Telegraph Christmas Day iPad edition extract of THE BROKEN KING

Some lovely Christmas news: The Telegraph are going to run an extract from my new book, THE BROKEN KING, in their Christmas Day iPad edition. Look out for it.

To the left is a picture of Childe Roland, by Edward Burne Jones. THE BROKEN KING takes its cue from Browning's poem, "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came."

Poor Miss Finch by Wilkie Collins: Blue men and blindness

I haven't read a Wilkie Collins since I was an adolescent; what with the new biography out this year, by Andrew Lycett, I found myself drawn to one of them which is rather more obscure than The Moonstone.

Poor Miss Finch is unlikely to be found on many university reading lists, still less library shelves, and yet I think, despite its faults, it deserves a little attention because of its sheer weirdness, and because of the refreshingly dashing nature of its female characters (bar one). It was published in 1872 (some time after The Moonstone), and contains portraits of two of the most daring and adventurous Victorian heroines I've ever come across.

Miss Finch, far from being poor (therein lies the irony) is a woman of private means who lives in her own quarters in her father's rectory; the inhabitants of her rather dismal village term her "poor" because of her blindness. She, however, is a delightful creature, who thrills with sensitivity at the touch and sound of the things she encounters. She is clever, forceful, and brave enough to take matters into her own hand, standing up to her boorish father and organising her own destiny. Crucially, though, she has a hatred of dark colours (which she claims she can sense.)

The novel is narrated by a Madame Pratolungo - a Frenchwoman who spent her fortune fighting in various countries for Republicanism (no, really) - who ends up as a companion to Miss Finch (named, of course, Lucilla - little light.)

There are some extremely striking, not to say lurid scenes: a little girl arrives in the rectory with a message scrawled on her pinafore in blood; the hero, apparently weedy Oscar Dubourg, arrives shrouded in mystery - he's been let off a murder charge because of the evidence of a clock. More strange still is the plot which - bear with me - continues like this. Oscar Dubourg has a charismatic layabout artist twin brother, Nugent, who comes to stay and sponge; Oscar falls in love with Lucilla, and they make tentative moves towards marriage.

The crisis of the novel comes when Oscar develops epilepsy. In order to be cured, he embarks on a course of silver nitrates, which has the unfortunate effect of turning him blue. Since Lucilla hates dark complexions, when she hears one of the children asking where "the blue man is," everyone pretends that it's Nugent who's gone blue, not Oscar. And so the stage is set for an impersonation which will see Lucilla's virtue tested and Oscar's courage blossom.

The sensationalism of the plot kept me going: I will admit that some aspects of the latter parts of the novel began to drag a little - there was perhaps too much discussion about various minor matters, and there is a character, a gourmand oculist called Grosse, whose German-English expressions become immensely wearying - but on the whole, those who wish to understand how a complex plot can be manipulated, and to see the beginnings of the "weird" in our literature, should definitely take a look. And I won't mind if you skip the last few chapters.

Literary Review Children's Christmas Round Up

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the December / January super-soaraway-bumper edition of Literary Review is out NOW, and in its already brimming pages you'll find my round up of children's books for Christmas, featuring:

The Hanged Man Rises by Sarah Naughton,
Lockwood and Co by Jonathan Stroud,
Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse by Chris Riddell,
The Dead Men Stood Together by Chris Priestley,
Close Your Pretty Eyes by Sally Nicholls,
Hello Darkness by Anthony McGowan,
How to Be Invisible by Tim Lott,
Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein,
The Company of Ghosts by Berlie Doherty,
Hold Your Breath by Caroline Green,
Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre,
and Runners  by Ann Kelley.

Telegraph Christmas Books Round Up

Sally Gardner: Hot stuff

Hello all: December creeps towards us, and what better time than to think about what books to get for any children of your acquaintance. Here's my round up of the best of this year, done for The Telegraph. It features a host of novels, from Sally Gardner, Emma Carroll, Katherine Rundell, Marcus & Julian Sedgwick, F E Higgins, Philippa Gregory, Anthony McGowan; my review of Patrick Ness' More Than This was cut, so I've pasted it here below:

 Patrick Ness’ More Than This (Walker Books, £10.99, 477pp), is a book which descends from our anxieties about our universe, as seen in films such as The Matrix. What is this strange world on which we live, and what if it was all a simulacrum? Ness’ treatment of his troubled gay hero is thoughtful and brave – which more than makes up for the slightly creaky premise.

BBC South East: Costa Children's Books

I tootled down to Brighton College today, which certainly brought back a few memories, as it resembles rather closely my own alma mater, Lancing. I was there to be filmed talking about one of the shortlisted books for the Costa Children's Award - Chris Riddell's Goth Girl and The Ghost of A Mouse, which sees a Byronic cycling poet's daughter, Ada, uncover a nasty conspiracy going on in the grounds of her vast house, Gormly-ghast. I'm not sure when the piece will be on television, but I shall post a link as soon as I am told.

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.

T C Boyle Short Stories; Volume 2

T C Boyle: Giant of a man

Morning everyone, and a happy Hallowe'en for yesterday. I've reviewed T C Boyle's short stories; one or two of them, I suppose, could be considered topically scary; I did it for The Telegraph. Check it out here.