review – Grimly Darkwood

Feedback on Stranger Days

Where did the summer go? All that budding of flowers and buzzing of bees and mountains of biscuit crumbs piling across the patio…. I find myself wondering why biscuit crumbs can’t be recycled. Why can’t we empty them into a bag at the end of the summer and take them back to the shop and get some cash back for them like we used to be able to with lemonade bottles back when I was a lad. That was the sort of thing they used to do when Peter lived at the shop on Peculiar Hill.

Which reminds me to tell you: before all that buzzing and booming began I had wanted to spread the word here about all the latest feedback we’ve had on the books. You know the ones I mean. The Shop on Peculiar Hill and Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill, the books which describe how Peter came to live with his aunt and uncle on Peculiar Hill and all the strange creatures he met there.

You may remember that the second book in the series, Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill, had reached the Finals of the very excellent Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards and what I meant to share with you, before all the buzzing and blooming and other summery whatnots got in the way, was that it received some very excellent feedback Indeed.

The book was entered in the 9 to 12 year old category and received feedback from 15 children in the relevant age group plus their teacher. Here are the results..

Star Rating : (as voted for by the fifteen children) 5 Stars

Points were also awarded out of 10 (or, in the case of the cover, out of 5) for each of the following: Editing 10/10, Writing Style 9/10, Content 9 /10, Cover: 4/5

Of the 15 readers,
15 said they would read another book by this author
13 thought the cover (by Pete Lyon) was good or excellent
14 thought the book was easy to follow
15 would recommend this book to another reader to try.

Of all the readers,
4 thought the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’
5 thought the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’
6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting the story’.

14 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
15 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments: ‘I think this is a very odd book. But I liked it anyway. The author has a crazy imagination, so I was often surprised by what happened next.’ Boy, aged 12

‘I think Peter and Amanda are the best two characters in this story. This novel would be good for 11 or 12 year olds who like fantasy books. It’s very funny too, which I loved.’ Girl, aged 11

‘The children in my class of 11 year olds thought this was a very funny book. They liked the cover, which made them want to read it. Most of them hadn’t read the first book, but it didn’t seem to bother them very much. From talking to the children who read it, they thought the author had good comic timing and a wild imagination.’ Primary school teacher, aged 55

‘This is a good adventure story with fun characters and lots happening.’ Girl, aged 10

To Sum It Up: ‘Wild, unpredictable, and very, VERY funny. A FINALIST and highly recommended!’

So, there we are then. This is Grimly back again and I have to say I’m happy to settle for feedback like that, even though we didn’t win any actual prizes. It almost makes me want to snuggle up for the winter and finish writing the third book in the series.

What’s that? Yes, of course Peter and Amanda will be in the third book, and Mala as well (possibly two of her even! – I think you’ll like that bit especially) and Uncle Bob and Thinglifkin and various bogeys and some brand new characters too. But hold on a moment: don’t get too excited! – the first thing I have to do is remember where I put my pencil…

(Please see the home page for more information about the Vale of Strange books and where they can be purchased.)

Nen and the Lonely Fisherman

Mr Ian Eagleton, inventor of the celebrated Reading Realm gadget for use with those infernal iPlod devices which everyone seems to use these days, has been kind enough to speak well of my Vale of Strange novels on several occasions, so I am delighted to be able to reciprocate here with some very well deserved words of praise for his own magnificent book, which by all accounts has been flying off the shelves as fast as he can squeeze it out of his exceptionally vivid imagination.

When I was young, my aunt had an apron which was covered in pictures of the seaside. She held me in goggle-eyed fascination as she showed me what she said was the house she used to live in and the street leading down from it to the beach, with its row of multicoloured changing huts, and the nearby harbour where the fishermen landed their catches and mended their nets. James Mayhew’s illustrations for Ian Eagleton’s fabulous fable ‘Nen and the Lonely Fisherman’ seem likely to have a similar power to enchant, their windswept multi-hued blues and contrasting patches of golden yellow providing a memorable setting for the story of the merman Nen and his new friend Ernest the fisherman, who come together across a great chasm of loneliness and differentness to find happiness together.

It’s a story of triumph over adversity, hope in the face of despair, of what can be done if we follow our dreams and don’t give way unnecessarily to the fears of those such as Nen’s father, who – it turns out – may have just a little more advice to share then they have of wisdom.

One of my favourite parts of the book is where we see the deep sea angler fish, which have always terrified me with their bulging mouths full of sharp pointed teeth, each of them dangling an illuminated fishing rod from their mouths to ensnare their unwary prey. But on this occasion the angler fish themselves have to flee in terror when Nen’s father Pelagius unleashes a great tempest upon the ocean, and their gruesome mouths gape open in fear as they try to escape. (Serves them right for scaring us all…)

I guess you could argue that this whole book is about emerging from darkness to live in the light. It has many issues to raise about our attitude to others, how we treat our planet, and our right to lead the kind of life that we want to lead. I think we may find that children have plenty to say on these matters – and I would guess they may have even more to say after reading this splendid book.

More Signed Copies of Stranger Days to be Won!

If you didn’t get lucky in our previous competition, there’s now a new chance to win one of three signed copies of the paperback edition of Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill, this time courtesy of Lovereading4kids You can find out all about how to enter on the lovereading4kids website here, where you’ll also find the Lovereading4kids review of the book.

This is of course the second in the Vale of Strange series, the sequel to The Shop on Peculiar Hill. Lovereading4kids points out that it’s also a stand-alone novel which works very well even if you haven’t read the previous book. They say: ‘this is an exciting book which will certainly be a page turner for those who love all things weird and wonderful’.

The book is one of the Lovereading4kids ‘indie books that we love’ and also one of their featured books. There’s lots more about the book, including more reviews, on our own special page here and you can read some free sample chapters here. Good luck in the competition!

Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill – ‘a LoveReading4Kids Indie Book We Love’

We’re very happy to announce that, like The Shop on Peculiar Hill before it, Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill, the second book in the Vale of Strange series, has been chosen by Lovereading4kids as one of their ‘Indie Books We Love’.

Reviewer Charlotte Walker writes “Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill is a new adventure that develops the brilliant ideas firmly established in Grimly Darkwood’s first Vale of Strange book… It follows on from the end of The Shop on Peculiar Hill but recaps the previous events and there’s enough detail for it to be read as a standalone story… After reading, I’m sure children will be racing to enjoy the adventure in The Shop on Peculiar Hill if they haven’t read it already.”

And if you prefer to start reading with the first book, don’t forget that the eBook version of The Shop on Peculiar Hill is still available for only 99p from Amazon UK or 99 cents from Amazon.Com

You can read the whole of Charlotte’s review here.

We’ve also updated our Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill page here on grimlydarkwood.com with all the latest reviews of the book, including this one from an Amazon UK reader: “Absolutely loved this book. Very funny, exciting, and a real page turner. Can’t wait for the next.”

More Praise for Stranger Days…

“The author’s vivid imagination, exceptional story-telling and brilliant writing make this a fantasy novel you will recall in years to come.”

Following on from Mani’s review the other day, it’s great to see yet more encouraging words about ‘Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill’ from Peggy Jo Wipf at Readers’ Favorite. The whole of her five star review follows.

‘Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill’ by Grimly Darkwood continues the tale of The Vale of Strange. Darkwood flawlessly ties book one to book two by making you feel you hadn’t been away from The Vale of Strange for longer than a minute. This book is a roller coaster ride the whole way through as new adventures come to Peter and Amanda.

Peter and his Uncle Bob are called to the big old house at the top of the hill to assist a new family when all manner of strange events and mysterious people begin to appear. Guatemala (Mala) is a girl Peter’s age that lives with her explorer father, Mr. Flipper, and her Uncle Percival Crow. Who knew that excavating a swimming pool would bring about a trip to The Vale of Strange for Peter and Mala, with a disgruntled Amanda?

Grimly Darkwood skillfully moves ‘Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill’ along at a breath-taking pace as it sweeps us into a plot that keeps the reader both interested and intrigued. The previous characters continue to add humor, snarky attitudes, and moral correctness to a story with many twists and turns. The new characters add their own qualities of loyalty, persistence, and excitement. The author’s vivid imagination, exceptional story-telling and brilliant writing make this a fantasy novel you will recall in years to come. The novel is bizarre enough for readers to enjoy the creativity of the author and expect more from this country that is trying to find a solution to their “strange” problem.

Many thanks to Peggy Jo Wipf for that review.

What about you? Have you read ‘Stranger Days’ yet? If so, what did you think of the book? Do you agree that it was like a rollercoaster ride? Or was it more like being on a Big Wheel? Or gently drifting on a lilo under a cloudless blue sky into shark-infested waters? Do write and tell us what you thought…

‘Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill’ is available from Amazon in paperback or Kindle.

Amazon UK link

Amazon US link

Five Heart Review from Mani!

“Another fab book. If you’re looking for a quick read with lots of strange adventures I highly recommend this one, and it really doesn’t matter what age you are.”

Many thanks to Mani of the ‘Mani Reads and Reviews’ blog for her very enthusiastic review of ‘Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill’! I’m really pleased that she enjoyed this second book as much as she did the first. You can read the whole review on her website here.

I’m especially pleased to hear that Mani’s five year old nephew ‘loved all the silliness and the strange creatures’ too. The age range of our readers seems to be expanding all the time. At this rate we’ll soon be hitting a hundred between the oldest and the youngest. Either that or my calculator needs a new battery… (If any 105-year-olds are reading this, please get in touch.)

The Shop on Peculiar Hill Quiz

Have you read The Shop on Peculiar Hill? How much did you learn from it about life on the edge of the Vale of Strange? Now there’s a chance to test your knowledge in the brand new Goodreads ‘Shop on Peculiar Hill’ Quiz. Here’s a sample question to get you started:

Where do bogeys live?

a) In Boggy Hollows

b) At the Strange Hotel

c) Underneath your bed

An ideas? If you knew the answer to that one (or even if you didn’t) you can take the whole quiz here at Goodreads. It’s fun to do and it’s a very sensible idea to check your knowledge to make sure you’re taking the right precautions against all the various monsters. Otherwise you can end up trying to fend off a heeble-greeb with a bowl of glop.

And if you haven’t been to Goodreads before, you might like to take a look around while you’re there. It’s a good place to go to get recommendations for books, chat about what you’ve been reading with friends, and even to write reviews so you can share your thoughts about what you’ve been reading more widely. Rather annoyingly, though no doubt for very good reasons, you have to be 13 or over to be a member at Goodreads, but if you’re too young at the moment, this may be one of those times when a parent comes in useful. They might be able to ask for book recommendations on your behalf and it might be a really worthwhile project for you to help them write a review of The Shop on Peculiar Hill or even Stranger Days – if only to keep them out of mischief for a day or so.

You can also help them to answer that quiz of course. Here’s another sample question before I go:

What is Aunt Maggie’s lucky day?

a) Wednesday

b) Thursday

c) Every other Friday

You’ll find more questions – and all the answers – over at Goodreads...

And don’t forget to wear that hat!

(The Good Reads links above take you to the quiz. The main Good Reads page for The Shop on Peculiar Hill is here.)

Keeping In Touch

Just to ring the changes a bit as regards pictures here on the blog, many thanks to John Guy Collick, author of the galaxy-spanning Book of the Colossus series, for sharing this photo of his paperback copy of Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill on desk display...

Now that all the Kindles have been sieved and measured as they were downloaded through the great colander in the sky, we are able to report that almost a thousand people (yes, almost a thousand!) took advantage of the splendid offer of a free e-copy of The Shop on Peculiar Hill. This being so, it seems likely that some of them have been smart enough not only to grasp this remarkable opportunity with eager fingers but also to find their way here to the premier source of knowledge of all things Grimly. One of them may even be you, in which case welcome along!

This is indeed the place to come to keep up-to-date with all the latest developments in the world of the Vale of Strange. You may wish to check back here from time to time to make sure you’re not missing anything. Alternatively, if you’re as smart as I think you are, you’ll prefer to automate the process by putting your email address in the little box on the right-hand side of the page, the one labelled ‘Follow Blog by Email’. It will not surprise you to learn that this will sign you up to get email notifications of new posts here on the blog.

But of course, communication is a two-way thing. Extensive scientific experiments have proved that shouting at the top of your voice is a totally useless means of communication if no one is listening. So I wish to assure you that, for our part, we are sitting here with our ears sticking out of our hats (which Aunt Maggie assures me is perfectly safe as long as no bogeys are flying around), ready to capture your faintest whisper and place it on the conveyor belt which carries it up to what passes for a brain here at Grimly Central, where a conglomeration of brain bits (to use the technical terminology) will convert it into the message you wish to transmit.

Or to put it another way, tell us what you think and we’ll be listening.

Have you finished reading that book yet? What do you think of Peculiar Hill and the Vale of Strange? Would you like to live there? Who is your favourite character in the book and why? If you have just read ‘The Shop on Peculiar Hill’, are you keen to read ‘Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill’ next? What do you think is going to happen next? What would you like to happen? What is your favourite monster in the Vale of Strange? Do you think there are some more in there that we haven’t discovered yet?

And if any children – or indeed adults – would like to send us a drawing based on the books, we should be very interested to see it and perhaps share it here on the blog. Our artist, Pete Lyon, has shown us what he thinks the humans and monsters look like. What do you think?

You can contact us via the ‘Contact Grimly’ page, a link to which you will see on the right-hand side of the screen. In the case of any difficulty using the ‘contact Grimly’ form, just use the email address which is given on that page or leave a comment on this post. We’re really hoping to hear from you!

(If you do send us drawings and/or your thoughts about the books – and we very much hope you will – we’ll assume you are happy for them to be published in this blog unless you tell us otherwise.)

Of course, if you haven’t finished the book(s) yet then keep on reading – and keep on wearing that hat!

One last reminder: you can also keep up to date with events in the Vale of Strange by following us on Facebook and/or Twitter – see the links on the right….

Stranger Days – First Review!

“If you have read ‘The Shop on Peculiar Hill’…. then this will be a real treat… We meet new friends, see familar faces, and above all, dive further into this world where nothing is entirely as it appears. In all honesty, as soon as I’d finished ‘The Shop on Peculiar Hill’, I was desperate to get my hands on ‘Stranger Days’ – this is a world with absolutely no finite end point, and I hope this series just keeps going!”

This is a quote from the very first substantial review of ‘Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill’ by the blogger Radzy (aka Em) who you may remember also reviewed ‘The Shop on Peculiar Hill’. You can read the whole of her new review here – and the rest of this blog post of mine may make more sense if you do that now…

As with her previous review, I find this fascinating. Radzy finds things in my writing that I didn’t know were there! It is encouraging to realise that these stories may work in a way of which I wasn’t consciously aware. I simply describe the children interacting in a way that seems natural – often hearing them whisper the dialogue into my ear in the helpful way they sometimes do – trying to amuse or otherwise entertain in the process. But if this can help readers cope with a similar situation in their own lives, then that is quite a bonus.

It makes me wonder what else may be hiding there in the book that I don’t remember putting there. Perhaps there are new kinds of monsters I don’t remember creating… I’d better go and read it again just in case.

Many thanks to Radzy for the review – and for opening my eyes to my own book!

I’m sorry there’s still no paperback edition by the way. It was supposed to be out yesterday. I’m sure they’re staying up late at Amazon HQ to try to get it fiished. I’ll let you know when I hear.

Stranger Days – Free Sample Chapters Available Now!

As promised, here is a link to the free sample chapters of ‘Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill’, the second book in the Vale of Strange series. This is your chance to try before you buy. If you decide you want to read more – and I really hope you do! – the Kindle version of the book can be pre-ordered now from your local Amazon store.

UK link

US link

It will then be auto-downloaded to your device or app on 1st December, the publication date. The paperback version can’t be pre-ordered but it can be purchased from 1st December.

If these two chapters aren’t enough for you and you would like a sneak preview of the whole book, then that might be possible too if you are happy to give us some feedback when you have read it. If you would like to see the whole book in advance, please get in touch with us through the Contact Grimly page.

Happy reading!