
Thirst
Description
<b>'Gripping, gruesome, dark and dripping' A.F. Harold
</b>Nobody talks about the strange happenings in Maimsbury. No one speaks of the hooded figures glimpsed in the woods, nor the children's game that went so horribly wrong. But most of all, nobody dares whisper their doubts about the river they have worshipped for centuries.
Like everyone in Maimsbury, Gorse is used to the sacrifices made every spring to the River Yeelde. The life of a farm animal - in return for a year of plenty - seems a fair trade. That is, until a tragedy leads Gorse to a blood-curdling discovery.
Because this year is a Brim Year, and after giving so much, the river needs more than an animal's life to sate its thirst...
<b>PRAISE FOR <i>THIRST</i>:
</b><b>'A gripping tale infused with dark secrets and superstitions' Phil Hickes, author of <i>The Haunting of Aveline Jones</i>
</b><b>'What a story! Properly creepy Wicker Man vibes with seemingly effortless world building and characters you'll take to your heart. Loved it' Jennifer Killick, author of <i>Crater Laker</i>
</b><b>'This gruesomely imagined folk horror is the most brilliantly dark and dangerously fun book I've read all year' Keith Gray, author of <i>Creepers</i>
</b>Reviews / Votes
This creepy, compelling YA folk horror boasts a transporting sense of ritual and place * Guardian * Thirst draws on folk horror, with its focus on the evil that men do in service of tradition and superstition, and combines it with quintessential coming-of-age quandaries... Creepy and thought-provoking * Irish Times, Best young adult fiction for Halloween * Gripping, gruesome, dark and dripping -- A.F. Harrold A gripping tale infused with dark secrets and superstitions -- Phil Hickes, author of The Haunting of Aveline Jones What a story! Properly creepy Wicker Man vibes with seemingly effortless world building and characters you'll take to your heart. Loved it -- Jennifer Killick, author of Crater Lake Wow! This gloriously dark tale about an insatiable blood-thirsty river and the town held within its grip had me at the first chapter! -- A.M. Howell This gruesomely imagined folk horror is the most brilliantly dark and dangerously fun book I've read all year. Darren's wonderful writing and inventive world-building drag you in and pull you under. It's so compelling you just have to go with the flow, and hope. There's no escaping the chilling horror. -- Keith Gray, author of Creepers Simpson winds up the tension expertly, as one horrific revelation follows another * Books For Keeps * Thirst is wonderfully atmospheric and will appeal to anyone who enjoys the supernatural/ horror and 'chase' stories. Perfect autumnal reading! * Readingzone * A truly cracking read, Thirst is wondrous strange. Dark and disturbing, it evokes half-remembered ancient stories hidden beneath the earth with dashes of Alan Garner, Nigel Kneale, and John Wyndham. One of those rare novels that is utterly transportive, that feels somehow familiar yet fresh and distinctive. A modern classic in the making. I loved it. -- Liz Hyder, author of The Twelve He is so bloodthirsty and brilliant! Bravo @darrensimpson44! What the river asks for will be given! I managed to keep this copy safe from the Wear in Durham, but I don't think the Yeedle would be as sparing - I could feel its pull the whole way through. A most excellent slice of folk horror, and a dark morality tale too. For early teens and up who have an appetite for horror -- Nicola Penfold, author of Where the World Turns Wild A completely unique and totally captivating YA folk horror tale... perfect for teens to devour on autumn evenings, snuggled under a blanket * Scope For Imagination * A darkly terrifying and thought-provoking tale that will stay with you long after you've put the book back on the shelf -- Christopher Edge, author of 'Escape Room' A sinister folk horror tale of elemental magic and hypocrisy. Strong characters, shocking scenes, a horrible villain, great action, and a savage critique on how we justify sacrificing others for our own good -- Alastair Chisholm, author of 'Orion Lost' I highly recommend you read this book. it is dark, chilling and gruesome. It is storytelling at its very best * Beths Bookcase * --Praise for Darren Simpson * -- * Simpson is a compelling writer, his prose clear and muscular. He is acutely aware of generational behaviours, and of the cycle of deprivation that locks people into delinquency. He also has a marvellous sense of the uncanny -- Philip Womack * Literary Review * The very best fiction involves creating believable alternative worlds. Darren Simpson does just that in Scavengers, his extraordinary first outing for young readers * Guardian * Simpson combines fast-paced visual storytelling with a complex, thought-provoking message about coming to terms with the past -- Imogen Russell Williams * Guardian * The narrative is absorbing, tense and poignant, with real life challenges and concerns cleverly echoed in the magical world of Furthermoor * Books for Keeps *More details
Person
Content
ALMOST FIVE YEARS LATER
2 Dauntley 23
3 Yeldthanc 29
4 Waste Not, Want Not 39
5 A Brim Year 45
6 The Bridge 55
7 Needs Must 58
8 With the Fairies 62
9 Bone and Boil 69
10 Sorry 73
11 Silver and White 78
12 Aglimmer 82
13 Whittle 88
14 Beneath the Surface 101
15 Stitches 109
16 In Ruins 121
17 Branwen and the Stones 127
18 As Such 136
19 For a Walk 143
20 Bearing East 150
21 Small World 153
22 Heartwood 158
23 Saved 162
24 A Name 167
25 Twilight 173
26 In the Ivy 181
27 Blood and Claw 186
28 Blackthorn 190
29 Meat on Bone 192
30 The Spoil 203
31 Warren 209
32 Outfoxed 212
33 Die Every Time 218
34 Black Waters 224
35 Barley and Bones 227
36 Meat for the Forest 230
37 Like Prey 234
38 Tar and Gnarl 237
39 Dark Sliver 239
40 Heathen 242
41 Wade and Wake 246
42 Slow to Fall 252
43 Slain 255
44 Bluebells 260
45 Tomorrows 264 the next dAy
46 More Besides 273
47 Homecoming 278
Acknowledgements 283