The Liberators: First Paragraph

 

Blackwood darted through the crowds like lightning, his feet pounding on the pavement, splashing in puddles. The chill of December seared through his bones. Around him the press of people on their Friday shopping trips surged and flowed; a flock of pigeons scattered, startled. Blackwood pushed past an old lady, overturning her trolley. He saw a railing ahead of him, checked behind, and leaped over it in one bound, landing lightly on the other side. It was raining, and he was panting, and he could feel the taste of blood in his mouth, and drops of tangy sweat rolled down his cheeks. The stab wound in his shoulder throbbed. He had been running for half an hour, and he had lost all communication with Hunter, and one of the Liberators was just behind him. 

From The Liberators by Philip Womack: get it here.

The Liberators back in print

I decided to try out Print on Demand, as I like the idea of keeping back list titles alive. The Liberators was my second novel, and it came out 12 years ago. It was about a young boy, Ivo, who comes to London and finds some distinctly strange things going on. It's dark and weird and won some fans (including a girl who told me at the Young Adult Literature Convention that it was her favourite book.) 

It also deals with some of the same themes as my in print books, particularly Wildlord, which sees an older boy going off to Suffolk and encountering a mage-like figure. So I thought I'd bring it back. I hope it may find new readers.

You can buy it on Amazon here.

Review of The Liberators in Books for Keeps

I was absolutely delighted to see a review of my second novel, The Liberators, in Books for Keeps. This book came out in 2010 - a long time ago now, it seems. It was very well received, both by the reading public and by reviewers; and yet, about a year ago, it disappeared into the huge hinterland of out of print titles. I've long quietly hoped for a re-issue: I hope this review might help bring it back into the world. You can read the review here - and what is even nicer is that it was by a reader, who came across it, presumably, on the shelves of a library: in other words, the serendipitous delight brought by physical browsing.

I've learnt, I hope, a lot about writing, and specifically writing for children, in the last decade; but I do have a special fondness for this, my strange, dark, second novel. The themes of The Liberators - myth, financial crisis, excess, rioting, the role of art, the city as threatening space - are still relevant today, and I hope that it will continue to reach readers, in whatever form - whether it's a well-thumbed second hand copy, the excellent audiobook read by Tim Bruce - or perhaps even a new, shiny edition.

Troika Books press release for THE DARKENING PATH

Troika Books Press release: Troika Books acquisition news 4 November 2013

Womack trilogy The Darkening Path to Troika Books

Troika Books, the new children’s independent set up by veteran publisher Martin West is pleased to announce a major acquisition for 2014. The company has acquired The Darkening Path, a fantasy trilogy by Philip Womack, acclaimed author of The Other Book and The Liberators. The first book in the trilogy will publish in June 2014.

“The Darkening Path is a superlatively well-written quest adventure that will keep readers on the edge of their seats from the opening page to the very last word,” says West, “Taking as its starting point Browning’s poem Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, the book tells the story of a boy called Simon who must undertake a dangerous journey into a brilliantly realised underworld to save his little sister. It is reminiscent of Alan Garner and Susan Cooper, intelligent fantasy for young readers of the very highest order. We are anticipating excellent review coverage and are hopeful of prize short-listings too.”

Troika’s promotional plans include trade support and a PR campaign. Proofs of book one, The Darkening Path, will be available in January.

West acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Tom Williams at the Williams Agency.

Plus, Troika Books bringing Snowy back at last

Troika Books has also acquired rights in Berlie Doherty’s much-loved picture book Snowy and will reissue it in February next year. Snowy is the story of Rachel, who lives on a canal barge, Snowy is the white horse who pulls her boat. “Snowy won the Children’s Book Award for the best picture book of the year on publication in 1993 and is a favourite with many readers, booksellers and librarians. But it has been unavailable for some years,” says West. “I am thrilled to be bringing this outstanding children’s book back into print and immensely proud to have Berlie Doherty, one of our finest children’s authors, on the Troika Books list.”

For further information contact:

Andrea Reece
Troika Books
020 8889 1292 / 07807893369
andrea.reece@zen.co.uk

Notes for editors

Martin West began his long career in children’s books at Oxford University Press and Blackie before launching his own list Happy Cat Books. He founded Catnip Publishing in 2005 and joined Ragged Bears in 2009. He launched Troika Books in Spring 2013. Launch titles included Bocchi and Pocchi A Tale of Two Socks, a stylish and quirky picture book by debut artist Noriko Matsubara, as well as new books from award-winning children’s authors Bernard Ashley and Hilda Offen.

Troika Books sales are handled by Target Sales and distribution is through Orca Book Services. Petula Chaplin handles foreign rights sales.

Robin Robertson's Hill of Doors

Bacchus is, naturally, my favourite divine being (see The Liberators): so I was well pleased to see him play such an important part in Robin Robertson's excellent Hill of Doors, which I have reviewed for The Telegraph, here.

Audiobook of The Liberators - a perfect Christmas present

Christmas is almost upon us - and what better present to give to your children than a fine audiobook of The Liberators? It's read beautifully by Tim Bruce, and it's a lovely way to while away seven hours or so in the car. You can also download it, as well as buy the CDs.

Goldfish with Machine Guns: A Talk with the Liberators at Cranleigh Library

To Cranleigh,  for a reading group at the well-stocked and inviting library, where I was very warmly welcomed and given cake (which is a Very Good Thing.) We discussed bits of The Liberators and The Other Book, and also wider aspects of writing in general. It was interesting to hear what the children (aged between 11 and 12) were reading: a lot of Hunger Games and Twilight. I went round the room to discover what would be in the ideal book, and this is what they came up with:

A haunted house. A squirrel. A goldfish with a machine gun. Alien dinosaurs with jet packs. A magic mirror opening onto another world. A mystery. A flying pig called Gordon. A giant dog-eating ant. And a man-eating cake.

So if you could put all those together into a book, you'd be rich. (Possibly.)

It was a fun afternoon: an enormous thank you the the staff of the library, and to the reading group themselves - who have chosen to call themselves The Liberators, which is an accolade a man can hardly dream of. (Liber, of course, meaning book in Latin, as well as free. And of course liberi means children.)

It's a powerful argument for keeping libraries going - providing a place for children to get together and read and talk about books, and to come across things that they wouldn't necessarily have done. All power to the Liberators of Cranleigh

The Liberators - as text book!

Some cheering news in the post to liven this gloomy January week - an extract from The Liberators is being used as the basis for a comprehension question in a CGP "Practise and Learn English" textbook, for children aged 10-11. It's the "Modern Text", sitting opposite L M Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables as the "Classic Text", which makes me rather happy to be in such company. Also I think I can just about do the comprehension questions ... Of course education is an important theme in The Liberators, what with the snivelling tutor Perkins. I look forward to the first, annotated, scholarly edition, with an introduction by Philip Pullman.

Squirrels and salmon: Reading at Cranmore Preparatory School

A squirrel: Not a character in my book (yet)

Into the wilds of Surrey (well, as wild as Surrey gets I suppose) to visit Cranmore Preparatory, a relatively new (founded in the 1960s) school near Effingham. The sun was particularly bright today, setting the scene for a bright day. It was a pleasure to meet the staff and pupils, who received me very warmly. I read two passages in their beautiful auditorium - one from The Other Book, in which Edward is chased underground by Mrs Phipps and Lady Anne, and is almost choked to death; and one from the beginning of The Liberators, in which Blackwood is, er, chased underground by a Liberator and a group of Acolytes. Do you sense a theme?

The boys asked some very pertinent questions (particularly about my fascination with squirrels), and I was treated to an excellent lunch of salmon before pottering off home to London. I'm sure school food wasn't like that in my day, back in the nineteenth century, when of course we were all fed on brimstone and treacle. I'd like to say an enormous thank you to the school for having me, and if they would like to offer me a pet squirrel, I wouldn't say no.

They've put me on their website here.

Creative Writing Workshop at Greycoats Hospital

Is she happy or not?

To the pleasant streets of Victoria today, for an intense Creative Writing Workshop at Greycoats Hospital school. The school is a large, ancient and pleasant building very near to Victoria Station. It's a girls' school, and I (having arrived late, and slightly flummoxed) was talking to four groups (one after the other) about the basic structuring of writing a story. It was exhausting, but also exhilarating. I talked about the importance of sources - for me the Titian painting of Ariadne and Bacchus as a major point of inspiration for The Liberators. The girls impressed me with their mythological knowledge of Theseus and the Minotaur, and also of myriad other subjects including Romeo (and Gnomeo) and Juliet. Influences as diverse as Slumdog Millionaire, Cinderella and Pygmalion came up (the latter causing some to burst into a rendition of Eliza Doolittle the pop singer). We also talked about how inspiration can be found in the most mundane things - a dead pigeon, a postbox - and the supreme importance of plot and believable characters, as well as the necessity of figures of speech, and the girls came up with some lovely similes. I hope that they took a lot away from the event - in terms of the need for structure, rigour and hard work in the business of writing - and I would like to extend my thanks to the school for the warm welcome I received, and especially to Melissa Hanbury for inviting me.

Reading at Standon Calling, 12th-14th August

Hello hello, and news just in: I'll be doing readings from The Other Book and The Liberators at Standon Calling Festival this coming August. I'm not sure about exactly which date yet, but the festival is 12th-14th. Also reading will be Howard Marks, Stuart Evers and Evie Wyld, amongst others. Oh, and there will be music too: I hear that Spiritualized are headlining.

My review of last year's Standon Calling

Review of The Liberators by Philip Womack on Just Imagine

I've stumbled across this review of The Liberators on the Just Imagine Story Centre. It's a lovely one:

"Ivo Moncrieff is thirteen and a half years old and he’s never been to London. Even before arriving at his glamorous aunt and uncle’s home for Christmas, he’s thrown into the greatest adventure any boy could ask for. As he enters London’s Underground, and waits for a train, an object is thrust into his hands by a wild stranger with an incoherent message. Moments later the boy witnesses the stranger’s gruesome murder, and Ivo is next in line to die if he doesn’t keep his wits about him. Ivo finds out he’s up against the ancient power of the Liberators who, after centuries in the shadows, are impatient to overthrow London. The murderers want the object, they seem untouchable from the laws of the land, and he’s a vulnerable child in a grown-up’s world. As the city approaches total breakdown, it’s all down to Ivo; his two new friends, a boy and a girl; plus an eccentric slightly over the hill adult hero. “Myth and fantasy intrigued me,” Philip Womack states, “I have always been interested in the human…to impose patterns upon what is chaos, and to find meaning in what we find meaningless.”

" The Liberators is a book full of rumbustious non-stop action from start to finish. It must be the dream of many boys to be caught up in a fantastic escapade completely outside an adult’s experience and imagination. This is its strength and some of its weakness. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It didn’t let up for a single moment, not even when Ivo goes for a cup of tea in a café; I would have adored to have been a customer that day. Tatler (also, informally, The Tatler) has stated that Philip Womack is "The New Philip Pullman".

"An enthralling tale that attempts to explore what it means to be a child surrounded by adults who have power and authority. "

http://www.justimaginestorycentre.co.uk/content/liberators

Olly the Octopus and Tom the Multi-Coloured Sea Monster at Ravenstone School

Olly the Octopus, relaxing

To Gloucester Road, on a delightfully sunny day, to give a reading to a small group of children at Ravenstone School, ranging from 6 to 10. They listened very attentively to some readings from The Other Book (the scene in which Edward is chased by a monster, and also about half of the first chapter in which Tristram de la Zouche watches his father murder his nurse....) and also the very beginning of The Liberators. Ravens play a very important part in The Other Book, and even (although erroneously) make an appearance on the cover of The Liberators, so it was very appropriate to read from TOB at Ravenstone.

One of the teachers made a list of useful verbs after I read (which I was very pleased to see) for the children to think about; later one of the girls asked where I got them from. I answered, 'The verb shop, of course, just near Gloucester Road.'

In the last ten minutes we wrote a Philip's Patented Ten-Minute Story, which went like this:

One day, Olly the Octopus was minding his own business, as octopuses do, on the bottom of the sea bed, when he saw in the distance an enormous multicoloured sea monster rushing towards him. 'Help!' thought Olly, who was very frightened. He was so frightened that he squirted out some red ink at the monster. Squirt squirt squirt!


The sea monster ran away, and Olly was happy. But then he heard a strange noise. What was it? It was the sound of sobbing. Olly went to investigate. Hiding behind a rock was the sea monster. Now Olly was still very frightened but he plucked up enough courage to ask, 'What's the matter?'


'You squirted ink in my face!' said the monster. 'And my name's Tom the multi-coloured sea monster, and I only wanted to be friends.'

So Olly the Octopus apologised. They made friends, and ate invisible ice-cream, and went off to float on the top of the sea, splashing and sploshing like seals.

There  you go. Not bad for ten minutes, if I say so myself...

Readings at Ludgrove

Ludgrovian Books

Appropriately enough, for the week after the Royal Wedding, I headed to Ludgrove this morning, where Princes William and Harry were both pupils, to give a couple of readings and talks to the older boys, of both The Liberators and The Other Book. Ludgrove's half-timbered cosiness contains a room in which the name of every boy who ever attended is recorded, which adds a fine sense of continuity and heritage. (At my prep they only wrote up the Head Boy's name, which I always thought rather unfair).  Stuck up against Prince William's was a picture of the Prince and Kate Middleton before their wedding - the school had been celebrating over the weekend.




The readings took place in the lecture hall. I read a scene from The Other Book in which our young hero Edward Pollock is chased by a spirit made out of the stones and mud of the Manor itself; and the first chapter of The Liberators. The questions were acute and perceptive and I very much enjoyed answering them and signing the books.

On a tour of the school I was struck down almost immediately by memories of my own prep, Dorset House: the particular, shall we say, odour of the boot room; the dormitories with their low beds and single teddy bears; the cricket and the art and the general atmosphere of kindness and industry. So a huge thank you to the librarian, staff and boys of Ludgrove, and I wish them all the best for the end of this academic year.

You can see pictures of the talk on the Ludgrove website HERE.

The Liberators by Philip Womack, read by Tim Bruce: review

legousi d'hos tis eiseleluthe zenos
goes epodos Ludias apo chtonos
zanthoisi bostruxoisin euosmon komen

An outsider has come, they say,
Howling out enchantments: a sorceror, from Lydia.
His hair smells sweet, his golden curls like lightning. (The Bacchae, Euripides, lines 233-235, translation by PW.)

Unlocking the inspiration for any book is an impossible task: there are usually several strands, some of which the author may not be aware of until even years after he or she has finished a book. But one cornerstone of The Liberators was always The Bacchae. In it, Pentheus refuses to believe in the avatar of Bacchus (pictured, looking as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, by Simeon Solomon), and meets a bloody death, torn apart by his own mother. Thus was born the idea of a positive force misused for evil.

The dramatic origins of The Liberators were brought to the fore of my mind as I listened to Tim Bruce reading it (six CDs, six days). The recording opens with my translation of the lines from the play which describe the arrival of Bacchus - a stranger with golden hair who promises enchantment. (I was very glad that they chose to do this; not least because one of the reasons I wrote The Liberators was to bring Ancient Greek to children in a digestible form).

One listens to an audiobook as if one were a child: entirely. Thus the scenes that I wrote appeared in my mind in glorious detail. In fact, I think I am going to hire somebody to read out my manuscripts to me as it makes one alive to nuance in a way that is impossible when you are reading it on the page, or even (as I sometimes do) reading it out loud.

Tim Bruce's voice is rich and mellow, capable of ranging from a very haughty Olivia Rocksavage, through the looser tones of the teenagers, to Strawbones' fake cockney, and Julius' harsh, barbaric accent. Strawbones shifts nicely from charismatic to monstrous. One thing that was very effective was the way that Bruce made the ecstatic cry of the Liberators sound. In his hands (as it were) it was a lilting, quasi-religious song, with two long, descending tones. I'd always imagined it as a fiercer, more brutal sound, but it was chillingly good.

Bruce also conveyed brilliantly changes of pace; Ivo's meeting with Julius in his flat was terrifying. It is also rather wonderful to hear the faint crackle of the recording, as if the static makes it authoritative and real.

Hearing the book has also made me notice things I hadn't before; for instance, Ivo's breaking of Strawbones' painting after he's destroyed the Liberators is a manifestation of rage that he should have controlled. There are still lessons to be learned; it's not all finished yet. But, as Ivo thinks as he approaches the end, 'there is a pattern in the world, there is a way into the future.' Listening to the book has been immensely rewarding and enriching; the syllables flowed over me warm and exhilarating. I hope that all who hear it will enjoy it too.

Cancel all your plans... The Liberators Has Become An Audiobook

It's been a quiet few days, of reading, watching the third series of Being Human and (at last) writing. Not much excitement of the literary variety, until this morning when I went out into the streaming sunshine and found that a parcel had been left for me. Parcels are, usually, not very exciting, after you've opened them at least, but this one contained a shining, fresh, new-born copy of the Audiobook of The Liberators (pictured in its glorious tangibility, and published by the excellent Oakhill Publishing). I rushed straight to put it on - it's playing now. The entire reading time is 7 hrs and 30 minutes, which is about the length of Being Human. Tim Bruce, who reads it, has been in all sorts of things, including one of my most favourite recent films (Bright Young Things), and has a marvellous voice, precise and well-modulated. Once I've listened to it all I'll write a longer piece, but for now the excitement has to be passed on... I've just heard him read Blackwood instructing Ivo and it has actually made me shiver, on this bright day.

The Leatherhead Advertiser

World Book Week: Final Day: Pilgrims' School, Winchester

Into the cloistral charms of Winchester for my final talk at Pilgrims' Winchester, a beautiful school set right near to the Cathedral. One of its halls has an ancient timbered ceiling - you can well believe that Chaucerian monks, friars, merchants and other salty characters quaffed, prayed and quarrelled beneath those heavy, cobwebbed beams.

The entrance hall to the school has many sporting mementos - footballs and bats signed by sporting heroes; outside boys played in the cool sunlight.

The boys listened to two readings from The Liberators - my stalwart choice is the opening chapter, with its cliffhanger, deathly chase scenes and severed limbs; I also read to them the riot scene in Oxford Circus, when Strawbones Luther-Ross causes mayhem in the middle of the road. The questions were acute and perceptive - even the ones about squirrels. One boy asked me if I'd ever dreamed myself into one of my books - that really caught my imagination. I'm going to try tonight... it would be wonderful, would it not?

I left Pilgrims feeling extraordinarily happy - and also with wistful memories of my old school, Dorset House, which was the inspiration for my first novel, The Other Book.

Farewell to World Book Week then... until next year.

World Book Week: St Teresa's, Reading

The last time I was due to give a reading at St Teresas, the world got in the way - most of the county was snowed in, and I stayed in London. As I said to the girls, I lacked a shovel, so I could hardly burrow my way in... So I was mightily pleased to make it down there today, when it couldn't have been more different: in the most brilliant rays of sunshine, for a belated talk and reading.

St Teresas sits on top of a hill in the middle of nowhere - it's a little bit like going back in time. The staff and pupils gave me an excellent welcome, and we had a very good discussion about The Liberators. I was pleased to see so many girls wanting to be writers or journalists - keep at it, is my advice. Thanks so much to all involved.

World Book Week: Thomas' Clapham, Reading of The Liberators

It's WORLD BOOK WEEK. Huzzah! A week to celebrate books can only be a Good Thing (although I don't especially agree with the million book give away - but that's another question.)

A drizzly, dour start to the week, but a splendidly warm welcome from the pupils and staff of Thomas' Clapham. I almost didn't make it on time, as I relied on my GPS phone working - which of course it didn't, in the wilds of Clapham (chiz chiz); luckily I'd absent-mindedly looked at a map at breakfast and was able to use my knowledge of the stars to find the school, which is a large Victorian-gothic, gingerbread coloured mansion.

I chatted to the older years briefly, and read them the first chapter of The Liberators. There were some good questions from the floor ('is Rio Ferdinand your favourite footballer?' [to put this in context, he attended {accidentally} my launch party last year]).

All in all it was a fun beginning to what promises to be an extremely dervishing kind of week. I've got two more school talks, and an event with the fantastic Mr Philip Reeve in Richmond on Thursday. Long live The Liberators!