Published by Unbound on August 30 2018
Genres: Fiction, Young Adult
Goodreads
When 12-year-old Krish finds out his mum is dying, he is desperate to give her more time to live. This leads to a deal with a devil-like creature to travel to another realm, Ilir, and collect the Myrthali - the essence of time itself.
Ilir is a tiny desert world where the days are a handful of hours long and there is magic and treachery on every corner. Here Krish is set three impossible challenges by the brutal King Obsendei to win from him the Myrthali. He joins forces with the razor-tongued, young girl-wizard Balthrir, who hopes to free her parents from the Black Palace; a living, breathing structure built entirely out of those subjects who have incurred the wrath of the King.But as Krish battles these impossible tasks he may be about to learn that there is more than his mother's life at stake as he gets embroiled in a blood-thirsty fight for power in Ilir that will push his friendship with Balthrir to its limits
I am so excited to be on the blog tour today for Mark’s book The Boy Who Stole Time. When Mark first contacted me about reading his book, I just at the chance. I mean just look at the beautiful cover! I was not alas, able to read it in time for the tour, but you will be seeing my review soon! So before I share with you an exclusive excerpt from the book, what have the bloggers said so far about the book?
This was a story that just kept giving. An adventure that has to continue I hope not too long into the future. Only time will tell! Superb no matter how old you are.
Chronicles of a Fantasy Writer says
Every scene was so richly described, I felt like I was actually there, beside Krish experiencing every moment of the tale. I think that’s a huge accomplishment. Instead of letting descriptions weaken the quality of his work, the author made them his biggest triumph.
Bibliophile Book Club (Ellen’s Review) says
This story reminded me of the stories of Arabian Nights/One Thousand and One Nights that I loved to read as a child. There are elements of The Boy Who Stole Time that will appeal to everyone. This book is the first in the series and I can’t wait to see what is going to happen next!!
‘Sleep …’ Balthrir’s staff made gentle circles in the air. Krish began to slip away from the conscious world.
In an instant, a dream swooped in and took him …
A snort … a muzzle lifts out of the dirt … looking ahead
… into the trees … eyes wide … an ecstasy of barking …
lean, muscular legs bounding through darkened woods …
Screaming … he was screaming
in the dark …
Their paws beat the ground … they were close … too close …
Screaming … she calls out … she calls
again … he doesn’t understand her words …
So close … the smell of putrid meat on their breath …
Her desperate whispers … Where?
Which direction? He points …
Their pace quickening … their quarry near …
The twine thrust into his hands … the mule
neighing, running from them … her tearing the
dead creature on the ground, scattering
flesh behind them as they run …
Some chewed the meat … others barked …
this was not their prey …
Running, running … hearts beating wild in their chests …
violent breaths … stumbling over branches … feet too close …
confused … fingers, his fingers, large as swollen branches …
They were on their scent again …
The swish of a blade … a shriek of pain across his arm,
his friend opening his vein … a faint attempt at reassurance
through stuttering breaths … her mixing his blood with
the meat … discarded on the ground …
Beasts tearing into the bloody flesh … swallowing
leaves and twigs and dirt stuck to that filthy mess …
Wading … rancid, stagnant water … her
commanding him to drench himself … her
hand on his wound …
The scent was cold …
they had had their fill …
for now …
Water so close, too close … feeling it at his
waist, seeing it up to his neck … he would drown! He was
lost! He’d die! Falling under the water, one eye above,
both below. No sense. What? What?! Help!
Deep, deep below. Drowning! Dying!
Fetid water pouring down his throat …
Her over him, shouting, shouting,
screaming, no sense.
Every mark, every scratch, every bead
of sweat on her skin so clear …
‘Open yer eyes!’
He swore she was calling to him in his dream and
in the real world all at once …
‘Krish! Open yer eyes! O-pen yer –’
He jolted awake.
‘– eyes!’
He was lying in a shallow pond, no higher than his knees. Balthrir still hovered over him but she was a little farther away than she had been in his nightmare.
‘Where are they?’ she asked.
He looked into her eyes, confused, and she asked again.
‘I don’t know,’ he said.
‘Look.’
He looked roughly in the direction of where the dogs had been chewing the meat in his dream. But he saw nothing.
‘Look,’ she said. ‘Just for a moment …’
Then he realised. The smoke in his eyes. The grains of sand. The wind. That’s when he’d seen them. Hesitantly, he allowed his eyelids to slide over his eyes.
Across the forest … a clearing … dogs stood
over the carcass … One’s head shot a look in his
direction … snarling …
Krish opened his eyes with a gasp. Balthrir was looking expectantly at him.
‘There!’ he said. ‘Over there! One looked—’
‘It’s fine. The water will keep them off our scent for now. At least … well, it should do. We’d better move on. And keep yer eyes open.’
Krish looked up into her eyes, which were fearful, apologetic.
‘They’re real, aren’t they?’
jenchaos76 says
This would be a good book for my Time theme
Zoe says
Ooh yes! Do it do it lol