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Product Description
Review
Clash is like a hard punch in the guts- in a good way! Mulhern is definitely the next name in tense, gritty teenage fiction (Anthony McGowan, author of The Knife that Killed Me) --Anthony McGowan
Product Description
Alex: school psycho and under-ground cage-fighting champion. Kyle: talented artist, smart school-boy and funny man. When Alex witnesses a brutal murder at the club he can't go back to The Cage, but without fighting, he starts to lose control. He soon sets his sights on Kyle, a boy he thinks can help. But Kyle has his own problems and he's convinced Alex is one of them. Boys can play dangerous games when they're scared and this one will haunt everyone involved. What will it take for each boy to confront the truth?
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
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'Clash' is an easy to read and intelligent story. The cage fighting makes it instantly boy friendly, but the book goes far beyond the violence that Alex experiences in his life. Both Alex and Kyle are interesting characters and I enjoyed getting to know them. The book is written from the point of view of Alex and Kyle; the story moves forward with each boy telling us something new and what becomes really clear - to the reader from switching between the two boys' perspectives - is how often we misunderstand other people's actions, words and intentions.
The boys have very different lives and in their class (year) they develop totally different reputations. Alex is known as the school psycho - for his tendency to lash out at other boys - while Kyle is pretty much liked; he and his friend Gareth are known for always joking around.
'Clash' highlights that how everybody in this world is so much more complex than we give them credit for. Alex isn't simply a violent kid. He's sensitive and appreciates art, but he's got relatives who range from money grabbing to utterly morally deficient. Will he listen to his own conscience and his gut feelings about what is right and wrong...or will he become like his father?
Kyle isn't only a joker, a good friend and an artist, but I won't go into more details because the plot is well thought out and I don't want to give too much away.
This book isn't just about boys fighting. It's about friendships, about the sometimes strange bonds we share with family, about feeling misunderstood, about being afraid and facing our fears, about discovering who we are and much more.
Writing style: Clear and very polished
Characters: Feel real and interesting
Plot: Easy to follow, clever and with a little twist
Atmosphere: Sweet, scary, funny, tense, sad, uplifting, by turns
The boys have very different lives and in their class (year) they develop totally different reputations. Alex is known as the school psycho - for his tendency to lash out at other boys - while Kyle is pretty much liked; he and his friend Gareth are known for always joking around.
'Clash' highlights that how everybody in this world is so much more complex than we give them credit for. Alex isn't simply a violent kid. He's sensitive and appreciates art, but he's got relatives who range from money grabbing to utterly morally deficient. Will he listen to his own conscience and his gut feelings about what is right and wrong...or will he become like his father?
Kyle isn't only a joker, a good friend and an artist, but I won't go into more details because the plot is well thought out and I don't want to give too much away.
This book isn't just about boys fighting. It's about friendships, about the sometimes strange bonds we share with family, about feeling misunderstood, about being afraid and facing our fears, about discovering who we are and much more.
Writing style: Clear and very polished
Characters: Feel real and interesting
Plot: Easy to follow, clever and with a little twist
Atmosphere: Sweet, scary, funny, tense, sad, uplifting, by turns
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Clash follows the story of two very teenager different boys, Alex the cage fighter and Kyle the artist both both attend the same school. Each chapter alternates between each boy's story which interweave with each other as their story progresses.
I wasn't too sure what I'd make of this book. The main character takes part in illegal cage fighting and I thought it might not be all that intelligent and just violent for the sake of it but it certainly wasn't. The best thing about it was getting underneath the skin of Alex. He is a cage fighter and he has earned the reputation of being psychotic at school as he will happily beat people up you are a lot bigger than him in a really nasty way. People are scared of him and keep out of his way. I found it really interesting to find out why he is the way he is and loved getting into this background and seeing home his home life had pushed him to become the way he was. I actually ended the book feeling really sorry for him.
The other half of the story follows the story of kyle. Another teenage boy. He, like everyone else in school, is wary of Alex. He is an artist who lives with his single mother. His story was sweet and even quite heart breaking at times but wasn't as intriguing as Alex's although that said it was interesting to see the two of them together and how Kyle influences and changed Alex's behaviour.
The book itself flowed well and was an easy read. The storyline kept me happily engaged in what was going on and I for one enjoyed it. All in all a gritty boy friendly book from a debut author who I will be interested to read more from in the future.
I wasn't too sure what I'd make of this book. The main character takes part in illegal cage fighting and I thought it might not be all that intelligent and just violent for the sake of it but it certainly wasn't. The best thing about it was getting underneath the skin of Alex. He is a cage fighter and he has earned the reputation of being psychotic at school as he will happily beat people up you are a lot bigger than him in a really nasty way. People are scared of him and keep out of his way. I found it really interesting to find out why he is the way he is and loved getting into this background and seeing home his home life had pushed him to become the way he was. I actually ended the book feeling really sorry for him.
The other half of the story follows the story of kyle. Another teenage boy. He, like everyone else in school, is wary of Alex. He is an artist who lives with his single mother. His story was sweet and even quite heart breaking at times but wasn't as intriguing as Alex's although that said it was interesting to see the two of them together and how Kyle influences and changed Alex's behaviour.
The book itself flowed well and was an easy read. The storyline kept me happily engaged in what was going on and I for one enjoyed it. All in all a gritty boy friendly book from a debut author who I will be interested to read more from in the future.
I bought three copies of Clash at a reading event. One for each of my two young grandaughters and a copy for myself. My grandaughters reported a 'fantastic' read, one even read her book three times. I laid my copy aside thinking "it's for young adults and I am almost 74yrs old - it's not really for me." What a mistake. I decided one evening - admittedly with nothing else to read - to try it. Wow! Within ten pages I was hooked. Normally a slow but painstaking reader, I read the book in two evening sittings and one lying down in the wee small hours. What a treat. Clash is a wonderful read. The characters are skilfully created, they are believable, well rounded and drive the narrative along with great strength. The plot is powerful, the action ranges through violence, comic, and poignancy. At times I snorted at the characters for their boyish naivety, and there were other moments of emotional drama when I was on the verge of tears. Their escapades, reminded me of two other well loved character-books "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", and "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". To compare those books with Clash is of course a pointless exercise, and yet - and yet - the fact that Clash evoked memories of such bygone literary years surely speaks well for its own potential longevity. Mark Twain aka Samuel Clemens is dead. Long live Colin Mulhern, may his writng career be prolific and his books become classics. Don't hesitate, buy Clash now, read it, guard it well and treasure it for the future. You will not regret it. Trust me.
Brian Lister
Brian Lister
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Stunning
This book is Fantastic.
Collin Mulhern is such a brilliant author, it is a shame he has only written one book. Read more
Collin Mulhern is such a brilliant author, it is a shame he has only written one book. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Jiippo * Frog
One belter of a book
I could go on about how much I like this book, but instead I'm going to tell you about my eleven year old son who is far more into XBOX than books. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Sparky
Enthralling page turner !
I bought this book as a gift for my twelve year old nephew and thought I would have a quick read through myself to check the content was suitable - I couldn't put it down until I... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Daisydoo
Clash, Bang wallop what a story
Its rare that a book is written that will instantly appeal to teenage boys, but this story about Alex and Kyle will hit home with both teenagers and their parents. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Andrea Whitaker
Not only for young adults
Well written, a real pager turner - not only for the young adult but the 30 something too. Would love to see a sequel to Clash!
Published 14 months ago by Krusty
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