Malamander (An Eerie-on-Sea Mystery)

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A quirky, creepy fantasy set in Eerie-on-Sea finds a colorful cast of characters in hot pursuit of a sea monster thought to convey a surprising gift. I can see this book being a big hit this year as there is so much happening throughout and the plot and the characters are exceptionally enjoyable to spend your time with. It is also the first in a planned series so I now can’t wait to see what adventures Violet and Herbert get up to in the next two books. Eerie-on-Sea has always been a mysteriously chilling place, where strange stories seem to wash up. And it just got stranger… Violet Parma stumbles through the window of the lost and found department at the Grand Nautilus Hotel in Eerie-On-Sea where Herbert Lemon is working. She tells Herbert he needs to hide her and fast. Soon afterward the manager of the hotel, Mr. Mollusc arrives with an old man who has a boat hook for a hand. He wants to know where Violet is, but Herbert tells them he hasn’t seen any girl.

In Malamander, Thomas Taylor casts a spell over his readers as he welcomes us into the mysterious mist-covered town of Eerie-on-Sea, where magic infuses the air, monster legends haunt the shore, and secrets lurk in the shadows. Filled with humor, adventure, and wonderful strangeness, this book is a treat. It is believed they went looking for the mysterious and legendary Malamander, a vicious sea monster that is said to swim in the sea and lay a magical egg that can make your wishes come true. What actually happened that fateful night, no-one knows.Whispering Stories was established in 2015. The blog is here to share our love of books and the bookish world, alongside our other passions in life. We are based in the UK. This creepy, quirky debut trilogy opener—think H.P. Lovecraft crossed with John Bellairs—is dank, misty fun. Herbert Lemon is Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel in the town of Eerie-On-Sea. One night, his sleep is interrupted by Violet Parma climbing in his basement window — a girl in trouble who needs to hide, and has a mystery to solve. And who better to do so, she thinks, than a Lost-and-Founder? A wonderfully imaginative and atmospheric adventure, rich in myth and legend, and with a delicious gothic edge. . . . Malamander confirms [Taylor] as a ferociously talented writer. . . . This really is one that deserves all the buzz.

Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, knows that returning lost things to their rightful owners is not easy – especially when the lost thing is not a thing at all, but a girl. No one knows what happened to Violet Parma’s parents twelve years ago, and when she engages Herbie to help her find them, the pair discover that their disappearance might have something to do with the legendary sea-monster, the Malamander. Each of the characters has been given a great name and they all are unique and bring so much to the plot from the not-quite-so-nice Mr. Eels, to Mrs. Hanniver who runs the Eerie Book Dispensary where you don’t choose the books, they choose you via the help of the mechanical mermonkey. Thomas Taylor was born in Norfolk, England in 1973, but grew up in Wales. He attended Norwich Art School in 1991, before going on to specialise in illustration at Anglia University in Cambridge, graduating in 1995. After dabbling in Theatre design he decided to concentrate on children’s books because he prefers the colours. Since his first illustration job, the cover for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Bloomsbury), Thomas has contributed to and illustrated dozens of books, plus written and illustrated four: George and Sophies Museum Adventure, Orchard; The Loudest Roar, OUP; The Biggest Splash – OUP; and The Noisiest Night, OUP. Get the latest news from Eerie-on-Sea directly to your inbox by signing up to the Eerie-on-Sea Enquirer!They’re not the only ones interested in the legend — Sebastian Eels, a shifty writer and authority on the myth is prepared to do anything to get the treasure, including disappearing young girls and boys. Herbie’s employer, the crippled Lady Kraken, who sits in her tower room of the hotel and watches the town through her cameraluna (powered by the moon), wants the treasure to restore her family. Herbert is thrown into a quirky adventure of vivid characters and strange incidents — a sinister writer, lost luggage, a prophesying mermonkey, missing parents, a ghostly, vengeful Captain, fish and chips, and the local legend of the Malamander: a vicious sea creature guarding a treasure that grants the owner their deepest wishes. Taylor clearly has fun with names too, whether it’s the owner of the fish and chip diner, Mr Seegol, or the scruffy professional beachcomber, Mrs Fossil, who owns a Flotsamporium. These small details raise the whimsy, which fortunately never becomes absurd, as Taylor grounds it in the real. They also heighten the action scenes, which escalate into some dramatic and quite violent scares.