Sebastian Darke

Sebastian Darke, his opinionated buffalope, Max, and the fierce fighter Cornelius are heading to the bustling port of Ramalat to embark on a perilous sea journey. They are ready to risk their lives in search of the fabled lost treasure of the pirate King, Captain Callinestra. But first, they must make it through the dark and mysterious forest of Geltane and survive an encounter with the beautiful and bewitching Leonora, a powerful enchantress with a magical hold over Sebastian’s senses. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, little do they know that, when they finally reach Ramalat, a feisty female sea captain, an infamous young pirate, ravenous sea creatures, and furious sea battles await them. But there’s no turning back. Will they discover the lost treasure? Will Sebastian live to tell the tale? Will Max ever stop moaning? Philip Caveney has written many novels for adults. This is his second book for young adults. He lives in England.

Sebastian, Max and Cornelius are heading to the port of Ramalat to embark on a sea journey in search of the lost treasure of a pirate. But first, they must cross the mysterious forest of Geltane and survive an encounter with a powerful enchantress. And when they reach Ramalat, a breathtaking action awaits them. Will they discover the treasure?

The lord of Laughter, the Monarch of Mirth–if only the bumbling 17-year-old Sebastian Darke could be a successful jester like his father. The problem is Sebastian’s not funny. But after his father’s death, with no choice but to beg in the streets, the half-human, half-elf teen sets off with Max, his father’s slightly cynical Buffalope, to offer his services as a jester to King Septimus of Keladon. On the way they meet Captain Cornelius Drummel, small in stature, but the fiercest of fighters. The three rescue the fair princess Kerin, who’s being held captive by brigands, and happily escort her home. If only Sebastian knew the kidnapping was engineered by the evil King Septimus!

Having concluded that he will never be a jester, half-elvish seventeen-year-old Sebastian sets out with his friends to seek buried pirate treasure but someone--or something--is following them.

Max, the talking buffalope, has an enquiring mind, a keen sense of humour, and a grumpy disposition. Orphaned by the villainous Neruvians, sold off as a slave to the callous Berundians, he escapes into the wilderness, is attacked by vicious lupers, and rescued in the nick of time by the jester, Alexander Darke.

Sebastian Darke; his snarky buffalope, Max; and fierce fighter Cornelius are off on another hair-raising quest after being hired by a rich merchant to seek out the legendary lost city of Mendip. Not only must they find it, they must bring back valuable proof of its existence. Sebastian doubts they’ll reach their destination after trudging through miles of jungle filled with warrior beasts and terrifying tribes. But then he meets the beautiful Keera, whose people believe he’s the Chosen One sent to free their tribe from their brutal enemy. Little do they know that Sebastian is definitely not the hero type. He just wants to bring back valuable proof of the lost city. But will the price they must pay outweigh the rewards?

'Its snarky hero is a joy', a Times and Sunday Times Novel of the Year, 2020 'Clever, witty and perceptive . . . Gekoski writes movingly about love, loss and grief, while handling the difficult issue of assisted dying with considerable balance and finesse. Beautifully written, engrossing and heartbreakingly funny' Mail on Sunday 'Stylish, funny and daring . . . the clarity and energy of Darke Matter fill you with light' The Times (best summer books) 'Harrowing, funny, tender and nearly always beautifully written' Sunday Times James Darke is dreading the first family Christmas without his wife Suzy. Engulfed by grief, his grudging preparations are interrupted by a persistent knock at the door. Questions about the circumstances of his wife's death force him to confront the outside world and what really happened to her. Isolated, angry and diminished, James soon faces a crisis both legal and psychological. It will test his resolve and threaten his freedom. Darke Matter is a brilliant, mordant examination of the nature and obligations of love. Both immensely sad and extremely funny, the story wrestles with one of the great moral issues of our time. The surprising sequel to Darke . . . Praise for Darke: 'An original and bleakly funny portrait of grief' Economist 'Surprising . . . with a warmth that is genuinely and unexpectedly moving' Guardian 'A wondrous book with two fathers, Kingsley Amis and Dante' Sebastian Barry 'Makes for dark, thrilling reading . . . In James Darke, Gekoski has created a powerful, raging voice' Spectator 'I was beguiled and charmed by the vivid personality being revealed. By that, and by the fact that I couldn't stop reading. Gekoski puts words together with a sure touch and deep craftsmanship' Philip Pullman 'Rick Gekoski's impressive debut novel . . . Darke is both a tender and hard-hitting examination of grief and the slow, singular healing process . . . A brilliantly vivid creation . . . life-affirming and life-shattering' The Herald 'Staggeringly accomplished. Heartbreakingly true. A shockingly monumental first novel' John Niven 'Stuffed with more wisdom, bile, wit and tenderness than many writers create in a lifetime. In James Darke we have a hero as troubled and eternal as King Lear . . . And in Rick Gekoski we have a late-flowering genius of a novelist who proves it's never too late to start a glittering career in fiction' The Times 'An immensely enjoyable elegy . . . done with precision and patience' The Scotsman 'Debut delight . . . Just how this gleefully conjured misanthrope came to wall himself off from the world is the mystery at the heart of a singular first novel that evolves into a moving meditation on loss and redemption' Mail on Sunday

Egypt 1923. Fifteen-year-old Alec Devlin is on his way to the Valley of the Kings. Accompanied by his faithful valet, Coates, Alec is to spend his summer holidays working on his Uncle Will's archaeological dig. It's not the first time he's spent his summer this way . . . but this year things are different. Uncle Will and his young assistant, Tom Hinton, have recently made an amazing discovery - an ancient tomb hidden deep below the earth. But only hours after opening its doors, Uncle Will falls mysteriously ill and Tom seems to have disappeared without trace. Together with Ethan Wade, the young American soldier of fortune who is managing the dig in Uncle Will's absence, and a pretty French woman called Madeleine Duval, Alec sets about unravelling the tomb's mysteries. Seemingly harmless animals have turned into rabid killers . . . long dead mummies are rising from their tombs . . . the spirit of a powerful High Priest is claiming the bodies of the living as his living hosts . . . Together Alec and Ethan must confront a terror that has waited three thousand years to be reborn.

Edgar Brim is a sensitive orphan who, exposed to horror stories from his father as a young child, is afraid of almost everything and suffers from nightly terrors. His stern new guardian, Mr. Thorne, sends the boy to a gloomy school in Scotland where his dark demons only seem to worsen and he is bullied and ridiculed for his fears. But years later, when sixteen-year-old Edgar finds a journal belonging to his novelist father, he becomes determined to confront his nightmares and the bullies who taunt him. After the horrific death of a schoolmate, Edgar becomes involved with an eccentric society at the urging of a mysterious professor who believes that monsters from famous works of literature are real and whose mandate is to find and destroy these creatures. With the aid of a rag-tag crew of friends, the fear-addled teen sets about on his dark mission, one that begins in the cemetery on the bleak Scottish moors and ends in a spine-chilling climax on the stage of the Royal Lyceum Theatre in London with Henry Irving, the infamous and magnetic actor, and his manager, Bram Stoker, the author of the most frightening and sensational novel of the day, Dracula. Can Edgar Brim truly face his terror and conquer his fears?

Egypt 1923. Fifteen-year-old Alec Devlin is on his way to the Valley of the Kings. Accompanied by his faithful valet, Coates, Alec is to spend his summer holidays working on his Uncle Will's archaeological dig. It's not the first time he's spent his summer this way . . . but this year things are different.