Orphans of the Tide

Sep 20, 2024 8:35 PM

Author:Struan Murray,Manuel Sumberac

Orphans of the Tide

Winner of the Branford Boase Award 2021, a breathtaking fantasy adventure for fans of His Dark Materials that The Times calls 'Unputdownable'.

The City was built on a sharp mountain that jutted improbably from the sea, and the sea kept trying to claim it back. That grey morning, once the tide had retreated, a whale was found on a rooftop.

When a mysterious boy washes in with the tide, the citizens believe he's the Enemy - the god who drowned the world - come again to cause untold chaos.

Only Ellie, a fearless young inventor living in a workshop crammed with curiosities, believes he's innocent.

But the Enemy can take possession of any human body and the ruthless Inquisition are determined to destroy it forever.

To save the boy, Ellie must prove who he really is - even if that means revealing her own dangerous secret . . .

'Unputdownable' - The Times

'Enthralling' - The Daily Express

'Sumptuously atmospheric . . . tirelessly inventive' -The Daily Telegraph

'Gripping' - The Guardian

'Energetic and inventive' -Sunday Times

'Gripping and original' - The Observer

'Singularly brilliant' -Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars and The Mercies

'Compellingly inventive and unpredictable' -Piers Torday, author of The Last Wild

'A terrific debut of strange myths and dark secrets' - The Bookseller (Editor's Choice)

Reviews

A sumptuously atmospheric adventure . . . Murray is a tirelessly inventive storyteller

—— Emily Bearn , The Daily Telegraph

Gripping . . . with a touch of Frances Hardinge's bizarre brilliance

—— Imogen Russell Williams , The Guardian

Unputdownable . . . Murray has an extraordinary imagination

—— Alex O'Connell , The Times

Energetic and inventive . . . and with some startling surprises, this is also touching about friendship, siblings, loss and courage

—— Nicolette Jones , The Sunday Times

Struan Murray . . . effortlessly joins the ranks of the most skilled world-creators . . . Unpredictable, filled with plot twists and shades of moral grey, Orphans of the Tide is both gripping and original.

—— Kitty Empire , The Observer

A beautifully written fantasy adventure with prose that is both muscular and musical, and outstanding world building.

—— Sarah Webb , Irish Independent

Orphans of the Tide is singularly brilliant. So inventive, and weird, and beautiful, with just the right amount of bite and darkness. I predict big things!

—— Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars and The Mercies

I loved it! Dark and thrilling. Great characters to root for. Perilous plot. Extraordinary, vivid world building . . . brilliant!

—— Eloise Williams, Children's Laureate Wales

The most original opening I've read in years and a plot twist that turns brilliantly

—— Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song

This is a terrific debut of strange myths and dark secrets, fierce loyalties and ruthless villains, told against the thrilling backdrop of a half submerged city.

—— The Bookseller – Editor's Choice

Compellingly inventive and unpredictable, kept me guessing right till the end.

—— Piers Torday, author of The Last Wild

Absolutely cracking! Great characters, with quite the nastiest villain I've met in a long while.

—— Fleur Hitchcock, author of The Boy Who Flew

Outstanding and immersive . . . I devoured this in one go

—— book blogger Lily SugarPlum Faery

An imaginative journey to a stunning fantasy world, full of twists and heart . . . an absolute corker . . . filled with swashbuckling adventure . . . an enthralling fantasy that moves through dark and grisly scenes of grave peril to positively touching moments of profound friendship. An incredibly imaginative narrative that fills its reader with wonder and thrills while also not being afraid to share quieter moments of real heart.

—— The Daily Express

There is a touch of Phillip Pullman about the world that Murray creates, and Murray matches Pullman lyrical prose [...] The comparison, however, should not take away from Murray's originality [...] the characters themselves, led by the plucky Ellie, anchor Orphans of the Tide in an urgent, human reality.

—— Irish Times

The energetic steampunk vibe overlies a thoughtful fable about compassion and justice

—— New Statesman

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