Orphans of the Tide
Published on 20. February 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-0-241-38443-5 (ISBN)
Description
Winner of the Branford Boase Award 2021, a breathtaking fantasy adventure for fans of His Dark Materials that The Times calls 'Unputdownable'.
The City was built on a sharp mountain that jutted improbably from the sea, and the sea kept trying to claim it back. That grey morning, once the tide had retreated, a whale was found on a rooftop.
When a mysterious boy washes in with the tide, the citizens believe he's the Enemy - the god who drowned the world - come again to cause untold chaos.
Only Ellie, a fearless young inventor living in a workshop crammed with curiosities, believes he's innocent.
But the Enemy can take possession of any human body and the ruthless Inquisition are determined to destroy it forever.
To save the boy, Ellie must prove who he really is - even if that means revealing her own dangerous secret . . .
'Unputdownable' - The Times
'Enthralling' - The Daily Express
'Sumptuously atmospheric . . . tirelessly inventive' - The Daily Telegraph
'Gripping' - The Guardian
'Energetic and inventive' - Sunday Times
'Gripping and original' - The Observer
'Singularly brilliant' - Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars and The Mercies
'Compellingly inventive and unpredictable' - Piers Torday, author of The Last Wild
'A terrific debut of strange myths and dark secrets' - The Bookseller (Editor's Choice)
The City was built on a sharp mountain that jutted improbably from the sea, and the sea kept trying to claim it back. That grey morning, once the tide had retreated, a whale was found on a rooftop.
When a mysterious boy washes in with the tide, the citizens believe he's the Enemy - the god who drowned the world - come again to cause untold chaos.
Only Ellie, a fearless young inventor living in a workshop crammed with curiosities, believes he's innocent.
But the Enemy can take possession of any human body and the ruthless Inquisition are determined to destroy it forever.
To save the boy, Ellie must prove who he really is - even if that means revealing her own dangerous secret . . .
'Unputdownable' - The Times
'Enthralling' - The Daily Express
'Sumptuously atmospheric . . . tirelessly inventive' - The Daily Telegraph
'Gripping' - The Guardian
'Energetic and inventive' - Sunday Times
'Gripping and original' - The Observer
'Singularly brilliant' - Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars and The Mercies
'Compellingly inventive and unpredictable' - Piers Torday, author of The Last Wild
'A terrific debut of strange myths and dark secrets' - The Bookseller (Editor's Choice)
Reviews / Votes
A sumptuously atmospheric adventure . . . Murray is a tirelessly inventive storyteller -- Emily Bearn * The Daily Telegraph * Gripping . . . with a touch of Frances Hardinge's bizarre brilliance -- Imogen Russell Williams * The Guardian * Unputdownable . . . Murray has an extraordinary imagination -- Alex O'Connell * The Times * Energetic and inventive . . . and with some startling surprises, this is also touching about friendship, siblings, loss and courage -- Nicolette Jones * The Sunday Times * Struan Murray . . . effortlessly joins the ranks of the most skilled world-creators . . . Unpredictable, filled with plot twists and shades of moral grey, Orphans of the Tide is both gripping and original. -- Kitty Empire * The Observer * A beautifully written fantasy adventure with prose that is both muscular and musical, and outstanding world building. -- Sarah Webb * Irish Independent * Orphans of the Tide is singularly brilliant. So inventive, and weird, and beautiful, with just the right amount of bite and darkness. I predict big things! * Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars and The Mercies * I loved it! Dark and thrilling. Great characters to root for. Perilous plot. Extraordinary, vivid world building . . . brilliant! * Eloise Williams, Children's Laureate Wales * The most original opening I've read in years and a plot twist that turns brilliantly * Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song * This is a terrific debut of strange myths and dark secrets, fierce loyalties and ruthless villains, told against the thrilling backdrop of a half submerged city. * The Bookseller - Editor's Choice *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Random House Children's UK
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 9 to 14 years
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
284 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-38443-5 (9780241384435)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Persons
Struan Murray is Scottish and grew up in Edinburgh, the youngest of a large, rowdy family of redheads. His debut novel, Orphans of the Tide, won the prestigious Branford Boase Award, and was included in the Guardian's 'Best children's books of 2020', while the first book in his latest series, Dragonborn, was a New York Times bestseller. When he's not writing, Struan is a lecturer at the University of Oxford. Manuel Sumberac was born in 1988 in Pula, Croatia. He obtained a Masters in Animation and New Media from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. He is a member of Filmmakers Association of Croatia. Manuel works in the fields of animation and illustration to produce animated films, music videos, children's books and book covers. He has received numerous awards for his work.