*** Contest: WIN a signed copy of Witchfinder: Dawn of the Demontide by William Hussey

Some time ago I posted a review of the first book in William Hussey's Witchfinder trilogy. Subsequently Mr Hussey very kindly took part in an interview for The Book Zone. Now, we bring you the chance to win your very own signed copy of this fantastic new horror book.

Thanks to the generosity of Mr Hussey I have two signed copies of Dawn of the Demontide sat here in front of me. In order to win a copy of this book all you have to do is follow me on Twitter and add a comment below this post answering the following question:

Who is your favourite horror book/movie villain and why?

Please also include your Twitter name with your comment. The first two names drawn at random after the closing date will win a signed copy of the book. Deadline for your emails is 8pm Friday 9th April. This contest is open worldwide.

Terms and conditions

Contest open to entrants worldwide.
I will not be held responsible for items lost in the mail.
I hold the right to end a contest before its original deadline without any prior notice.
I hold the right to disqualify any entry as I see fit.
I will contact winning entrants for their postal address following the close of the competition. Winners have 48 hours to reply. Failure to do so in this time will result in another winner being randomly selected.

Review: Skulduggery Pleasant - Dark Days by Derek Landy

It's the fourth Skulduggery Pleasant adventure, only Skulduggery Pleasant himself is lost on the other side of a portal, with only some evil gods for company. Can he possible survive? (Yes, all right, he's already dead. But still.) What can we say, without giving too much away? Not much, is the answer. But what we CAN say is that this book is hilarious, it's tense, and it's packed with all the eye-popping action, crackling one liners and imaginative set pieces you've come to expect. There's a new threat to our plucky heroine, of course. But that's not all. There's also the little fact of the Big Bad, the uber-baddy who's going to come along and really, really destroy the world. (Really.) And what we learn about that villain in this book will literally make your jaw fall off and your hair go white with shock. (Not really.) Will Skulduggery make it out of the Faceless Ones' dimension? Who knows. The problem is, he may not have much to come back to!

Valkyrie Cain is back, but this time she is alone. Skulduggery Pleasant, her mentor and friend, is trapped in the world of the Faceless Ones after being dragged through the portal at the end of Book Three. However, there is hope - if Valkyrie and her team can get their hands on Skulduggery's original skull there just may be a chance to launch a rescue mission by reopening the portal and.............. and perhaps I should end my review there, as I am going to have to tread very carefully from here on so as not to give away too many spoilers.

Thirty minutes later.........

Hmmm.... I have been sitting at my laptop for sometime now and I still have no idea how to write this review without creating those spoilers. You just have to read through the various Twitter feeds and Facebook pages to see how hotly anticipated this book is, espcially after that monumental cliffhanger at the end of the third book. Derek Landy has built up quite a worldwide fanbase since the publication of the first Skulduggery Pleasant series. The Faceless Ones shot into the Top 10 on launch, selling 28,000 copies in its first two months, so the last thing I want to do is upset his legion of fans by giving away the many delicious plot revelations that this book holds.

So.... Skulduggery fans everywhere let me start by telling you that you will not be disappointed. Whilst, in my humble opinion, this is not the best book in the series so far it is still one hell of a read. Despite the huge cliffhanger at its end The Faceless Ones still holds the Number 1 slot for me, and although I really enjoyed Dark Days and read it in almost one sitting, it just didn't quite match up to the thrill I got from reading its predecessor. It contains all of the Derek Landy trademarks that we have come to love so much - great characters, both good and evil; tense action scenes that will have your heart beating so fast you will think it is about to explode; great dialogue laced with the scintillating banter that we have to come love so much; and, of course, many many moments of spine-tingling horror.

The threat facing our heroes this time is not the invasion of earth by a hoarde of ancient demons; this time they are up against a cartel of old enemies, brought together with one thing in mind - vengeance. Springheeled Jack, Remus Crux, Billy-Ray Sanguine, Vaurien Scapegrace, and the vampiric Dusk are all present, each with their own motives. Revenge against the Sanctuary, revenge against Valkyie, revenge against Thurid Guild, revenge against Tanith Low - as the story progresses we gradually discover the lengths each of these characters is willing to go to in order to satisfy their vengeful urges, and with the diabolical and twisted mind of new character Dreylan Scarab driving these urges Mr Landy has us believing that this time they just might be successful. In fact I spent most of the book fearing that we might witness the demise of a key character at some point in the story. Were my fears justified? I will leave that for you to find out.

As I said before, this is not my favourite book of the series so far, and there are several reasons for this. Firstly, there is one key plot thread that is so transparent I saw it coming halfway through the book, so its final revelation was something of a disappointment as I had really hoped that there would be a twist that would prove me wrong. Sadly no twist, well not for me anyway but my wife often tells me that I am too good at spotting these things (usually after I have impaired her enjoyment of The Bill by accurately second-guessing the plot). Secondly, although the villains are really given a chance to shine in this story I felt that some of them, namely Dusk and Spring Heeled Jack, had so much more to offer but were instead relegated to the sidelines for much of the story, only appearing when required and then quickly forgotten again. I would have preferred more time spent developing these characters further instead of the one or two superfluous scenes that seemed shoe-horned in for the sake of it (for example, Valkyrie makes an unnecessary visit to talk to her Uncle Gordon with the Echo Stone).

These minor gripes aside this is still a hugely enjoyable and exciting, fast-paced story riddled with great humour and moments of extreme horror. The story's climax at ######## (location hidden to avoid spoilers) with the Desolation Engine is one of the best scenes that Derek Lundy has produced so far, and is the kind of scene for which the oft used phrases "edge of your seat" and "heart in your mouth" were created.

However, I have saved the best news until last. In the past Skulduggery fans have had to wait approximately a year between episodes but in 2010 we are in for one hell of a treat - Book Five will be released in September 2010 so only just over six months to wait to find out what happens next.

Skulduggery Pleasant - Dark Days is published as a hardback edition by HarperCollins and is in stores now. Thank you to the kind people at HarperCollins for sending me an early copy to read.

*** Interview with Sam Enthoven (author of Crawlers)

April is horror month at The Book Zone and when planning this I could think of no better way to kick off the whole thing than with an interview with Sam Enthoven. Sam is the author of some of the best YA horror books in the last few years, including The Black Tattoo and Crawlers and I am flattered that he took time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions with such incredible enthusiasm.

How did you get the idea for Crawlers? The Barbican is a great location for the story – how did you decide to set Crawlers there?

Hi! I'll start by answering both these questions at once if I may, as the two are very much related: I got the initial spark for Crawlers when I was walking around the Barbican one night.

For those who don't know it, The Barbican is an extraordinary building. At the time it was built (the 1960s) it was an extremely futuristic piece of architecture – the most modern-looking structure its designers could imagine. It's still a fantastic centre for the arts: theatre, music, cinema, all sorts. But now, isolated in time, instead of looking modern and futuristic the Barbican looks… weird!

The night I first started thinking about what would eventually become Crawlers, I was looking at the Barbican. I saw its bare concrete walls, its pulsating carpet, its flickering striplights, its lifts that don't necessarily take you to the floor you want to go to – and I realised (like Ben in the book) that the place reminded me of something: games. I started imagining what it would be like to be chased down those corridors by something unspeakably horrible. And that's how the process of writing Crawlers began.

If you're serious about your writing you don't wait for ideas to come to you: you make them come. Sometimes I do that by asking myself questions (particularly: 'What sort of book would I, personally, most love to read?') But also, like most writers, there's a part of my brain that's always on the lookout for something that might – when you take it out of context, or twist it a little – turn out to be the spark of a story. Incidentally, I think that's just a hugely entertaining way to live and walk around in the world. I love this job!


What do you see as the main influences on your writing?

The biggest influence on my writing is probably the desire for there to be more stories that I love in the world. I get intensely infuriated by mediocre, lame, unimaginative storytelling – particularly unnecessary remakes and disappointing sequels. Conversely, when I find something I love – be it a book, a film, a game, a comic, animation, theatre, whatever – there's almost nothing that makes me happier. The possibility that one of my stories might have that effect on someone else (the latter effect, obviously!) is an inspiring goal to strive for, it seems to me.

Who are your greatest literary influences? (this is a question from one of my blog readers)

It's crucial for a writer to read as much and as widely as possible, because that's how you learn the tools of your trade – from seeing how others do it. So while this is a fair question, I have to say that a straight answer would take too long: there's just too much to list here!

You could check my LibraryThing profile. There you can find five hundred of my very favourite books – books that I think are amazing, and that people who like my stuff might like, too. But that list changes all the time. ;D

What is it about the horror genre that interests you so much? What do you think it is that draws so many young people to horror books?

I'll answer both these questions at once, too – this time because I think the answer to both is the same. People of all ages are fascinated by horror, and I'm no different.

The roots of horror go deep. When our caveman ancestors sat around the fire late at night telling stories, you can bet those stories weren't about people talking out their problems over cups of tea. Those stories would have been scary: stories that made people shudder, and huddle a bit closer.

I love the physical reactions that a well-turned horror tale can provoke in the reader: the tingle, the hairs' prickle, the nervous thrill when you turn the light out afterwards. And horror is compulsive. As a horror fan you want the storyteller to push you to your limits, test how much you can take, but at the same time you don't want to be bludgeoned by too much 'shock and gore' because your sensitivity to fear and suspense is what gives the experience of a good story its edge, its savour. I can't think of any other type of storytelling that has that sort of effect on people. Can you?

What was your first introduction to horror in literature?

I'm a little embarrassed to admit this(-!) but at first, when I was the age I write for, I adopted a disapproving attitude to horror. Despite – perhaps because – of what I've said above, horror has always had a reputation for being dodgy, dubious, even dangerous. I fell in with that prejudice because it was what some of the adults around me were suggesting I should feel: it seemed like the 'grown up' position to take.

But then, to my enormous good fortune, an English teacher at my school started reading some classic ghost stories to my class as an end of term treat. I remember vividly the first time I heard Rats, by M R James. That was it: that was the moment. After the climactic scene of that story I knew that anything that made me shiver like that just couldn't possibly be wrong - HEE HEE HEE! I've been a horror fan ever since.

Do you have a favourite horror book or horror movie?

There are a few that I seem to keep coming back to. The novel Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin is a low-key stone cold classic, as are several of his other books. I give Jack Finney's The Bodysnatchers a nod in the dedication of Crawlers because it's fabulous, period quirks and all. Filmwise the original Night of the Living Dead and The Abominable Dr Phibes are both firm favourites with me, albeit for very different reasons. For a more contemporary horror dose I'd recommend Ryuhei Kitamura's stunning film of Clive Barker's The Midnight Meat Train. And watch out for the novels of Joseph D'Lacey: you have been warned!

Have you seen Rabid? I know it's a bit cheesy these days, but hey - the front cover of Crawlers so reminds me of the delightful horrors you have in store for you, if you haven't already seen it (another question from one of my blog readers)

I have seen Rabid, and Shivers, and more: I love that early Cronenberg stuff! And I'm glad you like the cover of Crawlers. Rhys Willson, its designer, did a brilliant job. I adored that image as soon as I saw it but when, on a school visit, I first showed it to a roomful of potential young readers, and saw the way it reduced them to dead silence except for occasional whispers of 'Ew!' and 'Sick!', I knew we were definitely onto a winner.

What scares you?

Callousness. Lack of empathy. Small-mindedness. And just how horribly tempting and easy all those habits are to slip into, particularly as one gets older.

Some people think that horror writers must be a little weird to come up with their stories. Would you agree with them?

But everyone's weird. People are weird. I'm sorry if this comes as a surprise, but anyone reading this who thinks they aren't weird is kidding themselves: in fact they're probably weirder than most, because there's nothing more strange, more desperate, even harmful, than an obsessive desire to be normal.

Dark thoughts are an inescapable part of being a person. People repress those thoughts or make deals with them all the time: they have to, to get through the day. But those thoughts are still there, in everyone. Part of a writer's job (not just a horror writer – any writer) is to pick the darkest and juiciest of those thoughts and drag them out, squirming, into the open. Why? Because those thoughts make the spiciest ingredients for exciting stories!

I think that kind of awareness and feel for darkness actually makes horror writers less weird than most people. But I guess I would say that, wouldn't I? HEE HEE HEE HEE!

Do you have time to read any of the many books for children that are published these days? If so, are there any other books or authors that you would recommend fans of your books to read?

When I read books for young people I don't get any pleasure out of it: it's research, and it's terribly difficult and special and important and – No, I'm sorry, what I've just said is nothing less than an absolute out and out lie. I love reading books for young people, and right now (says he, aware that he might sound biased!) I truly believe that we're living through a golden age in literature for young readers. There is some brilliant, radical, experimental, thrilling storytelling being published in this area right now.

My current favourites include Chris Wooding, Bali Rai, Anthony McGowan, Alexander Gordon Smith, Kevin Brooks, Graham Joyce and all seven of the awesome other authors on Trapped By Monsters, the joint blog I'm currently involved with. We're always recommending books we love, so TBM and (as I mentioned already) my LibraryThing profile are two places you might want to look if you're after pointers to further fine reading. As well as this excellent blog, of course. ;)

Can you recommend one book that you think every boy should read at some point?

I don't mean to be rude, but I think it would be wrong to pick one book and tell everyone to read it. Every reader is different. Also (unlike more visual story forms like films and games) every book means something different to every person who reads it – and that's just one of the amazing things about reading. Reading is the single best way for a person to attempt to understand the wider world around us, and what it is to be human. It's also, I believe, one of the greatest pleasures in life. But I also believe that everyone should be free to choose what they read for themselves: fiction, biography, history, criticism, science, journalism, car manuals, whatever. 'Each man skin his own skunk' as a friend of mine used to say.

I know Crawlers hasn’t even been released yet but can you give us any hints as to other writing projects you are working on?

Certainly. My next project is a novella about a heist on the Bank of England. I'm particularly pleased with the climactic ninja fight, in the Bank's most secret vault, between the central character and his mum, but the scene with the sucker pads and the laser booby-trap isn't bad either (hee hee hee!) I'm also currently working on another full-length novel, but I'm afraid the details of that are going to have to remain a secret for now. I can tell you that it's for the same age-group as my other books. It's set in contemporary London, it will be fast and (I hope) thrilling and it's got monsters in it. But I don't think any of those facts will come as much of a surprise somehow – or not to anyone who's familiar with what I do. ;D

Is there anything else you would like to say to the readers of this blog?

If you'd like to find out more about me and my work, take a look at my homepage: http://www.samenthoven.com/

Thanks, best wishes, and Happy Reading! –Sam, Feb 2010

~~~

I think you will agree when I say that this is one hell of an interview. I have been sitting on this for over a month, desperately wanting to publish it but also wanting it to be the opening salute for my horror month. Thanks again Sam for your time and words of wisdom. Crawlers is officially released today!