Book Review: Chris Priestley - The Dead Men Stood Together - Bloomsbury

                                           

Chris Priestley delivers another cracking tale that will move both the spirit and soul through this offering. The book is short on page content, but massive on story content. The narrative rattles around your head like a deadly mist coming in from the sea. It's very bleak and atmospheric, but like all good stories it leaves you thinking. The traditional style is reminiscent of the good old yarns that have been told from generation to generation. In my opinion, this story will get better with age and time. 

I rattled through this book with a delicious appetite for the dark, and the somewhat macabre feeling, which is normally associated with a book written by Mr Priestley. As usual he did not let me down. Elements of this book really make you think, whilst the rest of the story washes over you. The characters take you on a gothic sea adventure that contain a modern day twist based on Coleridge's book 'The Rime Of the Ancient Mariner'. 

In a harbour town long ago, a boy is entranced by his uncle’s stories of adventure in lands far away. Ignoring the crazy talk of the harbour pilot’s son about the uncle being the Devil, the boy boards a ship with his uncle. But the uncle soon makes enemies of the captain and crew. 

A terrible silence followed the thud of a albatross hitting the deck. All heads turned to the sound and each face froze in horror at the sight the bird they had all come to love lying stretched out on the boards. 

I have to say that this was an epic part of the book - I really loved the way that these words pinged off my brain. My mind captured this scene in my head brilliantly.

This book is a compelling contemporary chiller that will not thaw when read. It is another fine example of Chris' great storytelling which doesn't necessarily seek a happy ending. In my opinion, not all stories should have or require one. I want the unexpected to happen and that is what was given yet again. It was such a pleasure to have this book on the reading pile. It's another read that I would recommend to everyone who loves a good spine-tingling adventure which has been painted in the very best way.......

This book is being published by Bloomsbury (hardback) on the 12th September 2013.

New Children's Fantasy Book Picks September 2013 - UK

                                     

Dawn Finch - Brotherhood of Shades - Published by Authonomy - 19, Sep 2013

From the chaos of Dissolution rises a secret order, a Brotherhood formed to protect the world of the living from the world of the dead.

Adam, a teenage boy living on the streets of London, knows nothing of the fantastic and precarious world that exists just beyond his reality – until he dies, cold and alone, aged 14. After years of rejection, Adam discovers he is important, and the Brotherhood needs him. His recruitment to their Order will take him on an adventure that spans the worlds of both the living and the dead, as he and a living girl (14-year-old Edie Freedom) battle to solve a prophetic riddle and save the world.

                                  

Gwenda Bond - The Woken Gods - Published by Strange Chemistry 3, Sep 2013 

Five years ago, the gods of ancient mythology awoke around the world.

This morning, Kyra Locke is late for school.
Seventeen-year-old Kyra lives in a transformed Washington, D.C., home to the embassies of divine pantheons and the mysterious Society of the Sun. But when rebellious Kyra encounters two trickster gods on her way back from school, one offering a threat and the other a warning, it turns out her life isn’t what it seems. She escapes with the aid of Osborne “Oz” Spencer, an intriguing Society field operative, only to discover that her scholar father has disappeared with a dangerous relic. The Society needs it, and they don’t care that she knows nothing about her father’s secrets.

Now Kyra must depend on her wits and the suspect help of scary gods, her estranged oracle mother, and, of course, Oz–whose first allegiance is to the Society. She has no choice if she’s going to recover the missing relic and save her father. And if she doesn’t? Well, that may just mean the end of the world as she knows it.

                                    

Justin Somper - Allies and Assassins - Published by Atom - 19, Sep 2013

They killed his brother. Now they're coming for him. . .

As the second prince of Archenfield, Jared never asked to be more than the spare. But behind the walls of the castle is a dark and dangerous court where murder and intrigue are never far below the surface.

Now his older brother is dead. The kingdom is his. And the target is on his back. Can he find the assassin before the assassin finds him?

                           

Jan Siegel - The Devil's Apprentice - Published by Ravenstone - 24, Sep 2013

The Devil is retiring... but who's taking over? When teenage Pen inherits the job of caretaker for a London building with no doors and only a secret entrance from the caretaker's lodge which she must never use little does she know it will lead her into unbelievable danger. For Azmordis, also known as Satan, a spirit as old as Time and as powerful as the Dark, Immortality is running out. In the house with no front door, a group of teenagers are trapped in assorted dimensions of myth and history, undergoing the trials that will shape them to step into his cloven footwear or destroy them. Assisted by only by an aspiring teenage chef called Gavin and Jinx, a young witch with more face-piercing than fae-power, Pen must try to stop the Devil's deadly game plan before it s too late.

New Children's Horror Book Picks September 2013 - UK

                                     

Chris Higson - The Fallen ( The Enemy) - Published by Puffin - 12, 2013

The Fallen by Charlie Higson is the fifth awesome book in The Enemy series.

First the sickness rotted the adults' minds. Then their bodies. Now they stalk the streets, hunting human flesh.

The Holloway crew are survivors. They've fought their way across London and made it to the Natural History Museum alive - just. But the fight will never end while the Enemy lives, unless there's another way. . .

The kids at the museum are looking for a cure. All they need are medical supplies. To get them means a journey down unknown roads. Roads where not only crazed, hungry sickos hide in the shadows.

SUDDENLY IT'S NOT SO CLEAR WHO - OR WHAT - THEY'RE FIGHTING.

                                   

Darren Shan - Zom-B Baby - Published by Simon & Schuster Childrens Books - 26, Sep 2013

How do you know if you're working for a lunatic? Where do you go when you've run out of people to trust? Have you ever heard an undead baby scream? B Smith is out of her comfort zone ...

                                     

                                 

Christopher Krovatin - Gravediggers: Mountain of Bones - Published by HarperCollins - 25, Sep 2013

When Ian, Kendra, and PJ are separated from their class on a school hiking trip in the mountains, the unthinkable happens: they come face-to-face with a legion of terrifying zombies. They don't know where they are. They don't know how to get home. They don't know what gruesome creatures lurk in the shadows-but when they find out, will they be able to defeat these monsters and escape the mountain together? Perfect for tween readers who are aging out of R.L. Stine's scary chapter book series, Gravediggers: Mountain of Bones is a mysterious, wild ride that will thrill readers to the very last page.

                                                         

Rick Yancey - The Final Descent (Monstrumologist) - Published by Simon & Schuster - 10, Sep  2013

Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop have encountered many horrors together—but can Will endure a monstrumological terror without his mentor? Will Henry has been through more that seems possible for a boy of fourteen. He’s been on the brink of death on more than one occasion, he has gazed into hell—and hell has stared back at him, and known his face. But through it all, Dr. Warthrop has been at his side.When Dr. 

Warthrop fears that Will’s loyalties may be shifting, he turns on Will with a fury, determined to reclaim his young apprentice’s devotion. And so Will must face one of the most horrific creatures of his monstrumology career—and he must face it alone.Over the course of one day, Will’s life—and Pellinor Warthrop’s destiny—will lie in balance. In the terrifying depths of the Monstrumarium, they will face a monster more terrible than any they could have imagined—and their fates will be decided.

                                                      

William Hussey - Haunted - Published by OUP Oxford - 5, Sep 2013

Milton Lake is a seemingly ordinary town, where tales of hauntings and strange goings on ripple beneath the surface. When a mysterious boy comes to town and moves into a large, derelict house, all alone, his arrival changes everything. Shrouded in secrecy, he senses a kindred spirit in Emma Rhodes, and reveals to her a shocking truth. Someone in Milton Lake is using the fabled Ghost Machine to call the spirits of the dead back to our world. 

Now it is up to these two lost souls to find out who is operating the strange invention before it is too late . . .
For call by call, the dead will be unleashed.

Neil Gaiman reveals the inspiration behind his new children's book FORTUNATELY THE MILK - Bloomsbury

Neil Gaiman reveals the inspiration behind his exciting new children’s book in this brand new video for Bloomsbury.

 See below a specially recorded message from Neil Gaiman.

Packed with globby green aliens, intergalactic dinosaur police, pirates and a

time-travelling dinosaur Fortunately, the Milk is Neil Gaiman’s silliest story yet.

Be swept along on an adventure that will have children of all ages (and lots of childish grown-ups)

laughing with glee as Dad tries to get the milk home...and possibly save the universe along the way.

Fortunately, the Milk is published by Bloomsbury in hardback, 17^th September 2013, £10:99

Press Release: COMPETITION TO MAKE NEW CHARLIE HIGSON BOOK TRAILER FOR - THE FALLEN

                                      

                   Competition launches to make official trailer for

                    Charlie Higson’s new zombie book, The Fallen

With Penguin Books and the BFI

www.the-enemy.co.uk

Penguin Books have joined with the BFI (British Film Institute) to launch a unique film making competition ahead of the release of The Fallen, the fifth book in Charlie Higson’s best-selling zombie series, The Enemy.

Open to anyone of any age - whether they are fans of the books, budding film makers, or just huge zombie fans - the competition offers the chance to make the official trailer for The Fallen, published on 12 September 2013.

Previous trailers for the series have had more than 100,000 combined viewings on YouTube and Charlie Higson has played a pivotal role in each of them.  He starred in the first and wrote and directed the latest trailer which was the publisher’s most ambitious trailer for a book ever.

Charlie Higson launches the competition with a twitter Q&A today, 22 May 2013, at 8pm BST.  The deadline for entries is midnight on Friday 23 August.

There are three categories in the competition: under 16s, 16-24s and 25 year-olds and over.    Charlie Higson will choose a winner from each category alongside a judging panel from Penguin Books and the BFI.   An overall winner will be chosen as the official trailer for The Fallen, and will be announced by Charlie at a Future Film event inspired by the BFI’s forthcoming Gothic season at BFI Southbank on Saturday 7 September.

The overall winner will become the official trailer, but there will be prizes for all winning entries.  The 16 – 24s winner wins a mentoring experience with IdeasTap and the winner of the over 25s category will have the chance to speak to industry specialists at the BFI Film Fund.  Each category winner will get £350 vouchers for film making equipment, BFI Membership, signed copies of The Enemy series and a ticket to the BFI Future Film event on 7 September.

Charlie Higson comments, “We want you to make the trailer for The Fallen.  It doesn’t matter how you make it or what equipment you’ve got, whether you’ve got a 3D 35 mm camera or just your phone.  What we’re looking for is great ideas, imagination, loads of atmosphere and plenty of gore.  The winning film will become the official trailer for my next book which means it will be seen by thousands of people all over the world.  Not just that, there will be money can’t buy prizes for the runners up.  If you’ve ever dreamed of making your own zombie movie, now is your chance.”

The BFI comments, “This competition offers aspiring filmmakers of all ages a great opportunity to practice working to a brief and the BFI is thrilled to be able to help provide some of the prizes on offer from BFI Membership to invaluable career advice from the BFI Film Fund”

The Enemy series is set in a post-apocalyptic London after a mystery illness attacks everyone over the age of fourteen.  Some survive, but those that do face a more terrifying fate – they turn into hideous zombies with an insatiable appetite for human flesh. Children form gangs and attempt to survive in an unrecognisable world where there are dangers around every corner.

Further details including information on how to enter and a brief story arc to be used as a narrative guideline, can be found at www.the-enemy.co.uk.   

The Fallen is published by Penguin Books on 12 September 2013 at £12.99