which is a lethal bio-weapon and an ϋber-wasp killing machine, adds a dash of dark horror and some fantastic reading moments. Released by a pitiless villain which soon results in incalculable consequences for mankind. 

Fortunately Uncle Al comes to the rescue and shrinks a military team to be able to track down and kill the beast. However disaster soon strikes – sabotage! Finn has to jump in a tiny Apache helicopter with three soldiers in a desperate race to destroy the beast that's out there, which is very angry and many times their size…

This book was very infectious to read. It is full of explosive action with many crazy elements threaded through the storyline. Whilst still retaining humour to captivate the audience which adds another dimension. This is a huge cake wedge of fantasy immersed in layers of biology and science fiction themes with an oozing filling of serious action. Bugs on a large scale, people on a small scale and the world waiting to be saved from global destruction. Can they do it? Will they do it? You'll have to find out.

Mr Ripley's New Children's/Teens Books Published February 2014 - Post One

                       

            

Diana Wynne Jones - The Islands of Chaldea - Published by HarperCollins Children's Books (27 Feb 2014)

Aileen was supposed to grow up magical – just like the other women in her family. Unfortunately, she’s just found out that the magic seems to have skipped a generation… but that’s not her biggest problem right now.

In her world, there are four Islands of Chaldea. The largest and most magical island has been cut off from the other three for decades – and is slowly draining the magic from them.

But now a prophecy has come to light. Someone from Aileen’s island will gather a man from each of the three islands, bring down the magical barrier, and unite them with the fourth island again. And according to the king, that someone is Aileen’s Aunt – who insists on dragging Aileen along. AND the boy Aileen is sure she’ll marry (one day); AND the local boy with more brawn then brain. Someone seems to want to stop them too… someone with an interest in keeping the Islands apart. But still, with magic on their side, nothing can go wrong.
Right?

                         

           

Seth Fishman - The Well's End - Published by Putnam Publishing Group (25 Feb 2014)
A deadly virus and an impossible discovery unite in one enthralling can’t-miss read... 
Sixteen-year-old Mia Kish has always been afraid of the dark. After all, she’s baby Mia, the one who fell down a well. That was years ago, though the darkness still haunts her. But when her classmates and teachers at ritzy Westbrook Academy start dying of old age from a bizarre and frightening virus that ages its victims years in a matter of hours, Mia becomes haunted by a lot more than the dark. Their deaths are gruesome and Mia worries she and her friends may be next. In order to survive, Mia and her small crew must break quarantine and outrun armed soldiers in hazmat suits who shoot first and ask questions later.

And there’s only one place to go—the Cave, aka Fenton Electronics. Mia knows it’s somehow connected and hopes her dad, Director of Fenton Electronics, who has always been strangely secretive about his work, has the answers she needs, and more importantly a cure to save everyone before the whole town succumbs to the mysterious virus. Unfortunately, it’s not answers Mia discovers, but something far more treacherous and impossible than even the virus itself. 
                                         

Tom Hoyle - Thirteen - Published by Macmillan Children's Books (13 Feb 2014)
Born at midnight in London, on the stroke of the new millennium, Adam is the target of a cult that believes boys born on this date must die before the end of their thirteenth year. Twelve boys have been killed so far. Coron, the crazy cult leader, will stop at nothing to bring in his new kingdom. And now he is planning a bombing spectacular across London to celebrate the sacrifice of his final victim: Adam.

                                            

Tiffany Trent - The Tinker King - Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (1 Feb 2014)
After Vespa, Syrus and Bayne defeated the Grue and restored order to their world, they thought their future was secure. Empress Olivia, committed to peace and equality for humans and Elementals alike, was a fair and just ruler. And the Creeping Waste had vanished for good, giving them hope for the first time.

But rebellion is brewing in the far-off city of Scientia, and dark Elementals are plotting war in the ruins of New London. When a wave of unimaginable terror threatens to destroy everything in its path, Vespa, Syrus and their friends are plunged into a new swamp of intrigue, deception and magic---and the cost of survival may be more than any of them are willing to pa