Search results for ""Author Robert Dinsdale""

'Robert Dinsdale mixes history and mythology with great panache . . . Richly textured and with an appropriately labyrinthine plot, this is a book that explores the monster inside man — and vice versa. Book of the Month' Sunday TimesLondon, 1861: Ten-year-old Nell belongs to a crew of mudlarks who work a stretch of the Thames along the Ratcliffe Highway. An orphan since her mother died four years past, leaving Nell with only broken dreams and a pair of satin slippers in her possession, she spends her days dredging up coals, copper and pieces of iron spilled by the river barges – searching for treasure in the mud in order to appease her master, Benjamin Murdstone.But one day, Nell discovers a body on the shore. It’s not the first corpse she’s encountered, but by far the strangest. Nearly seven feet tall, the creature has matted hair covering his legs, and on his head are the suggestion of horns. Nell’s fellow mudlarks urge her to steal his boots and rifle his pockets, but as she ventures closer the figure draws breath – and Nell is forced to make a decision which will change her life forever . . .From the critically acclaimed author of The Toymakers comes an imaginative retelling of the legend of the Minotaur, full of myth and magic and steeped in the grime of Victorian London; perfect for lovers of historical fiction with a mythical twist such as Stone Blind and Circe.Praise for Once A Monster:'Imaginative mash-up of the mythical with Victorian gothic.' - The Times'A wonderful magic trick of a story, full of very human monsters and monstrous humans. Dinsdale is a beautiful, evocative story teller. - Stuart Turton, bestselling author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

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An enchanting, magical novel set in a mysterious toyshop - perfect for fans of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, Stephanie Garber's Caraval and Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist.The Christmas Emporium opens with the first sign of frost . . . It is 1917, and while war wages across Europe, in the heart of London, there is a place of hope and enchantment.The Emporium sells toys that capture the imagination of children and adults alike: patchwork dogs that seem alive, toy boxes that are bigger on the inside, soldiers that can fight battles of their own. Into this family business comes young Cathy Wray, running away from a shameful past. The Emporium takes her in, makes her one of its own.But Cathy is about to discover that the Emporium has secrets of its own . . .Complete your collection with Paris by Starlight, the next novel from the author of the The Toymakers, out now*****'This vivid, haunting novel is both vast and intimate. A wonderful and thought-provoking read.'KATHERINE ARDEN, author of The Warm Hands of GhostsEngaging and enchanting . . . A fairytale for adults, with all the wonder – and terror – that that entails.'GUARDIAN'There is magic at the heart of The Toymakers, a glittery inventiveness that shimmers through the dark corners of a story about love, war and sibling rivalry.'SUNDAY EXPRESS'I was gripped, and thrilled, and touched, and above all I was completely swept into the magic of the book . . . Just astonishing'ADAM ROBERTS, author of Jack Glass'Anyone who’s ever stepped inside a traditional toyshop and marvelled at the wonders on display will instantly be captivated by this book'CULTUREFLY

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A magical new novel from the acclaimed author of THE TOYMAKERS, perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Erin Morgenstern.'A spellbinding tale of nocturnal life and magic in the streets of Paris tells of the courage it takes to be different and follow your dreams.' WATERSTONES'Beautifully captures the hazy dissonance of storytelling and invention.' GUARDIAN______________________________________Every city has its own magic...Every night on their long journey to Paris from their troubled homeland, Levon's grandmother has read to them from a very special book. Called The Nocturne, it is a book full of fairy stories and the heroic adventures of their people who generations before chose to live by starlight.And with every story that Levon's grandmother tells them in their new home, the desire to live as their ancestors did grows. And that is when the magic begins...But not everyone in Paris is won over by the spectacle of Paris-by-Starlight. There are always those that fear the other, the unexplained, the strangers in our midst. How long can the magic of night rub up against the ordinariness of day? How long can two worlds occupy the same streets and squares before there is an outright war?Readers love Paris by Starlight!'Robert Dinsdale, I salute you! A smorgasbord of delights. It's a wondrous thing to be able to visit Paris by Starlight and I'd recommend a trip to you all!''Beautifully written and its observations on human nature are spot on. Exceptionally cleverly done. Exceptionally written piece of fabulism with gorgeous, evocative imagery.''A real treat and just as enchanting as Dinsdale's The Toymakers. Full of magic as well as being a moving tale of displacement, longing and love.'Lovely cover and beautiful prose. I'm about half way through and enjoying every page''A truly magical tale that couldn't be more relevant for our times.''A gorgeously written tale of love and acceptance'

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Robert Dinsdale was born in North Yorkshire and currently lives in Leigh-on-Sea.He is the author of five previous critically acclaimed novels including Paris by Starlight, The Harrowing, Little Exiles and Gingerbread. The Toymakers was his first venture into magic.

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Fairytale and history, wilderness and civilisation collide in this brilliant and magical new novel from the author of Little Exiles. In Belarus, a land of endless ancient forests, an orphaned boy must scatter his mother’s ashes. His mama has exacted a solemn promise: to stay beside and protect grandfather, whatever happens. On their journey into the woodland, hunks of mama’s delicious gingerbread sustain the young boy as grandfather’s magical tales push the harsh world away. But the driving snow masks a frozen history of long-buried secrets. And as man and child forage further, grandfather’s tales turn to terrible truths of times past. Fairytale and history interweave in this magical, haunting tale of the lengths a boy must go to, in order to survive.

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'Robert Dinsdale mixes history and mythology with great panache . . . Richly textured and with an appropriately labyrinthine plot, this is a book that explores the monster inside man — and vice versa. Book of the Month' Sunday TimesLondon, 1861: Ten-year-old Nell belongs to a crew of mudlarks who work a stretch of the Thames along the Ratcliffe Highway. An orphan since her mother died four years past, leaving Nell with only broken dreams and a pair of satin slippers in her possession, she spends her days dredging up coals, copper and pieces of iron spilled by the river barges – searching for treasure in the mud in order to appease her master, Benjamin Murdstone.But one day, Nell discovers a body on the shore. It’s not the first corpse she’s encountered, but by far the strangest. Nearly seven feet tall, the creature has matted hair covering his legs, and on his head are the suggestion of horns. Nell’s fellow mudlarks urge her to steal his boots and rifle his pockets, but as she ventures closer the figure draws breath – and Nell is forced to make a decision which will change her life forever . . .From the critically acclaimed author of The Toymakers comes an imaginative retelling of the legend of the Minotaur, full of myth and magic and steeped in the grime of Victorian London; perfect for lovers of historical fiction with a mythical twist such as Stone Blind and Circe.Praise for Once A Monster:'Imaginative mash-up of the mythical with Victorian gothic.' - The Times'A wonderful magic trick of a story, full of very human monsters and monstrous humans. Dinsdale is a beautiful, evocative story teller. - Stuart Turton, bestselling author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

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