Warrior Number One is the third book I’ve read in Franklin Watts‘ fast and fun Edge series – and, to my mind, it’s the funniest thing Andy Briggs has written. Meet Carl – small, thin, geeky and obsessed with a computer game called Barbarianz. Carl is battling his way through the various levels to try [...]
Category > Brilliant Books!
Freak of Fortune by Ali Sparkes
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – writing a book with a limited word count is a hard thing to do. Fitting a complete story with a beginning, middle and end, a setting that feels real from page one, and rounded, believable characters into such a small space is tough – and [...]
Lifters by Joe Craig
Last night I bought and downloaded Lifters by Joe Craig for the Kindle. I’d known the book was coming for a while but, aside from having seen the cover, I didn’t know anything about the story itself. So, I was really looking forward to reading it. It’s not easy keeping the word count down when [...]
The Right Guidebook
I’m typing this post in Tokyo, Japan. I’m here on what, for me, is the trip of a lifetime. I knew I’d need to bring the right guidebook. The top two are great – very useful, full of all sorts of excellent information. But for obvious reasons the bottom one is my favourite. I’ve only [...]
Lydia’s Tin Lid Drum
Now here’s a story with a difference. Set in a world of sweets, where being able to cook up tasty treats can give you celebrity status unlike anything Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsey could ever dream of, Lydia’s Tin Lid Drum is a most extraordinary story. Debut author, Neale Osborne, has a most unusual style [...]
Great Spy Books for Girls!
I do try to read a diverse selection of books and when possible I try to read at least one of a series before buying them for my daughter (to make sure the content is suitable). While on holiday this summer I decided to try the first of a series by Ally Carter: I’d Tell [...]
Reading, reading, reading!
I promised an update on some of the stuff I’ve been reading and here it is, long overdue! Starting with my favourite writer for children, Philip Reeve. I’ve read two of Philip’s books over the Summer, and I’ve still got a few left that I haven’t found time for yet, so no doubt I’ll be [...]
INCREDIBLE!
What is The Incal? I’ve read and adored this story a bunch of times now and frankly – like its protagonist, John diFool – sometimes I’m still not sure. As far as I can figure, The Incal is a godlike entity with the power to unite the population of the universe against the invading forces [...]
They Think It’s All Over…
On Friday 6th October 2006, I spent the day running creative writing workshops at a school in Wallsend, Newcastle. I’d quit my day job as operations director for a children’s touring theatre company a week earlier to become a full-time writer, and was throwing myself into school visits as a way to earn some money. [...]
I’ve been busy!
If you’ve wondering why I’ve been quiet recently, it’s been on account of this: I’ve been locked in my cave editing like crazy and I’m pleased to say that I think I’ve created my best story yet. If you like action, thrills, spills and surprises, this story has them all. It’s gone along paths that [...]
