Brian crafts narratives for adult, young adult, and child readers alike. His most recent adult novel draws inspiration from the life of Thomas De Quincey, a nineteenth-century writer known for his struggles with opium.
"In 1802 Thomas de Quincey, a young man who will one day write the famous book "Confessions of an English opium eater," collapses on Oxford Street and is nursed back to health by a teenage prostitute. Their lives and that of a freed slave cross and re-cross the slums of London in this novel about the birth of passion, the burden of addiction, and the consolations of literature."--Provided by publisher
In the first supernatural mystery in the Nathaniel Wolfe series, 12-year-old Nathaniel doesn't believe in spirits—but he'll soon be forced to change his mind Up there on the stage beside his father was a shadow, a shape, blurred at first but becoming clearer with every passing moment until finally he was looking at the figure of a woman, dressed in a long white robe. Her eyes were the palest blue and they were fixed directly on him. With every fibre of his being he knew her for what she a ghost. Hers was a life that had departed its earthly body but was not yet prepared to release its grip on the world for ever. There was unfinished business she yet had to perform. But why, out of all the millions of individuals on the face of the planet had she chosen him for her haunting? It's seven o'clock on a cold London evening in 1862, and in a grubby theater down by the docks, Nathaniel Wolfe watches his father—the greatest medium in London—take to the stage. Which of the dead will speak through him tonight? What Nathaniel doesn't know is that his father is meddling with things he cannot control, and before the night is over Nathaniel will find himself in the middle of a chilling mystery, one that can only be solved from beyond the grave.
A journey of self-discovery unfolds as three friends embark on an adventure to uncover their identities and connect with their past. Their quest is filled with challenges and revelations, leading them to a deeply satisfying conclusion that explores themes of friendship and personal growth.
This literacy programme for juniors offers fiction, poetry and non-fiction reading and writing materials for shared, guided and group reading and writing, and teaching materials. Comets should capture the imagination of more able pupils, and software integrates ICT with literacy teaching.