The Book Zone: Jon Mayhew

Showing posts with label Jon Mayhew. Show all posts

Saturday, 30 January 2016

Book Zone Box Set #3 - The Monster Odyssey Series by Jon Mayhew

In my Book Zone Box Set feature I put the spotlight on a series of books that I have read and enjoyed, and would highly recommend to any parent asking about suitable books for their child. The recent release of The Venom of the Scorpion made Jon Mayhew's Monster Odyssey series a deserving addition to the 'box set' shelf.

If you're a long time reader of The Book Zone the you probably already know that I am a big fan of Jon Mayhew's writing, from Mortlock, his super creepy, Victorian-set mystery/horror story, right through to his Monster Odyssey series. If you're a new visitor then welcome and you need look no further than my reviews of the first two books in this series, The Eye of Neptune and The Wrath of the Lizard Lord, to a) find out what they're all about and b) see why I enjoyed them so much.

The Venom of the Scorpion is the fourth, and I believe final book in this fab series, although I'm am still no wiser as to why Bloomsbury didn't give a 'Young Nemo' title to this series. Even though Prince Dakkar does not take this title at any point in these four adventures, we know pretty much from the start that he is destined to become the Captain Nemo of Jules Verne's classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Who else would be travelling around the world in a submarine called the Nautilus? We've had Young Sherlock and Young Bond, so why not Young Nemo? I would not be surprised if there are many fans of Verne's classic who do not know these are, to some degree, prequels.

Like Andrew Lane's Young Sherlock series, great delight can be gained from these stories in spotting the development of the character traits that the well-known adult character possess. All the important elements of the adult Captain Nemo's personality evolve as the story progresses: arrogance; bravery; resourcefulness; a natural leader who inspires loyalty in those who follow him; his love of the ocean; and now, in The Venom of the Scorpion, his hatred of oppression and imperialism. For a middle grade reader, these four books are the perfect introduction to the more challenging Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (although you may also want to drop the odd hint that it is okay to skim read some parts, specifically the numerous, lengthy descriptions of marine life that Verne includes in his story).

Like Verne's original, these books are cracking adventure stories and they are perfect for any young lover of thrilling action/adventure stories.

My thanks go to the fab people at Bloomsbury for keeping me provided with the Monster Odyssey books as they were published, most recently The Venom of the Scorpion which brings this series to a more than satisfactory end (although, and it may be a little too much to hope for, still leaving things open for more adventures in the future).

Wednesday, 22 October 2014

Review: The Wrath of the Lizard Lord by Jon Mayhew

Prince Dakkar and his mentor Count Oginski discover a plot by arch-enemy Cryptos to kill Napoleon. Arriving on their revolutionary submersible to intercept Cryptos, they glimpse a terrifying monster that seems to escape back into the bowels of the Earth. It leads them to discover an amazing underground world, and a plan more nefarious than they could ever have believed - even from Cryptos.

The stage is set for an epic showdown complete with a giant reptilian cavalry and the Battle of Waterloo, in another breathlessly paced and endlessly inventive adventure for fans of Percy Jackson.

It isn't obvious from the the cover (or spine) of this book, but The Wrath of the Lizard Lord is the second book in Jon Mayhew's Monster Odyssey series, and a direct sequel to The Eye of Neptune. It is thus the second adventure for Prince Dakkar, Jon Mayhew's teen protagonist who will one day become Captain Nemo. Before I say any more about this book, there is just one thing I would love to get off my chest: why on earth is this series not called The Adventures of Young Nemo (or similar)? The Young Bond, Young Sherlock and rebooted Tarzan books seem to have garnered far more reviews and chatter online that either of the two Monster Odyssey books, and I genuinely feel that this is because they aren't being billed as 'Young Nemo'. I hope the scarcity of reviews does not also mean poor sales, as that would be a travesty as both of these Monster Odyssey books are brilliant, all-action adventure stories that are pure, unadulterated fun to read.

Dakkar is very different from the spoiled and arrogant brat we were first introduced to in The Eye of Neptune. As a result of his experiences battling Count Cryptos in that story he has matured and whilst still somewhat headstrong, he is also courageous and beginning to shoe true leadership qualities. These qualities become even more important in this outing as his mentor, Oginski, is badly injured during an abortive attempt to rescue Napoleon Bonaparte from Elba, and Dakkar soon finds himself in the middle of another megalomaniac's quest for world domination. Readers of The Eye of Neptune will already know that Count Cryptos had five other brothers, all bearing the name Cryptos, and all just as hungry for power on a global scale.

Like its predecessor, The Wrath of the Lizard Lord is an edge-of-your-seat adventure story that draws inspiration from one of Jules Verne's classics, this time Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Thus we have nasty prehistoric creatures, giants (of the human-like kind), and a fantastic underground world that very few people know exists. Throw in a few familar faces from Dakkar's first adventure, a character called Mary based very loosely on real-life Victorian fossil-hunter Mary Anning, and a plot to change the course of history (well, the history that we know), and you have the recipe for a hugely fulfilling story that is exciting enough to satisfy the hunger of any young fan of action/adventure stories.

I hope these books are attracting the high levels of readership that they deserve. The ability to grab a reader has become par for the course in any book written by Jon Mayhew, and The Wrath of the Lizard Lord is no exception, and I'm certainly looking forward to reading Prince Dakkar's next adventure. According to the Bloomsbury website, this third book, titled The Curse of the Ice Serpent, is out in January 2015 and it sounds great:

Having stopped two of the six evil Oginski brothers, Dakkar now faces double danger from the Oginski twins – possibly the most cunning and devious of the brothers yet.

Set in the icy wastes of Greenland, Dakkar must battle giant bears, vicious arctic sharks and a sabretooth tiger as he hunts for the fabled Thermolith, a source of great heat energy which the Oginskis also seek, in order to complete their preparations for a new world order with themselves at the helm.

My thanks go to the wonderful people at Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of The Wrath of the Lizard Lord.

Friday, 19 July 2013

Review: Monster Odyssey: The Eye of Neptune by Jon Mayhew

Prince Dakkar, son of an Indian rajah, has issues with authority. Expelled from the world's finest schools, he is sent to an unconventional educator, Count Oginski. Dakkar plans his escape immediately. But something about the Count intrigues him, including a top-secret project which he shares with Dakkar - a submarine. But others are interested in the Count's invention and what it might achieve and, when masked men kidnap the Count, leaving Dakkar for dead, he doesn't know who was responsible. It could have been British Intelligence, or perhaps a sinister figure known only as Cryptos. Either way, Dakkar is determined to rescue the Count. Taking the prototype submarine, he sets off for adventure.

Cue shark attack, giant sea creatures, spies and an evil megalomaniac. From his undersea refuge, Dakkar plans to take them all on . . . with a bit of help from a girl.

In the past few years we have seen a number of children’s authors producing stories featuring characters created by other authors. For me the two that stand out above the rest have been Andrew Lane’s Young Sherlock books and Charlie Higson’s Young Bond. Now there is another player at the table, his name is Jon Mayhew, and with The Eye of Neptune, the first book in his Monster Odyssey series, the cards suddenly seem stacked in his favour. Jon has taken Prince Dakkar, one of the most famous characters from science fiction/speculative fiction and produced a rip-roaring origins adventure for him.

“Prince Dakkar, who is he?” I hear some of you cry. And I guess you could be slightly forgiven for not recognising the given name of one of Jules Verne’s most famous and enduring creations – the one and only Captain Nemo. Yes, that Captain Nemo . He of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea fame, one of my all-time favourite books (even if Verne does get a little too tied up with lengthy descriptions of the plethora of underwater flora and fauna that are observed during the adventures of the Nautilus and its crew).

I’m finding it quite difficult to add any more of a synopsis of the story other than that which is outlined in the above blurb that was taken from the book’s Amazon listing. Those blurbs on Amazon are often not particularly helpful, but in this case the publishers have nailed it, and the book is exactly what is says on the tin. However, to put it into my own words, the rebellious teenager, Prince Dakkar, finds himself suddenly thrown into a huge conspiracy involving a suitably evil megalomaniac with old-school plans for world domination. Thus begins a submarine adventure that sees the arrogant and authority-challenging Prince’s character changed almost beyond recognition as he makes new friends, fights pirates and battles to escape the jaws of more sea monsters than you would find in a box set of Harryhausen films.

I have been a huge fan of Jon’s writing ever since I was sent a copy of Mortlock, back in the very early days of The Book Zone. All three of the books set in that gruesomely dark and delightfully twisted Victorian world were superb reads, with jon showing that he is a master storyteller. Despite some pretty horrific moments (usually involving sea monsters), The Eye of Neptune is not as dark as the Mortlock ‘series’ but this is a good thing as that level of darkness would not have suited this kind of old-school Boys’ Own style adventure. Instead of creeping dread, we are filled with a longing for action and adventure as the story races along at a suitably exciting pace, with lashings of humour thrown in for good measure. This is the kind of story where readers will find themselves desperate to be in the shoes of the main characters of Prince Dakkar, and his new friend Georgia Fulton, despite the many dangers they face.

I believe there is at least one more book due to be released featuring Prince Dakkar, and as a fan of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea I can’t wait to find out how Mayhew continues to develop his young character, giving him the experiences that mould him into the enigmatic anti-hero of Verne’s classic stories.

My thanks go to the good people at Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of Monster Odyssey: The Eye of Neptune to read.

Monday, 21 January 2013

Coming Up In 2013 #6: Monster Odyssey: The Eye of Neptune by Jon Mayhew

I have been a big fan of Jon Mayhew's writing ever since I first read the brilliant Mortlock. This superb gothic horror story was followed by two sort-of-sequels, all set in the same Victorian world, and both of them were as good, if not better than the first book. His new book, Monster Odyssey: The Eye of Neptune, is the first in a new series and is due to be published by Bloomsbury Children's Books in May this year. It is a departure from his previous macabre Victorian setting, but I am sure will be just as good a read, and I can't wait for May to arrive. In the meantime, here's Jon to tell us a little about Monster Odyssey, in his own words:

Dakkar – son of an Indian prince and heir to the kingdom of Bundelkhand – has been expelled from the best schools in Europe. Now he’s stuck in a remote castle studying with the mysterious Count Oginski, genius inventor of a top-secret machine: the world’s first submersible.

But in a dangerous world of spies and secrecy , someone would do anything to capture Oginski’s invention. When the count is kidnapped and Dakkar left for dead, the boy escapes in the submarine. And so begins a thrilling battle facing dangerous foes – horrifying creatures of the deep, lethal giant squid, and most of all a sinister figure known as Cryptos, hell-bent on taking over the world . Can Dakkar defeat such evil without becoming a monster himself?

I’m really looking forward to launching this new story as it concerns the youth of one of literature’s most intriguing characters: Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo! A departure from the dark streets of Victorian London, this story spans the globe and I had great fun bringing the various sea monsters to life. I wanted to explore what turned Prince Dakkar into Captain Nemo but wanted to capture the action and fantasy that Verne’s imagination gave us. I also wanted to create a fairly realistic historical setting. So expect pirates, naval battles but lookout for giant squid, sharks, and monsters of the deep aplenty!

Tuesday, 22 May 2012

Review: The Bonehill Curse by Jon Mayhew

Necessity Bonehill is arrogant, a bully and trapped in Rookery Heights Academy for Young Ladies. Bored and aimless, she spends her time training with the retired, and slightly insane, Sergeant Major Morris or fighting with the local peasant boys. So when her Uncle Carlos sends her a seemingly empty bottle with the instructions, “Never open it,” she can’t resist the temptation and pulls the cork.

But Necessity unleashes an evil genie, a demon of pestilence and a creature that bears her parents a terrible grudge. With only seven days to rescue them, Ness has to find out how to kill the genie. She begins a desperate quest that takes her through the dark streets of London and to the Oasis of the Amarant in uncharted Africa. If she fails, her parents die and the world will fall prey to the genie’s hideous plague.

The Bonehill Curse is Jon Mayhew's third, and apparently final story set in the dark Victorian world that he introduced to us in Mortlock, and it is yet another fantastic dark fantasy story that has huge appeal for boys and girls alike. It has all the stand out elements that we have come to expect from Jon Mayhew: great characters; brilliant, atmospheric descriptions of a Victorian London where magic lurks in the background; and superb plotting. As with those earlier two books Jon has used his considerable writing talent to put all of these elements together to create this old-school adventure story that has an undercurrent of horror running through it, as well as a soupçon of classic Arabian Nights magic.

I can never make up my mind what I like the most about Jon Mayhew's now three books. Much as I love his dark storytelling, I always end up deliberating between whether it his characters or his descriptive writing that stand out the most for me. I guess if I was strapped to a chair and had hot pins shoved under my toenails until I gave an answer I would probably go for his characters, and those is The Bonehill Curse are as good as any he has previously written. Necessity Bonehill is a delight to read - she starts off as an arrogant bully, but as we progress through the adventures that follow her unleashing of the evil djinn we see her have to change in order to survive. However, it is one thing to create a great main character, but Jon Mayhew also manages to breathe colour and life into every member of his supporting cast. Even the djinn, a character whose developemt could quite easily have been overlooked by a lesser writer, is perfectly created and becomes much more than just an ancient evil entity.

As with both of his previous books The Bonehill Curse moves along at a cracking pace, and even at 350ish pages long could very easily become a read-in-a-single-sitting book if time permits. For the third time Mayhew sucked me into his dark Victorian world and I really did not want to leave it. There is also a delightful twist that I have to admit took me completely by surprise, and made the story even better for that.

If you have not yet read Mortlock or The Demon Collector then this is not a problem as all three can be read as standalone stories. However, Jon very cleverly references the books that came before and it is fun spotting these small crossover tidbits so I strongly recommend you read them in order. Jon has said that this is the last one in the 'trilogy' as he moves on to other unrelated stories, but I for one would love to read more stories set in the world of Mortlock.

The Bonehill Curse was published by Bloomsbury on 10th May and mt thanks go to the nice people at Bloomsbury for sending me a copy to review.

Thursday, 19 January 2012

Coming Up In 2012 #9: The Bonehill Curse by Jon Mayhew (and exclusive cover reveal)

My Coming Up In 2012 feature focuses on new first in series or standalone books due out this year. Some may question my inclusion of Jon Mayhew's new book, The Bonehill Curse, as it is set in the same world as his previous two stories, Mortlock and The Demon Collector. Well I make the rules, and I love those two books and their dark Victorian setting, so I have decided that The Bonehill Curse fully deserves to be a part of this feature. Of course, Jon being the great guy that he is, very kindly agreed to write something especially for us. He also sent along the image of the cover, which is very different from the one that has been doing the rounds on the internet. He tells me that this is a recent change, and that this is an exclusive reveal for The Book Zone - it is well woth clicking on the image to see it in all its hi-res glory, and I have to say that I like it much more than the one that had previously been touted as the cover for the book. The Bonehill Curse is scheduled to be published by Bloomsbury in May.

Coming up in May 2012, the final book set in the world of Mortlock. Necessity Bonehill is arrogant, a bully and trapped in Rookery Heights Academy for Young Ladies. Bored and aimless, she spends her time training with the retired, and slightly insane, Sergeant Major Morris or fighting with the local peasant boys. So when her Uncle Carlos sends her a seemingly empty bottle with the instructions, “Never open it,” she can’t resist the temptation and pulls the cork.

But Necessity unleashes an evil genie, a demon of pestilence and a creature that bears her parents a terrible grudge. With only seven days to rescue them, Ness has to find out how to kill the genie. She begins a desperate quest that takes her through the dark streets of London and to the Oasis of the Amarant in uncharted Africa. If she fails, her parents die and the world will fall prey to the genie’s hideous plague. Her nightmare magic-carpet ride brings her face to face with the Pestilents, the genie’s living dead servants, a vampire army and worst of all…herself.

The Arabian Nights viewed through a murky gothic lens with a fist-fighting girl for company! What would you wish for?

Tuesday, 8 March 2011

Review: The Demon Collector by Jon Mayhew

Edgy Taylor sees demons when nobody else can. Edgy thinks he is insane and expects to be carried off any minute. He is a prime collector, wandering the streets of London collecting dog muck for the tannery. The only thing Edgy is good at is setting and solving riddles, and evading his brutal and abusive master. One night, when his master seems genuinely intent on killing Edgy, Professor Envry Janus intervenes. Envry takes him to the Royal Society of Daemonology where Edgy will now live. It is here, though, that Edgy discovers chance had nothing to do with their meeting, and that he holds the key to a deadly demon prophecy.

I have been looking forward to reading this book for pretty much the whole of the past year, ever since I first read Jon Mayhew's debut book, Mortlock. In April 2011 Jon did an interview for The Book Zone, in which he mentioned The Demon Collector, and also explained that he had a total of three books planned, all standalone novels set in the same Victorian time period. Since its release Mortlock has received many fantastic reviews and also made the shortlist for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize this year; all thoroughly deserved, but would the author be able to deliver a similarly brilliant follow-up?

The answer to that question is simple: yes! Jon Mayhew is most definitely not a one hit wonder or one trick pony; he has a real talent for writing thrilling stories, with more than a hint of the supernatural. As he explained last year, The Demon Collector is set in the same time period as Mortlock, but with a brand new set of characters (although an observant reader will spot the occasional fleeting reference to characters that appeared in that first book). Yet again, we are treated to the author's atmospheric descriptions of the people and places of the time, with his writing really bringing the time period alive for the reader, but in a way that never seems unnecessarily wordy.

The Demon Collector is lighter in tone than its predecessor. Mortlock was pretty gory in places and had many genuinely chilly moments, whereas The Demon Collector is more of an action adventure story with a form grounding in the world of the supernatural. Yes people die, lives are put in great peril, there are a small number of nasty scenes, and Satan and Moloch are hardly entities to be trifled with, but there is also a rich vein of macabre humour running through the whole story, much of it revolving around the various demons that Mayhew has created. We are led to believe that demons can be good or bad, but sometimes the line between the two can be very fine and easily crossed, providing many twists and turns as the story progresses. Another great feature of Jon Mayhew's demons is their love of riddles. In fact, no demon can resist a good riddle, and with Edgy being something of an expert in this area, we are treated to a number of really entertaining scenes where he verbally 'does battle' with a number of these demonic creatures.

The motivations of the various adults that Edgy comes across are also not always as clean cut as we first think, and the author keeps us guessing right up until the final climactic scenes. I would like to say that the various demons are the real stars of this piece, but that would be doing a disservice to the plot, the descriptive writing of the settings, and the various human characters and their machinations. This really is a book that should be viewed as a complete package, and what a package it is! I'm now going to spend the next year waiting for Jon's third book.

The Demon Collector was released yesterday, and my thanks go to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy to review. If you are a fan of Jon Mayhew's writing then I also strongly recommend that visit the Mortlock website as the author is gradually adding a number of short stories set in his dark Victorian world.

Monday, 31 January 2011

News: The Demon Collector by Jon Mayhew trailer

I have just this minute spotted a tweet made by Jon Mayhew about the trailer for his new book, The Demon Collector and just had to share it with you. You may have already read the short piece that Jon wrote about his new book for The Book Zone as part of my Coming Up In 2011 feature, but if not you can go straight to it by clicking here (obviously not until you have viewed the trailer though). Since writing that post I have read The Demon Collector and I am happy to report that it is fab! My review will appear sometime during February so please watch this space.

Tuesday, 18 January 2011

Coming Up In 2011 #4 : The Demon Collector by Jon Mayhew

How excited was I on Friday when I arrived home from work to find an early copy of Jon Mayhew's The Demon Collector waiting for me? His debut book Mortlock was one of my favourites of 2010 and I have been waiting (un)patiently ever since for the release this one. It is not a sequel to Mortlock, but is instead another standalone horror novel set in the Victorian era. If it is even only half as good as Mortlock it will still be brilliant in my opinion. It isn't scheduled to be released until 7th March so expect my review sometime mid-February, although I have a feeling it may have already made the jump straight to the top of my TBR pile.

Anyway, Jon very kindly said he would wrote a few words about The Demon Collector for The Book Zone:

Edgy Taylor’s life is a misery. He collects dog muck off the streets of Victorian London for a brutal tanner called Talon. At the end of a hard day all Edgy gets from his master are a few crusts of bread and a sound beating. But edgy also fears for his sanity. He can see demons when nobody else can. He sees them in the street, in public houses and even at work.

Rescued from death at the hands of Talon by the mysterious Professor Envry Janus, Edgy is thrown into the bizarre world of the Royal Society of Daemonologie. At first Edgy thinks he’s landed on his feet. But soon Edgy is fighting for his life and watching his back. It seems the Society has a rotten secret at its core and Edgy finds he must unravel the riddle of the arch-demon Moloch or die. And if he fails then all of creation will pay.

Tuesday, 27 April 2010

My Book of the Month - April (plus contest)

Over the weekend I was looking back through some other book blogs and was reminded that at the end of 2009 many bloggers were finding it very difficult to name their Top 10 books of the year. With this in mind, I have decided that at the end of each month I will name a Book Zone Book of the Month. This will be a book that has had its official publication date during that month. So to kick everything off, my Book of the Month for April 2010 is Mortlock by Jon Mayhew.

This was not an easy choice as I have read many really good books that have been published this month. In the end I had a shortlist of Crawlers by Sam Enthoven, MeZolith by Ben Haggarty and Adam Brockbank and Mortlock by Jon Mayhew. Anyone who has been lucky enough to have read all three of these will know what a difficult choice this was, but somehow Mortlock is the book that has stuck in my mind the most. It has everything I would look for in a horror story - nail-biting scenes of extreme horror featuring terrifying supernatural creatures, a fast paced plot, thoroughly believable main characters, a well imagined Victorian London setting vividly described, and his creepiest creation of all - Lorenzo's Incredible Circus. My "To Be Read" pile is invariably huge but I have already made the time to re-read this book and it was just as good the second time around.

~~~

And now you have a chance to win a signed copy of the book. Thanks to the generous people at Bloomsbury I have two signed copies of Mortlock up for grabs. In order to be in with a chance of winning one of these I want you to get creative. Mortlock contains a number of characters with great Victorian names (Sebastian Mortlock, Thurlough Corvis and Edwin Chrimes are all names that Dickens himself could have used in his books), so all you have to do is:

Come up with your own name for a character that would sit well in a Victorian gothic story like Mortlock and leave it as a comment on this blog post. Please also include your email address or twitter name.

The first two names drawn at random after the closing date will win a copy of this gorgeous book. Deadline for your comments is 8pm Friday 30th April. This contest is open to UK residents only.

Terms and conditions

Contest open to UK entrants only.
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.

Monday, 26 April 2010

*** Interview with Jon Mayhew (author of Mortlock)

Back in February I published my review of Jon Mayhew's brilliant new horror book Mortlock. Back then I described is as "a dark and twisted horror story in a glorious Victorian setting; it is so good that I am still struggling to believe that this is Jon Mayhew's debut novel." And it would appear that I am not alone in thinking that this book is brilliant. It is receiving rave review after rave review across the blogosphere, and the Observer selected it as their Children's Book of the Month for April. You should also visit the book's great new website to find out more about Jon and his work.

Jon is very busy promoting Mortlock at the moment, but he kindly took time out to answer a few questions for The Book Zone.

How would you describe Mortlock to a potential reader?

Mortlock is an exciting, adrenalin-surge of a story based in the dark streets of Victorian London. Josie and Alfie dodge, battle and flee from flesh-eating crow-like witches in a struggle to find the Amarant, the flower of life and its owner Mortlock. Only then can they stop the evil Lord Corvis and the crow-like ghuls from using the Amarant to comdemn the world to a living death.

You obviously have a strong interest in, maybe even a passion for the Victorian era. What is it about this period of time that appeals to you?

We often think of the Victorian Era as a civilised time when charity reigned and manners were everything but life was hard then. London and all major cities were rife with disease and crime. Going out on the streets could be an adventure and one you might not survive!

But it was the point at which things began to change and so you can see elements of our modern world forming. In one scene, Josie talks about the possibility of underground railways as a solution to the traffic congestion that was strangling London. Nothing changes really.

Whilst reading Mortlock the Victorian setting really came alive for me. How did you go about researching the book?

Some of it was from online sources like Lee Jackson’s Dictionary of Victorian London other was looking at artefacts of the day, clothes, hearses all kinds of things. Ackroyd’s London: A Biography was important too but I think that a lot of it was ‘hard-wired’ into me. I’m of an age when I can remember the thick smogs that used to blow up over the Mersey where I grew up. My Grandmother was a Victorian and I can remember her attitudes. In fact Josie wakes up on a sofa, a battered old thing stuffed with horsehair. I remember sitting on one just like that at my Nan’s. And I can’t escape the influence of Hammer horror films which crystallised the stereotyped Victorian foggy street scene.

Did you research any real events, legends, or myths to get ideas?

Initially, I ploughed through a lot of London Illustrated News articles to drop into the story but they didn’t really stay. I did research London stage magicians of the time and one is mentioned in the early chapters. No myths or legends but of course, the ballads that permeate the story were important to me. I do believe that if you want to talk to the dead, listen to their music and song. You learn so much as well as discovering that they loved a gory, spooky tale as much as we do.

Who are your greatest literary influences?

Dickens is one. I love A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations. The Signal Man is a super creepy story. I also love the strong tradition of English Ghost Stories, MR James for example. The first novel I wrote tried to include creatures and ghosts from many of his stories. Being an English teacher by original profession, I love a lot of children’s literature. Holes by Louis Sachar and Skellig by David Almond are strong favourites of mine but I love Season of Secrets by Sally Nicholls too. Eoin Colfer and Darren Shan are firm favourites as well.

Are you a fan of horror literature? Do you have any favourites?

I’m a total coward. I remember reading the original short story that inspired the film The Fly and not being able to sleep for days after. The ghost stories of MR James make me shiver as I’ve said. My all time favourite story is The Monkey’s Paw by WW Jacobs. So understated and it seems clichéd now but it is so powerful and turns your imagination against you.

I know you grew up watching the Hammer Horror films. What made these films so special for you?

Looking back now, they were so corny but they used to terrify me. Midnight sessions watching Dracula and Frankenstein followed by the panicky dash from my mate’s house back to mine used to leave me in a right state! I loved the characters, the over-the-top settings. They were the real horror stories of their time and great fun.

What do you think it is that draws so many young people to horror books?

I think imagination has a purpose when we used to squat at waterholes looking warily around us for the prowling sabretooth we needed our imaginations to keep us alive. What kept us out of those darker caves? Our imagination. What stopped us from wandering into the dark forest at night? Our imagination. Kids love to connect with that primal sense of threat and danger, it’s only natural.

Horror stories, by their very nature, often contain some degree of violence and Mortlock has some pretty gory moments – how do you gauge the right level of violence in your stories?

Erm… I’m not sure really. I don’t think there’s a need to go over the top with graphic description. Shan usually drops in one hideously graphic scene in a book and then gets on with the plot. It’s not an endless gorefest. I suppose I ask myself if I’d be comfortable with my own children reading a scene. Much of the violence is implied in Mortlock rather than full on description. Apart from the bag of entrails of course…

Have you ever come up with anything so wild that you scared yourself?

There is one thing I wrote which lingered in my mind but that doesn’t crop up in any of the Gothic stuff. I try to keep it reasonable, remembering that I’m a total wuss myself when it comes to scarey stuff.

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?

I try to read as much as I can which never seems enough these days. I have so many unfinished books. I love the Demonata series by Darren Shan, particularly Demon Thief. Eoin Colfer too, I love Artemis Fowl. I also enjoy Chris Priestly’s stuff, Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror, which carries on that great tradition of telling ghost stories. Kate Thompson’s New Policeman is great as well. Devil’s Kiss by my mate Sarwat Chadda is a good read for older followers of the blog.

Mortlock is the first in a ‘trilogy’ of books set in the same Victorian era – what can we expect from you in the future?

The next offering is The Demon Collector which involves a young man called Edgy Taylor who gets involved with the intrigue and adventure in the Royal Society of Daemonologie, nearly dying in the process.

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

Just thanks for taking the time to read this and if you haven’t read Mortlock yet, get out there and do so before the ghuls get you!

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A big thank you to Jon for providing us with some great answers to my questions. I agree with Jon - if you have not yet read Mortlock then get your hands on a copy as soon as you can. Coming up in the next day or two I will also be giving you a chance to win one of two signed copies of Mortlock so please watch this space.

Saturday, 13 February 2010

Review: Mortlock by Jon Mayhew

The sister is a knife-thrower in a magician’s stage act, the brother an undertaker’s assistant. Neither orphan knows of the other’s existence. Until, that is, three terrible Aunts descend on the girl’s house and imprison her guardian, the Great Cardamom. His dying act is to pass the girl a note with clues to the secret he carries to his grave. Cardamom was one of three explorers on an expedition to locate the legendary Amarant, a plant with power over life and death. Now, pursued by flesh-eating crow-like ghuls, brother and sister must decode the message and save themselves from its sinister legacy.

I first heard about Mortlock towards the end of last year. The synopsis sounded like just the sort of story that I love and so I was very excited when it arrived in the post from the nice people at Bloomsbury. No standard white or brown padded mailer for this book either - it landed on my doormat in a black jiffy bag, with a green raven logo on the address label. Bloomsbury are putting a lot of effort into promoting Mortlock, and having just finished reading it I can totally understand why. This book is a dark and twisted horror story in a glorious Victorian setting; it is so good that I am still struggling to believe that this is Jon Mayhew's debut novel.

This is a stunning story and, cliched thought this may sound, you really will not want to put it down. Read it on the train and you will probably miss your station; read it at night and before you know it will be the early hours of the morning (and then you won't dare turn off the lights for fear that those noises outside or in the attic may be the scratching beaks or talons of the abominable Ghuls). The pacing of the story drew me in right from the very start, and with all the requisite peaks and troughs to keep the tension mounting throughout the book I found myself on one hell of an escapist ride.

Mr Mayhew obviously put a great deal of time and effort into researching this story. His atmospheric descriptions of the Victorian locations and characters reminded me very much of the work of a couple of my all-time favourite writers, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allen Poe. The villains created by the author would also sit very well in a Poe horror story - the three Aunts that turn into the flesh-eating raven-like monsters are evil personified, and once they morph into these awful creatures and attack their victims the author is not afraid to continue with the detailed descriptive writing. There is certainly no attempt to patronise his audience by sanitising these scenes; they are gory and will keep the hearts of horror fans beating rapidly. Whatsmore, unlike some horror authors, Mr Mayhew doesn't go over the top by including too many of these gory moments - just enough to keep the tension at explosive levels whenever the Ghuls appear. Unfortunately for the story's main characters the Ghuls are not the author's only despicable and terrifying creation - just wait until they stumble across Lorenzo's Incredible Circus!!!

On the subject of characters, Mr Mayhew has also excelled in this area too. Josie and Alfie are entirely believable; in fact, Mr Mayhew seems to go to great lengths to make them appear to be as ordinary as possible. Josie is described as being plain, with "dull brown" eyes and her brother "small and pinched-looking". As in the majority of these types of stories there is also a host of colourful secondary characters who come and go throughout the book; every one of these is believable, and they all help the story progress in their own little way.

I believe Mr Mayhew plans to write two more books set in this era - if they are even half as good as Mortlock then he will surely earn a thoroughly deserved place in the pantheon of childrens' horror fiction.

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Bloomsbury have very kindly provided me with the opening chapters to Mortlock, which you can download here. I am also going to be running a contest in the near future in which you could win your very own copy of Mortlock so please watch this space. Mortlock is due to be published on 5th April in a hardcover edition.

Monday, 9 November 2009

Chuffed to bits!

I am really chuffed that Jon Mayhew, author of the forthcoming Mortlock, has taken the time to add a comment to my review of I Spy. Jon's first book is due to be published by Bloomsbury on 5th April 2010 according to Amazon (just in time for my birthday) and judging by the artwork for the cover and the synopsis I have already put it on the list of books to buy for the school library next year.

I love this cover, and I have already registered my vote and left a comment at the brilliant Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books blog. I wrote:

"Mortlock definitely wins it for me. Firstly, the colour - not enough green is used to give a feeling of horror on book covers thse days - but look at some of the genuinely scary film posters from the last few decades - Alien! The Fog! Rosemary's Baby! All green! And then there's those terrifying bird images. They immediately brought to mind the genuinely creepy book The Raven's Knot by Robin Jarvis! I think the whole concept of being chased by a giant, flesh-eating bird is pretty damn scary and the image on this cover portrays that feeling perfectly."

And having just made a quick visit to one of Jon's blogs I have now seen the brilliantly creepy promotional video for Mortlock which has made me want to get my hands on this book even more. Roll on April!

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