Showing results by narrator "Ewan Goddard" in All Categories

Oswald de Lacy, Lord of Somershill, sits at his mother's deathbed. Before she dies, he must make a confession. He needs to tell of the days when he was 18 years old, the third, disregarded son of the family, sent off to become a monk, working in the infirmary while plague raged outside the monastery. Of how he was sent to a nearby village and witnessed the death of a local girl, and how he swore to investigate...and how he was drawn into a crime so dark and terrifying, it haunts him - and his family - still.

When 12-year-old Rixon's great-uncle leaves him the mysterious Splinter Island in his will, Rixon can't quite believe it. There's only one thing to do - go there and see it for himself. Alone. And Splinter Island might just hold the key to the future of the planet, in the form of four children hidden away from society. But soon Rixon and the others are fighting for their lives - left in a cave with a rising tide, floating out to sea on a leaky inflatable and fending off the attacks of a famous tech giant and his enormous silver yacht.

It's 1358. Oswald de Lacy, Lord Somershill, is in Venice awaiting a pilgrim galley to the Holy Land. While the city is under siege from the Hungarians, Oswald lodges with an English merchant and soon comes under the dangerous spell of the decadent and dazzling island state that sits on the hinge of Europe, where East meets West. Oswald is trying to flee the chilling shadow of something in his past, but when he finds a dead man on the night of the carnival, he is dragged into a murder investigation....

There are certain things that Yuri Zipit knows: that being official food taster for the leader of the Soviet Union requires him to drink too much vodka for a 12-year-old. That you do not have to be an elephantologist to see that the great leader is dying. That Marshal Bruhah has been known to eat his own children while Comrade Krushka is fit only to run a slaughterhouse and that one of them has Yuri's father somewhere here in the Dacha. That it's a crime to love your family more than you love Socialism, the Party or the Motherland.

Oswald de Lacey is growing up fast in his new position as Lord of Somershill Manor. The Black Death changed many things, and just as it took away his father and elder brothers, leaving Oswald to be recalled from the monastery where he expected to spend his life, it has taken many of his villagers and servants. However, there is still the same amount of work to be done in the farms and fields, and the few people left to do it think they should be paid more - something the King himself has forbidden.

Rico knows to stay away from trouble as best he can. But he’s angry and frustrated at the injustices he sees happening at home and around the world. He wants to do something - but what? When he is approached by Speech, a mysterious man who shares Rico's hacktivist interests, Rico is given the perfect opportunity to speak out. After all, what harm can a peaceful cyber protest do...?

Find out why it's not easy being green in the hilarious new story from Frank Cottrell Boyce: The Astounding Broccoli Boy! Rory Rooney likes to be prepared for all eventualities. His favourite book is Don't Be Scared, Be Prepared, and he has memorized every page of it. He could even survive a hippo attack. He knows that just because something is unlikely doesn't mean it won't ever happen.... But Rory isn't prepared when he suddenly and inexplicably turns green.

1361. Plague has returned to England - 13 years after the devastation of the Black Death. As destruction advances towards his estate in Kent, Oswald de Lacy leads his family to the safety of a remote castle in the marshes - where his friend Godfrey is preparing a fortress to survive the coming disaster. The rules are clear: once the de Lacys and other guests are inside the castle the portcullis will be lowered and no-one permitted to enter or leave until the Pestilence has passed. And then a murderer strikes.

The time has come for Kevin's Gloaming. This is a test every almost nearly eleven-year-old must pass to show they have all the necessary skills to be a vampire. Kevin will have to show he can transform into a bat, mind-speak and melt into the darkness. Which would be fine, except he hasn't quite mastered the melt yet... If Kevin doesn't pass, he'll be cast out forever. Is there anyone who can help him?

The Hotel of the Gods has a new guest! Loki, the Viking trickster god, has come to celebrate Midsummer at the hotel. Everyone is excited about the new arrival - apart from Loki's old rival, Thor. Atlas and his best friend Maui find Loki and his shape-shifting tricks hilarious at first. But when Loki's pranks go too far, Atlas knows he has to get the Viking god to leave before the Midsummer party is ruined.

Kevin Aurelius is just like any other almost eleven-year-old. Well, apart from his fangs obviously. And that he's immortal. Oh and did I mention he's a vampire? Together with his vampire parents and annoying older siblings, Kevin's on his way to Monstros City when, due to dodgy batnav, they get stranded in a strange, quiet place full of humans called Lower Drudging. With empty coffers in need of filling, their only choice is to put on an impromptu carnival to earn the gold they need to get back on their way. But Lower Drudging has a monstrous secret of its own.

When Atlas's parents get new jobs running a luxurious hotel he can't believe his luck. It sounds almost too good to be true. It is. The hotel has very unusual residents - ancient gods and goddesses, forgotten by humans who now worship TikTok celebrities. There's a Chinese water dragon living in the swimming pool, a Viking god throwing his magical hammer in the garden, and an Aztec god who thinks Atlas is a human sacrifice!

If Kevin the Vampire was already beside himself with excitement at visiting the Festival of Fear, he's now even more so. His new best friend Susie and an extremely rare draffin called Gerald have joined his family's carnival. It's going to be better than ever! They might even win Carnival of the Year...But because they are running late, Kevin's family need to take a shortcut through the perilous Wild Woods, where no one ever goes because of the extremely wicked witch who lives there. But that should be fine as long as no one gets out and no one eats anything ... right?