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.
The Book of Dead Days
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"In a wonderfully dark, atmospheric tale of power, corruption and betrayal, Marcus Sedgwick manages to keep the reader guessing until the very end. A real page-turner with a truly chilling twist." (Booktrusted News (Booktrust), Issue 6 )
"Set long ago in dark times and brought to life through evocative, strongly visual writing, this novel is packed with drama, mystery and intrigue." (Wendy Cooling The Bookseller, 18 April 2003 )
"Against the stinking, freezing background of an underworld set in a timeless past, this is a dark melodrama kept sharp by surprise." (Julia Eccleshare The Guardian, 5 July 2003 )
"An exquisitely dark Faustian drama set among the shadows of an old European city. The finely drawn characters and enthralling story-telling make this Sedgwick's greatest work to date." (Joanne Owen, Borders bookshop The Bookseller Buyer's Guide Highlights, 11Jun03 )
"...has a very real sense of place. ...The hero of this beautifully paced and sometimes blood-soaked adventure is Boy...and there's a very tangible sense of evil in Sedgwick's tale too, along with the careful blending of "real" magic with the seemingly magical effects of encroaching technology...After just a few pages, you know you're in safe hands with Sedgwick.Here is a macabre melodrama inventively told". (Philip Ardagh Guardian, 19 July 2003 )
"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 marks a shift to fuller, more descriptive writing than that in Sedgwick's earlier books, but there is no loss of subtle menace and power." (Independent, 28 July 2003 )
"You'll just have to read it for the twist." (Times Educational Supplement, 1 August 2003 )
"Sedgwick has created a wonderfully tight novel which understands its own boundaries and is able to utilise them to its advantage. ...Sedgwick's plotting is tight and ingenious... Sedgwick too has a wonderful way of revitalizing the myth and making it more accessible, bringing the essentials to the fore but having it remain almost Dickensian in the telling. Rather than merely retelling, the essentials are represented and told in an engaging fashion. The Book of Dead Days is a gripping read..." (SFRevu )
"The Book of Dead Days is to be commended for the beauty of Sedgwick's turn of phrase." (Dreamwatch )
"Set long ago in dark times and brought to life through evocative, strongly visual writing, this novel is packed with drama, mystery and intrigue." (Wendy Cooling The Bookseller, 18 April 2003 )
"Against the stinking, freezing background of an underworld set in a timeless past, this is a dark melodrama kept sharp by surprise." (Julia Eccleshare The Guardian, 5 July 2003 )
"An exquisitely dark Faustian drama set among the shadows of an old European city. The finely drawn characters and enthralling story-telling make this Sedgwick's greatest work to date." (Joanne Owen, Borders bookshop The Bookseller Buyer's Guide Highlights, 11Jun03 )
"...has a very real sense of place. ...The hero of this beautifully paced and sometimes blood-soaked adventure is Boy...and there's a very tangible sense of evil in Sedgwick's tale too, along with the careful blending of "real" magic with the seemingly magical effects of encroaching technology...After just a few pages, you know you're in safe hands with Sedgwick.Here is a macabre melodrama inventively told". (Philip Ardagh Guardian, 19 July 2003 )
"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 marks a shift to fuller, more descriptive writing than that in Sedgwick's earlier books, but there is no loss of subtle menace and power." (Independent, 28 July 2003 )
"You'll just have to read it for the twist." (Times Educational Supplement, 1 August 2003 )
"Sedgwick has created a wonderfully tight novel which understands its own boundaries and is able to utilise them to its advantage. ...Sedgwick's plotting is tight and ingenious... Sedgwick too has a wonderful way of revitalizing the myth and making it more accessible, bringing the essentials to the fore but having it remain almost Dickensian in the telling. Rather than merely retelling, the essentials are represented and told in an engaging fashion. The Book of Dead Days is a gripping read..." (SFRevu )
"The Book of Dead Days is to be commended for the beauty of Sedgwick's turn of phrase." (Dreamwatch )
Book Description
Alchemy and evil in the first book of a startling new sequence from prize-winning Marcus Sedgwick.
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First Sentence
Darkness. Two hours to midnight. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Darkness. Two hours to midnight. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I really enjoyed this book. Like all the other reviewers I also bought it because of its beautiful front cover, however the contents were just as good! I found it really atmospheric and the writing style was great- it seemed to draw you in effortlessly. I do agree that the ending was a bit of an anticlimax, but I'm hoping that will be resolved in the sequel. All in all, this is a fantastic book: go and read it!!!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A. Vince
Format:Paperback
I thoroughly enjoyed this; each page, each sentence, each phrase was precisely aligned, relevent, and perfect for the story. This was the first of Marcus' stories I've ever read, and I've just ordered six more of his novels, including the sequal to this fantastic book.
The way in which Sedgwick developed its dark, wonderfully twisted plot was what rendered it so fabulous. I found myself being hauled into the book, being scared when Boy was scared, laughing when he laughed, cringing when he cringed, crying when he cried. It was so lucid and expressive that I can scarcely imagine something I'd rather have been doing instead of devouring this action-charged book. I can't wait to start reading its conclusive ending via its promising sequal! Buy it, read it, savour it, and you won't regret it.
The way in which Sedgwick developed its dark, wonderfully twisted plot was what rendered it so fabulous. I found myself being hauled into the book, being scared when Boy was scared, laughing when he laughed, cringing when he cringed, crying when he cried. It was so lucid and expressive that I can scarcely imagine something I'd rather have been doing instead of devouring this action-charged book. I can't wait to start reading its conclusive ending via its promising sequal! Buy it, read it, savour it, and you won't regret it.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By K. Carter
Format:Hardcover
Like the previous reviewer, I have to confess that I did indeed judge this book - or at least buy it - on its rather beautiful cover. And at first I enjoyed it a great deal. It's evocation of the dark atmosphere of the "dead days" between Christmas and New Year is excellent, and the setting in a crumbling city also very good.
However I did find that there was an excessive amount of repetition of certain phrases, which started to irritate me around the middle of the book. The story also turned out to be slightly anti-climatic, and I found the characterisation patchy - some excellent, some very unfleshed. All in all I'd say it was a good book in search of a better editor.
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3.9 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Melodramatic, dark and atmospheric
Two children, Boy, nameless servant and Willow, assistant to singer Madame Beauchance. A magician and alchemist named Valerian using Boy and infernal powers to create illusions... Read more
Published 13 days ago by Jo Bennie
3.0 out of 5 stars
present
It wasn't for me, so I can't say anything about the book. I only can say the it arrived in a very good quality and fast delivery.
Published 5 months ago by maria
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dead days - story slightly dead too?
I bought this book a while ago but decided to leave it till now to read so that I could be reading during the Dead Days themselves. Read more
Published on 1 Jan 2009 by Brida
3.0 out of 5 stars
Badly written but compelling
This book is badly written in places, with stilted dialogue between the characters that reads like a trashy pulp fiction novel. Read more
Published on 16 July 2008 by Helen
3.0 out of 5 stars
Quite thrilling !
The reading of this volume 1 is indeed fascinating. The atmosphere is dark, poisseuse and tends to think of a mixture of Dickens, Hector Malot and Victor Hugo. Read more
Published on 20 Jun 2007 by Stéphanie
4.0 out of 5 stars
Annie the book of dead days-marcus sedgwick
This book tells a tale of Boy.And his journey with Valerian.Valerian is on a mission to save his life after he made a pact he's not willing to pay for. Read more
Published on 9 Jun 2006 by Am Tattersall
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dead and dreary
Can a Faustian pact be avoided? And if so, what's the cost? That's what our heroes -- and enemies -- are trying to do in "The Book of Dead Days," a chilling historical... Read more
Published on 3 Feb 2006 by E. A Solinas
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gloomy, Emotional and Probably Good For a Movie
Oh yes. Very good emotion. The characters were very well put together. Valerian seemed strangly to like Boy, even after being so cruel to him. Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2005 by "wazawai"
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Book Of The Dead Days
Absolutely stunning!! One of the best books I have read this year. I honestly can't wait to read the next one. Read more
Published on 6 Aug 2005 by Marcus willis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extraordinary
Found this book " by accident " at Waterstones when I visited London in May 2004: I have read lots of fantasy - stories and the more I have read, the more difficult it becomes to... Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2004 by "onewitchofthenorth"
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