The Book of Dead Days

Sedgwick, Marcus

3.57

3,320 ratings by Goodreads

ISBN 10: 0752866710 ISBN 13: 9780752866710

Publisher: Orion Children's Books, 2004

The days between 27 December and New Year's Eve are dead days - days when spirits roam and magic shifts restlessly just beneath the surface of our everyday lives.

There is a man, Valerian, whose time is running out, who must pay the price for the pact he made with evil so many years ago. His servant is Boy, a child with no name and no past; a child he treats with contempt, but who serves his master well and finds solace in the company of his only friend, Willow. Unknown to any of them it is Boy who holds the key to their destiny.

Set in dark threatening cities and the frozen countryside in a distant time and place of the author's making, 'The Book of Dead Days' conjures a spell-binding story of sorcery and desperate magic as Valerian, Boy and Willow battle to stop time and cling to life. Beautifully evoked, dramatic and emotionally powerful, this is a real page turner.

Read by Derek Jacobi

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

"Sedgwick has created a world as dark and compelling as the story he tells."
-- Mail on Sunday, 20 July 2003

"The Book of Dead Days is to be commended for the beauty of Sedgwick's turn of phrase."
-- Dreamwatch

"You'll just have to read it for the twist." -- The Times Educational Supplement, August 1, 2003

"You'll just have to read it for the twist."
-- Times Educational Supplement, 1 August 2003

Action packed, this impressive story is highly readable. -- Carousel, Spring 2004

Book Description:

Five days of glorious gothic alchemy and evil. Abridged edition.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.