Promotional Information

Additional complete short story 'Bloodbeard' included exclusively in this edition Hardback sales of over 13,000 copies Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal Vampire myth and legend always popular Original take on well-known horror story with wide commercial appeal to attract a bigger audience His books have sold over 236,000 copies in the UK and are published in 13 languages 'This masterly, well-crafted vampire story breathes new life into the tale of the living dead ... The well-paced story moves the reader effortlessly towards resolution. It is a well-written book with wide appeal' (Bookseller) 'Vampire legends brought vividly to life in a finely written, bone-chilling gothic tale. Expertly researched and rich in detail, the slow, creeping sense of menace and myriad horrors of the deep woods will transfix readers' (Publishing News)

About the Author

Marcus Sedgwick has worked in children's publishing for ten years and before that he was a bookseller. Marcus lives in Sussex and has a young daughter, Alice.

Reviews

a bloodthirsty tale which grips readers from the off. - Tom Lewis, WS CheltenhamMarcus Sedgwick paints a chilling and irresistibly Gothic picture of the fight between good against evil. This book is tense, unnerving and well-structured - it scared me right to the end and I could not put it down. - Anna HicklingCompelling and thought-provoking - Tom GattiThrilling and tautly writtenHeart-stopping read - Amanda Craig

a bloodthirsty tale which grips readers from the off. - Tom Lewis, WS CheltenhamMarcus Sedgwick paints a chilling and irresistibly Gothic picture of the fight between good against evil. This book is tense, unnerving and well-structured - it scared me right to the end and I could not put it down. - Anna HicklingCompelling and thought-provoking - Tom GattiThrilling and tautly writtenHeart-stopping read - Amanda Craig

Sedgwick's (The Foreshadowing) grim, atmospheric tale, set in 17th-century Europe, brings fresh blood to the vampire mythos without once using the word "vampire." Peter and his father, Tomas, are woodcutters who travel from town to town, Tomas seemingly on the run from something. Tomas carries a wooden box, which Peter is forbidden to examine, but when word circulates through the village that sheep and cattle are being attacked and a dead man has come out of his grave, secrets from both the box and Tomas's past are revealed. The father/son dynamic is particularly well-wrought, with Tomas a violent drunk who is nonetheless a decent man, and Peter an introspective and bold youth whose budding relationship with a gypsy tempers the doom encroaching upon the village. As with the best vampire/zombie fiction, there is a note of sympathy for the creatures who, after all, never chose this "life." Several scenes have the visceral, visual impact of cinema, such as a "Wedding of the Dead," in which a young girl weds a man who has been murdered, and the villagers' painting tar on their windows to ward off evil ("Somewhere among the trees the path that led directly to God had gone astray. It had got lost among the folktales and superstitions and the hushed talk of the fireside"). Sedgwick knows his way around a gothic setting, and readers will likely devour this bone-chiller. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.