Coming Up In 2012 #16: Doom Rider by David Gatward

On Friday I revealed to you the cover for Doom Rider, the new book coming from author David Gatward in July. I also quickly rattled off an email to David, firstly to express my excitement over the new book and its fantastic cover, but also to ask him if he would be interested in writing a piece for my 'Coming Up In 2012' feature. Despite having a huge amount of writing to get finished over the weekend David very kindly said he would get something to me, and lo and behold, this arrived in my email inbox this morning:

The first mention of Doom Rider was in an email I sent through to my editor, Naomi, last January. I was in the process of knocking together a completely different proposal about aliens and sent the following idea through as little more than an aside:

'I've also been dreaming up something about a boy who discovers he's one of the four riders of the apocalypse... Now what's not to love about that?! And he's lived a 1000 lifetimes and been killed before reaching his 13th birthday in each one. But now...'

There! That was it! Not much, is it? And I didn't do anything with it until a month later. But it just kept on nagging at me so I worked it up and before I knew what was happening, my original proposal was ditched and the Doom Rider one took over!

Where the idea originally came from I'm just not sure. I've always been fascinated by the imagery associated with the four riders of the apocalypse, but what I didn't want to do was play on it to the point of making it amusing. From the start I wanted it to be a serious book. I was also fascinated by the whole notion of destiny and how freedom and free choice would clash with that. After all, a teenager is the very essence of wanting to be free. And I figured that, if my character discovered his future had already been chosen, he might be a little miffed.

In the end, what I came up with was this:

Seth Crow has lived a thousand lives, and in each one he's been murdered before he turns thirteen.

And now he's being hunted again. But this time it's different ... Seth is CONQUEST. The first of the four riders of the Apocalypse. And people want him dead, before he can fulfil his destiny.

Seth's only hope lies in finding the other riders - Strife, Famine and Death. Together the fate of the world will be in their hands.

The Apocalypse is coming. And the only ones who can save the world, hold the power to destroy it.

Sounds fun, doesn't it? And trust me on this: it really is...

Coming Up In 2012 #15: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Do you like dragons? If so, then I am reliably informed by the lovely people at Random House that this book is perfect for you. When I attended their Bloggers' Brunch last month I was initially a little sceptical that it would be suitable for The Book Zone (For Boys), but I have been assured otherwise, and then I was pretty much sold by the premise, as detailed in the piece that author Rachel Hartman has written for us. Seraphina is due to be published in July, and here is Rachel to tell us a little about it:


What if dragons could take human shape? Would it be creepy to think of them walking among us? And what would it be like to be one, finding yourself in an alien body with unaccustomed senses and abilities, trying to navigate the human world?

After centuries of war, the humans of Goredd have made an uneasy peace with these dragons. As an anniversary of the treaty approaches, however, tensions are mounting. A prince of the realm has been murdered, and evidence points to dragon involvement. Anti-dragon zealots riot in the streets; the dragons, for their part, begin to wonder whether peace with irrational, emotional humans is worth it.

Seraphina Dombegh, a court musician, is caught in the middle. She hides a terrible secret which could cost her life, but which also gives her unique insight into the murder. Circumstances partner her with the clever, perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs, who’s more than capable of uncovering her secret if she’s not careful. Together they must solve the case before the killer strikes again – this time against the peace itself.

Coming Up In 2012 #14: Atomic! by Guy Bass

My original intention had been to run the Coming Up In 2012 throughout January only, but the response from publishers and authors has been so fantastic that I still have a few more for you. Today's is from Guy Bass, the hugely talented author of Stitch Head, Dinkin Dings and Secret Santa. February 2nd saw the release of the first book in his new series - it's about superheroes so I'm sold on it already. Here's Guy to tell us some more about the books:

My name is Guy and I’m addicted to superheroes. I’m a superheroholic.

I’ve been wanting to write about superheroes for years – professionally, that is. I spent most of my childhood (and a fair chunk of my adulthood) reading superhero comics. In my younger days I made up scores of my own heroes and villains and sent them on adventures or pitched them against each other. My brother and I came up with hundreds of characters – men, women, children, robots, monsters, robot-monster-children... We mapped out worlds and histories spanning hundreds of years, ending up with an entire universe (and the odd parallel universe) to play with. We’d write stories, draw comics, or, more often than not, act out epic, noisy, house-and-garden-spanning battles that would almost always result in Mum shouting at us. We’re in our mid-thirties now, so the battles are slightly less epic. But we still fight... and we still get shouted at.

All of which sort of led me to write Atomic! It’s a comic adventure (and an adventure comic – I’ll explain later) about Jonny and Tommy Atomic, the twin sons of the world’s greatest superhero. They’re also the world’s best kept secret – no one even knows they exist. Their father, Captain Atomic, is always busy saving the world, so he keeps Jonny and Tommy hidden away on a giant, invisible island in the sky, under the watchful eye of their uncle, Dogday (who happens to be super-intelligent talking dog) and Aunt Sandwich (who’s a hamster. Just ‘cause.)

Jonny and Tommy’s adventures kick off with Issue #1: The Vengeance of Vinister Vile. Jonny and Tommy are sent to school and have to pretend that they’re ordinary nine year-old boys. Jonny takes his secret identity very seriously but Tommy just wants to show the world what he can do, which (among other things) involves putting a crocodile in a swimming pool. Then in Issue #2: The Madness of Madame Malice, the boy’s mother – who is also the world’s most famous super-villain, Madame Malice – escapes from prison and tries to convince the boys that villainy is a lot more fun than heroism.

So, what can you expect from Atomic! – apart from heroes and villains, prison breaks, epic battles, rampaging monsters and a hamster with a ray gun? Here’s what: comics. The best thing about Atomic, without a doubt is that it’s part comic. Whenever anything really exciting happens, especially when things explode or fights break out, the book turns into a comic. I’m beside myself about this. It’s panel upon panel, page upon page of ridiculously awesome artwork by Jamie Littler. It’s some of the best, most dynamic, book illustrating I’ve ever seen. I could (and probably will) wax lyrical about the look of these books for weeks on end.

As they say in comics - see you in the funny papers!

Coming Up In 2012 #12: Itch by Simon Mayo

Back before Christmas I received an email from the lovely people at Doubleday asking if I would be interested in reading a book that Simon Mayo had written for the 10+ age group. Yes, that Simon Mayo. He of BBC Radio 1 and now Radio 2 fame. The man whose Radio 2 Book Club I listen to every Monday evening on may way home from work. Naturally I said yes please, and I really, really enjoyed it. The book is called Itch, and it is being billed as 'Alex Rider with Geek-Power'. Watch this space for my review, which will appear on The Book Zone a little closer to its March publication date. In the meantime, here is Simon to tell you a little about Itch:

Hi to all readers of this top blog. My name is Simon Mayo and I am the author of Itch which is out on March 1st. This is my first novel and I hope you enjoy it because I absolutely loved writing it. Itch is 14 and lives with his family in Cornwall. He is a bit of an outsider really. He struggles with his family and finds it difficult to make friends. At school everyone else is obsessed with sport and computer games, Itch is just interested in science. He considers himself an element hunter, a collector of the elements in the periodic table. From the boring ones like iron and lead, to the more interesting ones like helium and mercury, and the downright dangerous ones like arsenic and polonium.

In this adventure, Itch and his sister Chloe (11) and his cousin Jack (short for Jacqueline and also 14) get their hands on a very mysterious rock. They quickly discover that it is both fantastically valuable and extraordinarily dangerous - nothing less than nuclear power in a bag. And the bag is in Itch's rucksack! Itch quickly becomes the most hunted boy in the world; police, terrorists, criminals and particularly his evil science teacher Nathaniel Flowerdew all want to find him. Very, very badly. Itch doesn't have long to decide what to with the rocks. But if he doesn't do the right thing, it could cost him his life.

Let the hunt begin!

Coming Up In 2012 #11: Black Arts by Andrew Prentice & Jonathan Weil

Back before Christmas I was sent a proof of Black Arts, a debut novel from Andrew Prentice and Jonathan Weil. I loved the premise so much that I dropped everything to read it, and I can tell you that it is superb. This Saturday just gone I was fortunate to be one of a number of bloggers invited to a brunch held by Random House Children's Books, and when one of the team was waxing lyrical about how good this book was I was the one sat at the back vigorously nodding my head in agreement. My review will follow nearer its April release date, so for now you will have to have you appetites whetted by the authors who very kindly agreed to take part in my Coming Up In 2012 feature:


Welcome to London.

Jack knows that London is dangerous. This is a place where government spies can make you disappear into the torture chamber, and where most crimes are punishable with death. As a child thief, he knows he’ll be lucky to live to the age of twenty.

He doesn’t know that London is crawling with invisible devils. He doesn’t know about the gruesome murder spree that is about to be unleashed. He doesn’t know that soon the most powerful man in the city will be hunting him to death.

He’ll find out, though, soon enough.


We set our story in London because it’s the city where we grew up, the city we love above all others; and because it’s an evil, twisted, magical place where anything can happen.

The original idea for the book came from a true London story:

Four men walk into a London pub and have lunch together. When the bill arrives, two of them disagree over who should pay, and one stabs the other through the eye, penetrating the brain and killing him instantly. The victim is London’s most successful and celebrated playwright – who happens to be a spy on the sly. He has also been accused of inciting riots and fomenting treason . . . not to mention the rumours of black magic and lewd sexual practices . . . The murderer is a petty conman, and one of the witnesses is the Queen’s own spymaster.

This happened in 1593 (the victim is Christopher Marlowe). We thought a place where that story could be true must be a good place for the sort of story we wanted to write – i.e. the sort of story we’ve always enjoyed reading ourselves. Black Arts is a story about death, vengeance, gold and devils. Anything can happen.

Coming Up In 2012 #10: Freaks by Kieran Larwood

I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to reading this book by debut writer Kieran Larwood. Members of a travelling Victorian sideshow by night, crime fighters by day? How good does that sound? Add in the fact that Freaks is the book that won The Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition and it has six-pack of win written all over it. Freaks is due to be published by Chicken House in April, but in the meantime here is Kieran to tell us a little more about it in his own words: 

Victorian London in 1850 is full of diseased slums, foul stenches, seedy villains and sinister sideshows. 'Freaks' follows the members of one such sideshow as they are drawn into the underworld in an attempt to solve the mystery of pauper children being snatched from the stinking river banks. There is Sheba the wolf-girl, Sister Moon- ex-assassin, Gigantus the Man Mountain and Monkeyboy- the most disgusting creature in the British Empire. The book is a mixture of mystery, action, atmosphere and humour. It basically contains everything the ten-year old me would have loved to read, all squished together into one fast-paced, suspense-filled, freakish blob. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

Coming Up In 2012 #8: Ash Mistry and the Savage Fortress by Sarwat Chadda

Any new release by Sarwat Chadda is cause for celebratory street parties and church bells to be rung across the land. His Dark Goddess was a truly worthy winner of The Book Zone Book of the Year 2010, and I have been waiting very excitedly ever since to read whatever Sarwat wrote next. In March that next book will hit the book shops and libraries of Britain (start ringing them bells!), and it is a corker. I consider myself very privileged to have read it already, and Rick Riordan had better watch out - there is a new 'myth master' in town and he means business. Here's Sarwat to tell us a little more about Ash Mistry and the Savage Fortress:

Holidays in Hell by Sarwat Chadda

My new book, ‘Ash Mistry and the Savage Fortress’ is your average tale about a boy during his summer holidays. You know, the type of holiday where the boy meet an evil sorcerer planning to raise an ancient demon king and his army of demons and it’s totally down to the boy to save the day and kick everyone in the arse, pretty damn hard.

I’m sure you’ve had summer breaks just like it.

The book’s set in India and is all about Indian mythology and history. We all know and love the Greek myths, our days are named after the Norse gods so I though it about time we brought in some eastern deities, they’re quite unlike anything you’d have come across before.

Take Kali, the goddess of death and destruction. The hero, Ash, finds something very valuable of hers, a divine superweapon that was lost on a battlefield thousands of years ago. This weapon is the only thing that can stop the demon king but Ash is not your usual hero. He’s not a hero at all. He’s 13 but the kind of boy who still might sleep with the light on. Fortunately he teams up with Parvati, a half-human half-demon girl who’s the world’s greatest assassin. Ash must learn the ways of Kali if he’s going to stand a snowball’s chance in Hell of surviving the rebirth of the demon king and beating Lord Savage, the sorcerer behind the resurrection.

It’s not a story for those with tender hearts. It’s a story about blood, sacrifice and death. You see how far Ash is willing to go to do what’s right, even if he’s terrified almost every step of the way. A true hero is not the one who’s unafraid. He’s the one who, though filled with fear, conquers it and acts in spite of it. Ash Mistry takes the darkest path, the path of Kali, and I hope you’ll come along for the journey. It’ll be like no other.

 

 

Coming Up In 2012 #7: Shadow Runners by Daniel Blythe

Back in the autumn I received a nice pile of press releases from Chicken House, detailing some of the books they were publishing in 2012. These were all printed in glorious, glossy high quality - a great way of showcasing the books. One of the books that jumped out and shouted "Read me!" was Shadow Runners by Daniel Blythe, and so I contacted Chicken House and asked if Daniel would like to take part in my "Coming Up In 2012" feature. He very kindly agreed to participate, and so now I hand you over to Daniel who will tell us a little more about his new book:

Firecroft Bay. The town's name comes from the Old English meaning 'wickedness', and when 12-year-old Miranda May moves there with her mum and her little brother, she thinks at first that it is just a quiet, windswept little end-of-the-world harbour. But forces are stirring in Firecroft Bay, and Miranda's new teacher, Miss Bellini, may have something to do with it all... For the Bay is a place where ancient stories come to life, where supernatural curses are very real, and where the dark shadows Miranda sees at the edge of her vision also creep into her dreams. What is the mysterious Shape? Who is the girl in the burning forest who haunts her nightmares? And what does it all have to do with her strange new friends - a bunch of children and teenagers calling themselves the Shadows? They could be Miranda's allies in a terrifying fight against the darkness - but can she really be sure who she can trust?...

I hope readers will be frightened, entertained and enthralled by "Shadow Runners", which is my first book for younger readers outside the "Doctor Who"  series which I've also written for. It's my first book for Chicken House, who have been great to work with at every stage. I wanted to write a book which both boys and girls will enjoy - Miranda is a feisty, witty, skateboarding heroine who tells the story in a sardonic first-person voice, taking you with her on every step of her new journey. I hope it will be the first in a series of "Shadow Runners" adventures. Excitingly, I hear it's already going worldwide, with Brazil the latest country to snap it up!... And there will be an audio-book from AudioGo too.

For all the latest news on Daniel Blythe and Shadow Runners, please go to www.danielblythe.com

Coming Up in 2012 #5: The Fury by Alexander Gordon Smith

I am a huge fan of Alexander Gordon Smith's Escape From Furnace series, although this won't be news to anyone who had been following this blog for a while. That series came to a dramatic and brilliant conclusion in 2011, but Smith is not one to rest on his laurels - he already has The Fury, the first book in a new two-part series scheduled for release in April. I can't tell you how excited I am about this - it is one of the books that I am most looking forward to reading in 2012. Now I hand you over to Alexander Gordon Smith to tell us more about it (and even though my wife is a PE teacher I have to sympathise with his memories - I too had a totally sadistic PE teacher and to this day I am still feeling the trauma created by some of his lessons):

The Fury is my most recent book, but I think the seed of the idea was planted in my head many years ago. Back at high school, when I was about twelve, we used to play a game in PE called Murderball. It was, just as it sounds, extremely unpleasant. I hated PE anyway (what overweight, geeky, asthmatic boy doesn't?), and what made it infinitely worse is that my PE teacher was a total sadist (what PE teacher isn't?). He obviously thought that making us run around on the field in the snow playing rugby for two hours wasn't quite punishing enough, so he devised a brand new version of the game.

Murderball, at its heart, had one rule. Try not to die. This wasn't as easy as it sounds. Basically, the PE teacher would select a victim, usually one of the fat kids (me), one of the nerdy kids (me), or one of the wheezy kids (me), hand him a rugby ball, and tell him to start running. He'd give the victim a five second head start, then he would send the rest of the group after him.

The objective for the chasers was to get the rugby ball back from the victim, but this is where Murderball really earned its name. The victim would usually abandon the ball after a few metres, but the rest of the group ignored it, and set upon the unfortunate child like a pack of dogs on a fox. It was absolutely terrifying. One minute you'd be running, the next you'd be on the floor, twenty other boys piling on top of you, plunged into darkness. Some would be jumping on your chest or elbow dropping you in the stomach, others bending back your fingers to breaking point; some would stuff grass and mud and snow in your mouth so you couldn't breathe, others took great delight in kicking you repeatedly in places you never want to be kicked. When you were the victim, drowning in flesh, you believed with absolute certainty that you were going to die.

Thankfully, nobody actually perished. But it always fascinated me how in the space of a few seconds your best friends (yes, all my friends at school were in the bottom set PE with me) could go from being lovely, gentle people who would never dream of hurting you, to a mob of savage, howling animals intent on tearing you to shreds. And the weird thing was that everybody in the group had a go at being the victim, at being at the bottom of the pile, and yet as soon as it was somebody else's turn they would become as wild and mindless as the kids who had been attacking them.

It was twenty years later that the story for The Fury came to me, but I think the idea was born when I was lying beneath a mound of people asking – with what I thought was my dying breath – why all of my friends were trying to slaughter me. This is exactly what happens to the heroes of the book (including one scene on a school playing field). For no reason whatsoever, the world turns against them – friends, family, teachers, strangers, everyone becomes a mindless, bloodthirsty savage hell-bent on killing them, and only them. And as soon as they have killed you, they go back to their lives as if nothing has happened. In the book, of course, the reason for the Fury is much more exciting than a sadistic PE teacher. But that sense of utter fear, of panic and confusion, of trying to survive while everyone you know attempts to murder you, is hopefully just as potent and as terrifying when you read the book as it was twenty years ago for me playing Murderball.

Coming Up In 2012 #4: Hollow Pike by James Dawson

Back in 2011 I was fortunate to be invited to a special event that Orion held for bloggers in order to showcase their new YA imprint, Indigo. For me, one of the books that really stood out from their presentation was Hollow Pike, by debut author James Dawson. Firstly, I love the sound of the story, centred around witchcraft, and secondly the book cover struck me at the time as being incredible, and it is still one of my favourites these few months later. I didn't do a Top Ten Book Covers of 2011 at the end of last year, but if I do a 2012 list then this surely will be in there.

The 2nd February release date for Hollow Pike is now less than a month away, and James has very kindly written a short piece about his book for The Book Zone. Over to you James:

Hollow Pike is a YA thriller aimed at anyone who loves a darkly comic scare. It tells the tale of fifteen year old Lis London, the new girl in the village of Hollow Pike. Lis quickly befriends the local misfits, and learns of the town's sinister history of witchcraft. But then a local girl is found dead, and Lis begins to wonder if the rumours really are a thing of the past. A shadowy figure stalks the forest on the edge of town, and Lis starts to think she and her new friends might be in grave danger...

Hollow Pike both is and isn't a supernatural romance thriller! It's something a little bit new. I think it's a rollercoaster thrill ride, and a must for anyone, who, like me, loves horror movies! I especially wrote this book for anyone who has ever felt like an oddball, an outsider or a freak...boys, girls and all that's in-between!

Coming Up In 2012 #3: The Book of Wonders by Jasmine Richards

I first made contact with Jasmine Richards through Twitter, when I somehow managed to persuade her to send me an early copy of William Hussey's brilliant Witchfinder: Dawn of the Demontide. Jasmine is a senior editor at Oxford University Press, and I have since had the pleasure of meeting her at several of her events. These meetings have always been extremely pleasurable as, like me, she loves to talk for hours about books.

Now Jasmine has a couple of books of her own scheduled to be published in 2012, the first of which is The Book of Wonders. Unfortunately for UK readers this book has not yet been bought by a UK publisher and so for the time being  it will only available in the US (once it is released on 17th January). However, if you are canny like me, you will probably order a copy from the brilliant Book Depository. Now let me hand you over to Jasmine so that she can tell us a little more about her book:

The Book of Wonders, my debut novel that publishes Jan 17th 2012 is loosely based on tales from Arabian Nights and on the seed of an idea which has been with me since I was 9 years old!

You see, even back then, it bothered me that the sultan in Arabian Nights [who has been busy executing young women left, right and centre] should end up finding love. I understand that over 1001 nights the sultan is healed through Scheherazade’s stories of Sinbad, Aladdin and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, that his cold heart is melted. But still, it all seems rather unfair to me - after all who speaks for those poor girls that were killed?

And so, I have a written a novel in reaction to the traditional tale. In my version of events, Scheherazade does not tell stories of monsters, sea journeys and sorcery she lives these adventures. She and her best friend Rhidan experience many horrors and triumphs on their quest to defeat the sultan, giant snakes, a giant made of brass and angry djinnis. The action does not let up for a minute.

I think this is a breathless, headlong adventure but I’m going to say that because I wrote it! I would love to hear your thoughts. Do come over and say hello on www.jasminerichards.com!

Coming Up in 2012 #2: The 13th horseman by Barry Hutchison

Read Barry Hutchison's Invisible Fiends books?

No? Where have you been for the past two years. Shame on you - go out and get them immediately.

Yes? Then you will no doubt be just as excited about his new book, The 13th Horseman, coming from HarperCollins on 1st March. Harper are touting it as Pratchett meets Python, and having read it myself I find I can't disagree with that statement. It is a hugely entertaining, very funny, comedy fantasy story, and as Barry is infinitely more talented than I am when it comes to writing, here is a little more about it in his own words:

Things are not easy for Drake Finn. His dad isn't on the scene. His mum works three jobs. Oh and he's just been expelled for blowing the roof off his school and inadvertently setting a teacher on fire. Forced to moved to a new house and a new school, Drake believes things can't possibly get any worse.

And then he finds the shed at the bottom of his garden and his world is turned upside down.

Living in the shed are the Horsemen of the Apocalypse - or three of them, at least. There's War, an angry bearded Scotsman with an exquisitely sharp sword; Pestilence, a flaky-skinned hypochondriac with OCD and a deep rooted love of musical theatre; and then there's Famine, a bulging, bulbous behemoth of a man who will - quite literally - eat anything.

The Horsemen were created at the beginning of time and given the task of riding across the sky at the end of time. The problem is, they've got naff all to do in between, and after a thousand odd years of sitting around playing board games, Death has gone mad and jacked it all in. He's taken human form and gone off to start his own Apocalypse, but that leaves the other three a Horseman short, and they believe Drake is just the lad for the job.

After reluctantly assuming the role of Death, Drake has only a few days to learn the ropes before his predecessor pushes the button on Judgement Day. The only problem is that Drake doesn't want the Apocalypse now. Can he convince the other Horsemen to go against everything they were created for and help him stop Armageddonm, or will he have to accept that the end of the world really is nigh?

The 13th Horseman is a fast-paced comedy fantasy crammed with evil doubles, barking cats, flying horses and more Buckaroo than you can shake a stick at. Who knew the end of the world could be this much fun?

Coming Up in 2012 #1: Talina in the Tower by Michelle Lovric

Throughout January 2011 I ran a feature on The Book Zone titled "Coming Up in 2011" where I asked authors with new stand-alone or first-in-series books due out in that year to write a short big-up about their new book. This seemed like quite a popular feature at the time and so I have decided to run it again this year.

The first book I want to showcase is Talina in the Tower by Michelle Lovric. If you tend to judge a book by its cover then you will already be shouting that it doesn't look particularly boy-friendly. However, neither did the covers of her previous two books for younger readers, The Undrowned Child and The Mourning Emporium, and yet both of these books are easily amongst my favourite of the past couple of years. As you will read in Michelle's description, Talina in the Tower is not a sequel to these two stories, although it is set in Venice and I hope will be just as magical as Michelle's other two books set in that amazing city. Here is Michelle to tell you a little more about Talina:

Talina in the Tower is the tale of a boy who loves to argue and a girl who is more passionate than she is careful. Ambrogio dreams of being a barrister. His friend Talina, the daughter of an archivist, has earned herself the reputation of being the most impudent girl in Venice. When she’s not campaigning for egrets’ rights, or terrorizing the school librarian, Talina adores reading, cooking and magic.

The story takes place in a sinister nineteenth-century Venice, one inhabited not just by frightened people but also by bully-boy tomcats, educated rats and ravenous vultures. In the dead of night, savage hyena-like creatures called Ravageurs prowl the waterways of Venice, snatching men and women, not to mention children and cats.

When Talina’s parents disappear, she and her loyal cat, Drusilla, are forced to go to live with her sinister Guardian in his gaunt and lonely tower on the northernmost edge of the city. In the tower’s kitchen, Talina cooks up an unusual problem for herself: a complete change of identity – and species. It is only Ambrogio who recognizes Talina in her new state. The two friends become caught up in a fast-paced adventure, one in which Talina can never be sure whether she is more human than cat, rat, vulture … or Ravageur. If she wants to stay in girl form, fiery Talina must stay serene and reasonable. And yet, as the monstrous plans of the Ravageurs become more menacing, brutal and sarcastic, who would NOT be inclined to lose their temper?

The story explores ideas of ownership and identity. Who owns a city? What can a child own? How can you stay true to yourself, and yet grow as a person?

Set thirty years before The Undrowned Child and The Mourning Emporium, this book stands alone. But readers of the earlier books will meet up with a couple of old friends – in their younger days.

Huge thanks to Michelle for writing this for us. Talina in the Tower is published by Orion and is scheduled to be released at the beginning of February. Michelle tells me that there will be more information about the book appearing on her website in January.