Barnaby Grimes:
  Curse of the Nightwolf          
  
        authors: Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell
   published: June 2007
    publisher:  Doubleday
                         224 pages
                        

    
     "Time is money. Tick-tock - the ticking
      of the clock..."      

   

      Barnaby Grimes is what they call a tick-tock lad. He's a messenger boy working
      in a jumbled Victorian city that's inhabited by an extrordinary range of twisted
      Dickensian characters. High Society and Low Society rub shoulders midst
      the tangled streets, whilst Barnaby passes overhead, "highstacking"
      back and forth across the rooftops to his various destinations...

      But now young Barnaby has a mystery on his hands. His friend Old Benjamin
      has disappeared. And he's not the first. And today's delivery has brought Barnaby
      into contact with a huge, slavering Nightwolf. Is there a connection somewhere?
      And might it have something to do with his latest employer...?

  

       » "Curse of the Nightwolf" is the first in an ongoing series for our
           highstacking hero. Sequels include Return of the Emerald Skull
           and Legion of the Dead...

  

       The Gnome says

       What we have here is the first volume in a dynamic new series from the
       partnership of Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. And it's pretty much what
       we'd expect from the creators of Edge Chronicles, and those fabulous
       Far-Flung Adventures. That is to say, we are presented with a fully
       rendered new world and a host of crazed inhabitants, described both
       in words and pictures. Only this time, our co-creators have added a
       pinch of horror to their fantastic proceedings...
       
       Barnaby's first fleet-footed adventure leads us over the rooftops of a
       twisted city which resembles Olde London, by way of Gormenghast.
       En route, we meet a slew of Dickensian characters from all walks of
       life - gutterfolks and society gents, streethawkers and businessmen
       with togue-twisting names. And even as our story unfolds, so Barnaby
       makes reference to any number of previous encounters and escapades
       with the city's populance. He's a well-travelled fellow indeed, and the
       menagerie of characters around him is mouthwatering. And of course,
       the city and its crazed individuals are given extra dimension by way
       of those magnificent illustrations, scattered throughout the story.
       There's blood and guts here too, with some surprising gore as the
       story hits its stride...
       
       As it happens, the story reaches its howling climax a little too
       quickly for this reader. But the story comes full circle very adeptly,
       And frankly, it's that presentation that really wins us over. "Curse of
       the Nightwolf" sports a dark, weathered dustjacket, and a sepia map
       of the city spills across the endpapers. As well as the expected
       full-page illustrations, there are a tidy smattering of silhouettes to
       be found - an arching Nightwolf; Barnaby tick-tocking along,
       Scaldy Sal meeting her maker... Yes indeed, the presentation is
       as flawless as ever. And we're happy to highstack across the rooftops
       wherever Barnaby wishes to take us...        

    

       Collectors

       There were 5000 double-signed first editions available, when the book first
       launched. And in addition, the fine folks at Waterstone's presented us
       with a limited edition set of promo postcards, bundled up with their
       dual-signed editions. The postcards reproduced some of Chris Riddell's
       key art from the book...

       

       Though it's not really the done thing, the Gnome can't resist showing you the
       UK proof edition, sent out to reviewers in advance of publication. It included
       a softback edition of the book, with a silhouetted cover, presented in a rather
       smart wrapper...

           

    

      Buy this book


      Barnaby Grimes: Curse of the Nightwolf
      UK Hardback edition...

      Barnaby Grimes: Curse of the Nightwolf
      UK Paperback edition...

    

      On the web


      Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell
      The author and artist's official web site, with mini-sites
      for all their creations...



   
      index »    next »