Book Review: Angie Sage - TodHunter Moon: PathFinder - Book One (Septimus Heap)

I've decided to review the US copy of TodHunter Moon:Pathfinder by Angie Sage. You can see by the above front cover that it is inkeeping with the previous books. It is lavishly illustrated with brilliant pencil drawings by the talented Mark Zug - you can see some of these in the book trailer below. In comparison, the UK copy IS VERY disappointing, in my opinion, as it is published without the drawings and the book cover does not reflect the story inside. Perhaps the book publishers wanted a totally different look in order to gain a greater adult audience, but I'm not too sure. 

PathFinder is the first book in this series and begins 7 years after Fyre ends. In my opinion there isn't really a need to read the previous books first. However, if you haven't already read these then I would really recommend them as they too are equally fantastic. Though new fans will welcome this new adventure which introduces three different characters; Alice TodHunter Moon (Tod) and her best friends, Ferdie and Oskar Sarn, the book still features most of the well-loved characters that have graced the previous books.  

The series will be a trilogy and will span a short period of time. In fact, as long as it takes to recover the stolen Egg of the Great Orm. Although a mountain of magic spells may be required to achieve this. This new story is very imaginative and light-hearted; the author has a great ability to throw your imagination straight into a fantasy place and time of her choosing. It's another great slice of family fun, which I absolutely loved. The new characters really fit in well and the flow of the story is just about perfect. The climatic ending is funny, action packed and slightly bizarre, but brilliantly written.  

This is another great read by Angie Sage which is brimming with magical power. Every page will put a spell on you as you find your way through this fantastic adventure. Adult or child, male or female, you will definitely enjoy this book at your own reading pace. Mr Ripley's Recommended Read - the power is in the story. 

From the Back Cover

When Alice TodHunter Moon was five years old, she saw a beautiful golden Dragon Boat fly over her PathFinder village. She knew at once that the boat was Magykal. That was years ago, before her mother died, her father disappeared at sea, and the Garmin took her best friend, Ferdie.

Now it's up to Tod and Ferdie's brother Oskar to rescue Ferdie from the Garmins' keeper, the malevolent Lady. Their journey takes them to the Castle, where they receive help from ExtraOrdinary Wizard Septimus Heap and ex–ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand.

But the Lady's brother, the Darke sorcerer Oraton-Marr, has a plan that will put everyone Tod holds dear in danger. To save her people, Tod must embrace her identity as a PathFinder and navigate the Ancient Ways, mysterious Magykal paths leading to unfamiliar—and sometimes dangerous—lands.

Taking place seven years after the story arc of the original bestselling Septimus Heap series, PathFinder celebrates the joy of discovering one's own personal Magyk and of choosing the path that lets that Magyk flourish and grow.

Published by Katherine Tegen Books (October 14, 2014)

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: US Published Recommended Read October 2014 - Ben Tripp - The Accidental Highwayman: Being the Tale of Kit Bristol, His Horse Midnight, a Mysterious Princess, and Sundry Magical Persons Besides

The Accidental Highwayman is the first swashbuckling adventure for young adults by talented author and illustrator, Ben Tripp. This thrilling tale of dark magic and true love is the perfect story for fans of William Goldman’s The Princess Bride.

In eighteenth-century England, young Christopher “Kit” Bristol is the unwitting servant of notorious highwayman Whistling Jack. One dark night, Kit finds his master bleeding from a mortal wound, dons the man’s riding cloak to seek help, and changes the course of his life forever. Mistaken for Whistling Jack and on the run from redcoats, Kit is catapulted into a world of magic and wonders he thought the stuff of fairy tales.

Bound by magical law, Kit takes up his master’s quest to rescue a rebellious fairy princess from an arranged marriage to King George III of England. But his task is not an easy one, for Kit must contend with the feisty Princess Morgana, gobling attacks, and a magical map that portends his destiny: as a hanged man upon the gallows….

Fans of classic fairy-tale fantasies such as Stardust by Neil Gaiman and will find much to love in this irresistible YA debut by Ben Tripp, the son of one of America’s most beloved illustrators, Wallace Tripp (Amelia Bedelia). Following in his father’s footsteps, Ben has woven illustrations throughout the story.

“Delightful and charming. A swashbuckling adventure in the vein of Robert Louis Stevenson.” —#1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson.

Published by Tor Teen (October 14, 2014)

Listen to an Excerpt from the Audiobook Here.

MR RIPLEY'S BOOK COVER WARS: HEAT ONE 2014/15 - Signed Jenny Downham Book Competition

Book Cover Wars is back again for another exciting year and we are looking for a new worthy winner. If you are returning to the site for another year, or you are new to this competition, then I send you a very warm welcome. It is a delight to have your company in the book cover war zone. Don't forget to share this exciting adventure with your friends and followers - everyone is welcome.

For any follower of this site this is the chance for you to become part of the weekly book cover wars. Each week, starting from today for the next 4 weeks, I am going to select five book covers for you to vote for. The winner of each heat will then go forward to the final round and get a chance to be crowned as 'Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover Winner 2014/15'.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Cover War Rules:
There will be four weekly heats with five book covers to vote for. All heat winners will make the grand final. However, one more entry will also be entered into the final - this will be the book cover with the most votes from the other four heats as the runner up. 

As a voter, not only will you get the chance to choose your favourite book cover, but you will also be in with the chance to win a different special book each week. Therefore, in order to kick off the competition this week we have an amazing collectable book which is a signed first edition, hardback copy Jenny Downham - Before i Die. 

If you are interested then all you need to do is:

• Vote for your favourite book cover using the poll - HERE
• Leave a comment through this post or poll - HERE
• Sit back, watch the voting develop and wait to hear whether you've won (once the poll has closed). Please note that this competition is open to the UK only.
• This poll will end on 21. 10. 2014 at Midnight UK time. 

So here are the four book covers to vote for this week:

Book One - James Dawson - Say Her Name - Published by Hot Key Books - 5 June 2014 - VOTE HERE

Book Two - Gillian Murray Kendall - The Garden of Darkness - Published by Ravenstone - 3 July 2014 - Cover by Luke Preece - VOTE HERE

Book Three - Non Pratt - Trouble - Published by Walker - 6 March 2014 - VOTE HERE

Book Four - Melinda Salisbury - The Sin Eater's Daughter - Published by Scholastic 5 March 2015 - Cover by Jamie Gregory - VOTE HERE

Book Five - Patrick Carman - Quake - Published by Katherine Tegen Books - 24 Feb 2015 - Book Cover by Amy Ryan and Joel Tippie at Harper - VOTE HERE

Happy Voting, may the best book cover win.....

Jeff Kinney's - Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series - Sold 150 Million Copies Worldwide (The Long Haul)

With the November 4 publication of the next Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, The Long Haul, Jeff Kinney's series will surpass 150 million copies in print worldwide. The Long Haul, ninth in the series, will carry a 5.5 million–copy first printing.

The series started off online on Funbrain.com in 2004 and made its print debut in April of 2007. There are now more than 75 million copies of Diary of a Wimpy Kid books in print in 41 different languages.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney didn’t grow up wanting to be a children’s author. His dream was to become a newspaper cartoonist, but he wasn’t able to get his comic strips syndicated. In 1998 Jeff came up with the idea for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, a story about a middle-school weakling named Greg Heffley. Jeff worked on his book for almost eight years before showing it to a publisher in New York.

A family road trip is supposed to be a lot of fun . . . unless, of course, you’re the Heffleys. The journey starts off full of promise, then quickly takes several wrong turns. Gas station bathrooms, crazed seagulls, a fender bender, and a runaway pig—not exactly Greg’s idea of a good time. But even the worst road trip can turn into an adventure—and this is one the Heffleys won’t soon forget.



Grab a chapter here: http://www.wimpykid.com/books/book9/

The Long Haul is out on...
United States - 4th November
United Kingdom - 5th November
Singapore - 5th November
South Africa - 5th November
Australia - 5th November
India - 5th November

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Marie Lu - The Young Elites - US Book Recommended October 2014

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.
Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.
 
It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

It’s been nearly a year since we said goodbye to Day, June, and the rest of the characters from the bestselling Legend trilogy. But while readers have been searching for dystopians to fill the void, Marie Lu has been hard at work crafting a new world.

In The Young Elites, Lu takes readers to a nation in recovery. A decade earlier, a contagious blood fever swept through the land and left nearly all of the infected dead and the survivors badly scarred. The physical marks they carry aren’t all that alienates them from society though: The fever brought with it strange and powerful gifts. The Young Elites formed to protect themselves from the Inquisition Axis, a movement by the king to destroy the Elites. OUT NOW....

Published by Putnam Juvenile.

Have a look at the book's trailer:

Mr Ripley's New Book Picks: Children's and Teens - Published in October 2014

Tricia Sullivan - Shadowboxer - Published by Ravenstone (9 Oct 2014)
Nothing she's faced in the cage will prepare her... Jade is a young mixed martial arts fighter. When she's in the cage she dominates her opponents but in real life she's out of control. After she has a confrontation with a Hollywood martial arts star that threatens her gym's reputation, Jade's coach sends her to a training camp in Thailand for an attitude adjustment. Hoping to discover herself, she instead uncovers a shocking conspiracy. In a world just beyond our own, a man is stealing the souls of children to try and live forever.

Danny Weston - The Piper - Published by Andersen (2 Oct 2014)

He who pays the piper calls the tune. When Peter and his little sister, Daisy, are evacuated from London to the countryside, they find themselves on an isolated farm in the middle of a treacherous marshland. As Daisy gets drawn deeper into the secrets of their new home, Peter starts to realise that something very sinister is going on. What is that music they can hear at night? And who are the children dancing to it?

Toby Ibbotson - Mountwood School For Ghosts - Published by Macmillan Children's Books (9 Oct 2014)

Fredegonda, Goneril, and Drusilla are Great Hagges, much more important and much rarer than regular old hags. They think that ghosts these days are decidedly lacking and that people haven't been scared of ghosts for years. So one day they decide that something needs to change - it's time for these ghosts to learn a thing or two about being scary. And what better way to teach them than to set up their very own school for ghosts?

James Frey & Nils Johnson - Shelton - The Calling ( Endgame Book One) - Published by HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks (7 Oct 2014)

Endgame is real. Endgame is now. Endgame has begun.

Twelve ancient cultures were chosen millennia ago to represent humanity in Endgame, a global game that will decide the fate of humankind. Endgame has always been a possibility, but never a reality… until now. Twelve meteorites have just struck Earth, each meteorite containing a message for a Player who has been trained for this moment. At stake for the Players: saving their bloodline, as well as the fate of the world. And only one can win.

Endgame is real. Endgame is now. Endgame has begun.

Google Niantic is building a mobile location-based augmented reality video game inextricably tied to the books and mythology, a major prize will be tied to a puzzle in each book, and Twentieth Century Fox has bought the movie rights.

Read the Books. Find the Clues. Solve the Puzzle. Who will Win?Endgame is real. Endgame is now. Endgame has begun.

Twelve ancient cultures were chosen millennia ago to represent humanity in Endgame, a global game that will decide the fate of humankind. Endgame has always been a possibility, but never a reality… until now. Twelve meteorites have just struck Earth, each meteorite containing a message for a Player who has been trained for this moment. At stake for the Players: saving their bloodline, as well as the fate of the world. And only one can win.

Endgame is real. Endgame is now. Endgame has begun.

Google Niantic is building a mobile location-based augmented reality videogame inextricably tied to the books and mythology, a major prize will be tied to a puzzle in each book, and Twentieth Century Fox has bought the movie rights.

Read the Books. Find the Clues. Solve the Puzzle. Who will Win?

Daniela Sacerdoti: The Sarah Midnight Trilogy + Spirit Extract - Published by Black & White Publishing

Seventeen year‐old Sarah Midnight has never had a normal life. To the outside world, she is a typical teenager but, inside, Sarah and her family hold an unimaginable secret. Her parents are demon hunters, part of a web of Secret Families who have sworn to protect the world. But when they mysteriously die, Sarah realizes that this fight is bigger than she ever anticipated.

Unprepared for the task ahead, she now finds herself thrust into a world of incredible danger, full of things she never even knew existed: including her enigmatic long‐ lost cousin who, out of the blue, turns up on her doorstep when she most needs him. He claims to be there to help and protect her, but how will she know who to trust in this new perilous life of hers? And how is she supposed to stay alive long enough to follow her parents’ quest when they have left her totally clueless?

Sarah has to learn, and learn fast – the demons are all around her and death waits for no one.

Spirit – Extract Reveal

Sarah blinked over and over. There was a strange taste in her mouth – soil, she realized, and brought her arm to her mouth, cleaning her lips. The darkening sky came into focus, and then so did Sean’s face. Sean. He was there. He was alive. 

“Was it a vision?” he asked, helping her sit up. She saw that the others were standing in a circle around her, facing out, watching for danger. She nodded. 

“Yes. It just came over me…”

“Can you tell me what you saw?”

“All of us were standing on a beach somewhere. On the waterline. Three waves came, and with each wave more of us were gone. Until everyone was dead. Except me.”

Sean frowned. He couldn’t say what he thought that if that was going to be the end result – they’d all die and Sarah survived – he was too relieved that Sarah would be alive to entirely mourn the loss of his own life, and the others’.

He held her hands and helped her stand. “Can you walk?”

“Yes. I’m okay,” she said. But she wasn’t. 

In the dream everyone had died except for her. Another sign that she had to be kept alive. Why? What did they want from her? And who were  “they”? Nicholas? The King of Shadows? Both? Something else?

Elodie stepped beside Sarah and Sean. “In the book Harry gave me,” she began, “one of the tales talked about two children on a quest to free their parents’ souls from a witch. In order to free them, the children had to face three waves of evil. I read that book twice, but there were so many other stories… I can’t remember exactly what the waves were. And then there was this spirit who held a mirror to the children’s faces and made them see horrible things.”

Sarah gazed at her. Those black, black eyes, in place of Elodie’s warm chocolate ones, unnerved her. “What happened to the children?”

“They died. Their souls turned into flowers. Bluebells.”

“Great,” said Niall. “It’s a good sign, for sure.”

As soon as the others were out of earshot, Sarah took Sean’s arm.  “Sean. In the dream, only I survived. They have a plan for me. That’s why I’m not dead yet.”

Sean felt cold. He wished he could dismiss Sarah’s fears, but he couldn’t. “Do you think Nicholas is betraying us? That he still wants you as his wife?”

“I don’t know. But I want you to promise something.”

“What is it?”

“If this is still what he’s planning… don’t let him drag my soul away. Kill me before he can take me.”

Sean took hold of her wrist, gently. “I won’t let him take you,” he whispered in her ear. When he looked up once more, his eyes met Elodie’s. She turned around and was looking at Sarah with those new, obsidian eyes. Looking straight at her with an expression neither of them could decipher. 

They walked on for another while, the freezing air cutting their skin. All of a sudden dazzling light flooded their eyes – there were no more trees. They stepped into a clearing, the white, frozen sky hanging heavy over them, high grass swaying in the wind. A circle of grey stones – double Sarah’s height – rose from the grass, and three enormous boulders stood in the middle. They were roughly sculpted to resemble crouching figures. Two were beasts, one that looked like a monkey, one a kind of lizard, and another was an etched human being with a small body and an enormous face. They were like statues in a long-abandoned temple, moss half covering them, the elements having rounded their corners and smoothed the carvings. 

Sarah looked around her. She knew that place. It was her place of dreams, the one she’d gone to in nearly every vision since her parents had been killed. She remembered the first time she’d been there, how she’d been trapped under those stones, and then crawled out to stand under the twilight sky, the wind on her face, every colour heightened, vivid, the way it was in the Shadow World. She recalled the demon attack, and then Nicholas, the pale, black-haired boy she used to call Leaf because he gifted her autumn leaves, saving her life.

Everything was meant to bring me here, Sarah realised suddenly. Since it all started, this was ultimately where she was supposed to be – in the Shadow World. She stared into the white sky, the lilac light of dusk spreading from the west, and then around her at the swaying grass, the visions that had taken place there going through her mind one by one. 

“Sean…” she called. Sean came to stand beside her, gazing at her profile as she kept looking around her, astonished and still somehow accepting, as if some part of her had always known. “This is my place of dreams,” she whispered.

“The place you see in your visions? Are you sure?”

Sarah nodded. “I am sure.”

At that moment, a deafening noise exploded in their ears, and blue light swallowed them. Lightening had struck right in the clearing, and then another, and another, hitting the three boulders and disappearing into the ground. 

“The King of Shadows is here,” Sarah said, and everyone stood still.

“Is that right, Nicholas? Is this the place?” asked Sean.

Nicholas nodded and remained silent, his chin slightly raised as if listening for something. At that moment a long, deep, growling filled the air, and it wasn’t thunder – it came from the ground beneath them. The earth shook, the boulders trembled as they all lost their footing and fell in the long grass.

Nicholas called to his father. She’s here. I brought her to you.

Dreams – RRP £7.99 – ISBN 9781845023706 – Paperback ‐ 2012 

Tide – RRP £7.99 ‐ ISBN 9781845025397 – Paperback – 2013 

Spirit – RRP £7.99 – ISBN 9781845025403– Paperback ‐ 2014

Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Picks October 2014 - Adult Post

Patrick Rothfuss - The Slow Regard of Silent Things - Published by Gollancz (28 Oct 2014)

The University, a renowned bastion of knowledge, attracts the brightest minds to unravel the mysteries of enlightened sciences like artificing and alchemy. Yet deep below its bustling halls lies a complex and cavernous maze of abandoned rooms and ancient passageways - and in the heart of it all lives Auri.

Formerly a student at the University, now Auri spends her days tending the world around her. She has learned that some mysteries are best left settled and safe. No longer fooled by the sharp rationality so treasured by the University, Auri sees beyond the surface of things, into subtle dangers and hidden names.

At once joyous and haunting, THE SLOW REGARD OF SILENT THINGS is a rich, atmospheric and lyrical tale, featuring one of the most beloved characters from Rothfuss' acclaimed fantasy series.

Mark Charan Newton - Retribution (Drakenfeld 2) - Published by Macmillan (23 Oct 2014)

WHEN JUSTICE FAILS, REVENGE FOLLOWS... Having just solved a difficult case in his home city of Tryum, Sun Chamber Officer Lucan Drakenfeld and his associate Leana are ordered to journey to the exotic city of Kuvash in Koton, where a revered priest has gone missing. When they arrive, they discover the priest has already been found - or at least parts of him have.

But investigating the unusual death isn't a priority for the legislature of Kuvash; there's a kingdom to run, a census to create and a dictatorial Queen to placate. Soon Drakenfeld finds that he is suddenly in charge of an investigation in a strange city, whose customs and politics are as complex as they are dangerous.

Kuvash is a city of contradictions; wealth and poverty exist uneasily side-by-side and behind the rich façades of gilded streets and buildings, all levels of depravity and decadence are practised.

When several more bodies are discovered mutilated and dumped in a public place, Drakenfeld realizes there's a killer at work who seems to delight in torture and pain. With no motive, no leads and no suspects, he feels like he's running out of options. And in a city where nothing is as it seems, seeking the truth is likely to get him killed . . .

Rebecca ALexander - The Secrets of Blood and Bone - Published by Del Rey (9 Oct 2014)

Venice, 16th Century.

Having undertaken a mission of the upmost discretion, occultist and scholar Edward Kelley finds the answers he seeks are more perilous than can be believed, and his ultimate salvation means confronting the darkest deeds of his past.

England, 21st Century.

Running from her past and hiding from her future, Jackdaw Hammond buys a new home in the middle

of nowhere. But her fresh start is threatened by a wild magic similar to her own. The legacy of Edward Kelley remains, and with their fates inexorably entwined, the battle for Jackdaw’s soul has just begun.

A stunning follow up to The Secrets of Life and Death, Rebecca Alexander has created a gripping supernatural thriller that bridges time, legend and the power of blood.

Brian Froud & Wendy Froud  - Faeries Tale - Published by Abrams Books (1 Oct 2014) 

Following in the footsteps of his popular Trolls and faeries books, Brian and Wendy Froud lead readers deeply into the world of Faeries. Humans throughout history have always had special relationships and bonds with faeries, whether loving and helpful or at times destructive. This new book explores that complex relationship and the liminal state between the human and faery world where meeting and interaction occur. In Brian Froud's Faeries' Tales, readers encounter individual faeries, each with a story to uncover, as told by the faeries themselves. Many of the stories are familiar to humans, but the "true" story is told by the faeries. Similar to the Trolls fragments, the faeries' tales are coupled with portraits and interspersed with drawings and studies of the mysterious and enchanting folk who flit back and forth between the human world and theirs.

Mr Ripley's Adult Book Review: David Barnett - Gideon Smith & The Brass Dragon

Reading for pleasure and reading for review purposes are slightly different animals to me. Therefore, when you receive a book that falls into both corners it's always a joy to read. This is a book that I would choose to read as I am a massive fan of science-fiction, especially when it's blended with Steampunk. I love the age when steam power is king, airships rule the skies and clockwork rules the world. This book brings that world to a fantasy universe that I thrive upon and really love.

The first book in the series is entitled Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl. I've jumped into this series at book two, which was fascinating, as I was led down a path that I was unfamiliar with not having read the first book. A number of questions and thoughts occurred to me about what might have happened in the Mechanical Girl.  This has driven my thirst to seek out a copy; possibly the US Tor edition with the fantastic cover by Nekro. 

This is definitely one of my favourite adult reads this year. It's very similar in style to Cherie Priest's 'The Clockwork Century' series. It's packed full of villains and vice at the time when London is the centre of a vast British Empire. Gideon Smith is the unlikely hero of the Empire, but surprisingly, he isn't actually my favourite character. This role goes to the Texas pirate, Louis Cockayne, who for me was the star of the show. Although, his luck may have run out after stealing the mechanical clockwork girl (Maria) and the fantastical weapon, known as the Great Brass Dragon. 

This is a first class piece of literature. It depicts a highly imaginative world where the sense of adventure is written in abundance. The story is filled with adult humour and colourful language.  The characters are full of life and explode of every page. They are cocky, sharp, intense and very witty; a fantastic balance for a story of this nature. 

Steampunk lovers will fall for this book in a big way. It will captivate you in more ways then you may expect. I loved every page of this story and am now a very big fan. Full of spirit and fun, against an alternate historical backdrop, which will leave your fantasy brain on overload.  

I am really looking forward to reading more, but I am going to start by reading the first book.  Mr Ripley's Recommended read for September.... 

Book Synopsis: Nineteenth century London is the center of a vast British Empire, a teeming metropolis where steam-power is king and airships ply the skies, and where Queen Victoria presides over three quarters of the known world—including the east coast of America, following the failed revolution of 1775.

Young Gideon Smith has seen things that no green lad of Her Majesty’s dominion should ever experience. Through a series of incredible events Gideon has become the newest Hero of  the Empire.  But Gideon is a man with a mission, for the dreaded Texas pirate Louis Cockayne has stolen the mechanical clockwork girl Maria, along with a most fantastical weapon—a great brass dragon that was unearthed beneath ancient Egyptian soil. Maria is the only one who can pilot the beast, so Cockayne has taken girl and dragon off to points east.

Gideon and  his intrepid band take to the skies and travel to the American colonies hot on Cockayne’s trail. Not only does Gideon want the machine back, he has fallen in love with Maria. Their journey will take them to the wilds of the lawless lands south of the American colonies – to free Texas, where the mad King of Steamtown rules with an iron fist (literally), where life is cheap and honor even cheaper.

Does Gideon have what it takes to not only save the day but win the girl?

Published September 1st 2014 by Snowbooks in the UK, and Tor in the US. 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Sally Green - Half Wild First Chapter Reveal - Penguin 2015

Strong language warning . This extract may not be suitable for younger readers. 

Here is the first chapter of Half Wild which doesn’t come out until March 2015! 

You’ll feel my heavy spirit chill your chest, And climb your throat on sobs, Wild with all Regrets, Wilfred Owen

a new day

a crossbill calls

another bird replies, not a crossbill

the first bird takes over again

and again

the crossbill-

shit, it’s morning

i’ve been asleep

it’s morning, very early

shit, shit, shit

don’t panic

need to wake up need to wake up

can’t believe i’ve been asl-

chchchchchchchhchchchc chhhhhchchch hchcchchchhhchc hchhchchchcchchhcchhchchhchchchhcchchchchchchhchch chchchhchchchchhchhhchchchchccchchchchh chchchchhchchc hhchchchchhc hchchhchhchch chchchchchchchhchh hchchccchchchchhchchchh hchhchchch

SHIT!

the noise is here. HERE!

chchchchchchchhchchchcchhhhhch chchhchcc hchchhhchchchhchch chcchchhcchchchhchchchhcch chchchchchhchchc hchchhchchchchhchhh chchchchccchchchchhhchchc hchhchchchhchchchchhchchc hhchhchchchch chchchchchhchhhch chccchchchchhc hchchhhchhchchch 

that level of noise means, oh shit, someone with a mobile is close. very close. shit, i can’t believe i’ve been asleep with Hunters on my tail. and her. the fast one. she was close last night.

chchchchch chchhchchchcchh hhhchchc hhchcchchchhhch chchhch chchcchchhcchh chchhchchchhcchch chchchchhchchchc hchhchchchchhchhhchchchch ccchchch cchhchchchchhc hchchhchchchchhchc hchhchhchchchchchchchchchhc hhhchchccchchchchh chchchhhchhchchch 

THINK! THINK!

chchchchchchch hchchchcchhhhhchchchh chcchchchhhchchchhchchchc chchhcch chchchhchchchhcchchchchchchhch chchchchhc hchchchhchh hchchchchc cchchchchhhc hchchc hhchchchhchch chchhchchch hchhchc hchc hchchch chchhchh hchchccchc hchchhchch chhhchhchchch

it’s a mobile phone, for sure it’s a mobile phone. the noise is in my head, not in my ears, it’s to the upper right side, inside, constant, like an electrical interference, pure hiss, mobile hiss, loud, three or four meters away loud. SHIT! THINK! THINK!

chchchchchchchhch chchcchhhhhchchchhc hcchchchh hchchchhchchchcchc hhcchchchc hhchchchhcchchc hchchchhchch chchchhchc hchchhchhhc hchchchc cchchchch

ok right, lots of people have mobiles. if it’s a Hunter, that Hunter, and she could see me, i’d be dead by now.

i’m not dead

she can’t see me

chchchchchc hchhchchchcchhhh hchchchhchcc hchchhhchchch hchchch cchchhcch chchchhchchchh cchchchchc hchhchchch chchhchchchchh chhhchchchchccchchc hch

the noise isn’t getting louder. she’s not moving closer. but she’s not moving away either.

am i hidden?

i’m lying on my side, face pressed into the ground. totally still. can’t see anything but earth.

got to move a little.

but not yet. think first. stay calm and work it out.

there’s no breeze, no sun, just a lightness. it’s early. the sun has to be behind the mountain still. there’s the smell of earth, the pine of the forest. the ground is cool, dry, no dew. there’s the smell of the forest and . . . there’s another smell.

what is that smell?

and there’s a taste.

a bad taste. it tastes like . . . oh no-

don’t think about it

don’t think about it

don’t think about it

don’t think about it

think about something else

think about where you are

You’re lying on the ground, in the early morning and the air is cool. You’re cold. You’re cold because . . . oh shit, oh shit . . . you’re naked. You’re naked and the top half of you is wet. Your chest, your arms . . . your face are wet.

And you move the fingers of your left hand, the tiniest of movements, and they’re sticky. Sticking together. As if with drying, sugary juice. But it’s not juice.

don’t think about it

don’t think about it don’t think about it don’t think about it don’t think about it

DoN’t THiNk aBOUT IT

THINK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE

THINK ABOUT STAYING ALIVE

You’ve got to move. The Hunters are close on your tail. That fast one was close. She was very close last night.

what happened last night?

what happened?

remember!

NO.

FORGET THAT. THINK ABOUT STAYING ALIVE

WORK OUT WHAT TO DO

You can look, move your head a fraction to see more. The ground by your face is thick with pine-needles. Brown pine-needles. But the brown isn’t from the pine, it’s the colour of dried blood. You’re left arm is extended. It’s streaked in it, dried, brown. But your hand isn’t streaked in it, it’s thick with it. Sopping. Red

close your eyes

close your eyes

close your eyes

chchchchchchchhc hchchcchhhhhch chchhchcc hchchhhchc hchhchchchcchchhcch cchchchhc hchchhcchchchch chchhchchchchchh chchchchhchh hchc hchch ccchch chchchh chchchchhchchc hhchchchchhc hchchhchhch chchchchch chchchh chhhch chccchchch chhchchc hhhchhchchch

You need to go. Without thinking or looking or remembering. You need to go. For you’re own safety you have to get out of here. You need to get moving. Get away from here. You can find a stream and wash. Wash it all off.

The mobile phone is close, not changing. It won’t be coming closer.

You should look, check. Turn your head to the other side. You can do it. Look, check. . .

it looks like a log

Please be a log. Please be a log. Please be a log.

Please.

it’s not a log.

it’s a shape in black and red, with black boots and with two legs; one straight, one bent. legs dressed in black. black material covering the torso. light-brown hair. her hair. cut short. sopping with blood. her face is turned away.

she’s lying as still as a log

still wet

still oozing

not fast any more

the mobile phone is hers

chchchchchc hchhchchchcch hhhhchch chhchcchc hchhhchch chhchchchc chchhcch cchchch hchchchhcchchchc hchchhchchchchchhchchc hchhchhh chchchch ccchch chchchh

and as you raise your head you see the wound that is her throat

and it is jagged and bloody and deep and red

Half Bad has gone into the new Guinness World Record as the most translated book and most translated children’s book by a debut author before publication. Now comes book two in the trilogy, Half Wild. 

Penguin have also announced an e-short which will come out on 13^th November and is called Half Lies.

You can watch the trailer of Half Bad here.

RELEATED POSTS: Also check out my book review HERE AND A Exclusive Interview From Sally Green - HERE Thank you all for reading....