The Shadow Keeper, by Abi Elphinstone, is the sequel to The Dreamsnatcher, which was one of my top 3 books of last year. So let’s get that out of the way – is it as good as The Dreamsnatcher? No. It’s even better. Everything I loved about The Dreamsnatcher is present in The Shadow Keeper,… Read More
The Many Worlds of Albie Bright, by Christopher Edge, is a quantum fairy-tale. Albie – short for Albert, named after Albert Einstein – is the son of two scientists: his Dad has a popular science TV show, and his Mum worked down a mine, safe from the interfering effects of cosmic rays, probing the universe… Read More
The Night Raid is another of Caroline Lawrence’s retellings of stories from Virgil’s Aeneid for Barrington Stoke. After I reviewed Queen of the Silver Arrow a few days ago, Ms Lawrence was kind enough to send me a copy of The Night Raid for review. While Queen of the Silver Arrow is taken mostly from Book XI… Read More
Queen of the Silver Arrow, by Caroline Lawrence, is a retelling of part of Virgil’s Aeneid – the story of Camilla, huntress and warrior, who comes to the aid of Prince Turnus against the invading Trojans, led by Aeneas, who are fleeing the sack of Troy and looking for a new home in Italy. I love… Read More
Cat Burglar by Tamsin Cooke is the story of Scarlet McCall, 13-year-old completely unremarkable schoolgirl by day, apprentice cat burglar by night. Her dad is in the business of stealing back stolen art and antiquities – and given that this involves balaclavas, night-vision goggles, and grappling hooks, Scarlet is only too happy to accompany her… Read More
New Year status report 2016
I did an annual update for 2015 and 2014, so in that grand tradition, here’s the 2016 edition. So, did anything interesting happen this year? Let’s take a look. The Wreck of the Argyll This book started the year on the shortlist for the Great War Dundee Children’s Book Prize, and to my utter amazement,… Read More
And now for the second and final part of my books of 2015. Part one covered my top 5 adult books: this is my list of my top 10 children’s books. Same rules as before. The publication date has absolutely no bearing. This is purely a list of the best books I read in 2015. Slight… Read More
As in previous years, I’m doing a run-down of the best books I’ve read this year. This year it’s split into two parts: adult books and children’s books. I haven’t read enough comics this year to come up with a top five – although if I did, it would certainly include John Allison’s Giant Days ongoing series… Read More
Island of Dreams is an account of Dan Boothby’s time as an unpaid volunteer warden on Kyleakin Lighthouse Island, a former home of the famous writer Gavin Maxwell, author of Ring of Bright Water and other books. The lighthouse is no longer a lighthouse, and the island is barely an island – it serves as a foot… Read More
The cover of my book, The Wreck of the Argyll, has a quote from the author and historian Allan Burnett: “An exciting and fast-paced spy thriller, The Wreck of the Argyll is my kind of story.” I’ve always been particularly pleased with that quote, for one reason above all others. Back in September 2014, I was… Read More