The Kiss of Death

The Kiss of Death

by Marcus Sedgwick (Author), Marcus Sedgwick (Author)

Synopsis

Marcus Sedgwick's tale of Venice and vampires is a captivating companion volume to the bestselling My Swordhand is Singing. Marko and Sorrel meet in Venice for the first time. They must uncover the mystery of what has happened both to Sorrel's father, plagued by a strange madness that prevents him from sleeping, and to Marko's father, a doctor, who has mysteriously gone missing after travelling to Venice to help his old friend. Years on from My Swordhand is Singing and Peter is still on the trail of the Shadow Queen. His search leads him to Venice, a city whose beauty disguises many ugly secrets. The Shadow Queen is there, gathering strength, recruiting a new army of the Undead for a final confrontation. This fabled city with its lapping waterways, its crumbling magnificence, dark, twisting alleyways and surprising piazzas is the perfect setting for Marcus's captivating gothic novel of love and loss in C18th Venice.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 256
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Orion Childrens
Published: 01 Sep 2008

ISBN 10: 184255185X
ISBN 13: 9781842551851
Children’s book age: 12+ Years
Book Overview: Back in SWORDHAND territory a new gothic novel featuring the Shadow Queen and Peter from the bestselling novel. SWORDHAND winner of the Book Trust Teen Prize 2007 and boasted sales of over 45,000 copies. Total Marcus Sedgwick sales of over 330,000. Rights for Marcus Sedgwick's book have been sold in 20 territories. Major marketing and publicity planned. SWORDHAND published to excellent reviews: 'a heart-stopping read' (Amanda Craig, The Times). ' ... with broad and elegant strokes [Sedgwick] paints a chilling and irresistibly Gothic picture of the fight of good against evil ... This isn't a genre book. It is a novel of quality.' (Jill Murphy, thebookbag.co.uk). 'Sedgwick has taken early vampire legends and masterfully crafted them into this dark tale. His story is like a journey into a beautiful gothic painting ... ' (Daily Telegraph).

Media Reviews
'You have to expect a bit of schlock in a Gothic novel, and Sedgwick doesn't disappoint: there's plenty of gore and some genuinely scary moments...he is superb, as in the earlier book about the undead, at creating atmosphere.' -- Mary Hoffman THE GUARDIAN 'What makes Sedgwick such an interesting author is not just his imagination, which has a consistently unpredictable and original cast to it, but his voice.' -- Amanda Craig THE TIMES 'It took me a couple of goes to really fall for Sedgwick's first vampire novel, My Swordhand is Singing, but it turned out to be brilliant. If you haven't read it, do, because The Kiss of Death is an equally gripping sequel. ' -- Amanda Craig THE TIMES 'With his formidable skill, Marcus Sedgwick renders Venice the most perfect backdrop for this intensely gripping vampire action' THE BOOKSELLER 'A heart stopping and beautiful novel...Sedgwick is at his beguiling best in this novel and it's almost certainly heading for all the major book award shortlists' LOVE READING.COM 'Concise and elegant, creepy and tense...All junior fans of horror should read [The Kiss of Death]' THE BOOKBAG 'The author's beautifully crafted descriptions bring to life real scenes of 18th Century Venice while weaving a gothic tale that send shivers down the readers spine' WRITING MAGAZINE 'his spine-tingling sequel to My Swordhand is Singing'. -- Amanda Craig THE TIMES Christmas Books 2008 'Marcus has skilfully created a gothis atmosphere of menace, fear and hopelessness, for which Venice provides the perfect backdrop... Gripping and frightening' THE SCHOOL LIBRARIAN
Author Bio
Marcus Sedgwick works in children's publishing and before that he was a bookseller. His books have been shortlisted for many awards, including The Guardian Children's Fiction Award, the Blue Peter Book Award and the Carnegie Medal. He lives in Sussex and has a young daughter, Alice.