Books published by publisher Clown Press Scotland

In 1592, a girl with spirit is a threat.Ruth has secrets,An old book of heresy belonging to her long-absent father. A dream that haunts her. And love that she and Silas hide from the world.When she is robbed of all she holds true, her friends from Crowbury slide into terrible danger. Hope is as faint as a moonbow. Dare Ruth trust the shadowy one who could destroy them all?"For a novel of such breathtaking imagination, 'Black Snow Falling' also has a deep sense of history and satisfyingly complex characters. I recommend it highly." David Robinson 'The Scotsman' 2000-15"A wildly original Elizabethan fantasy, steeped in atmosphere and dark beauty." Elizabeth Wein"A superb debut. A richly textured tale of fantastic imagination." Keith Gray

This is a clearly told yet imaginative story with an epic sweep. Characters - even the smallest - are the opposite of cardboard cut-outs, but given as much psychological complexity as is congruent with such a fast-flowing story. It starts out on quite a small scale, with two stories 50 years apart. In 1592, Ruth, a 14-year old daughter of absent earl, is about to married off against her will by a hated stepmother. Fifty years earlier, a candle-maker's son called Jude falls foul of Henry VIII and is lucky to escape with his life. Before the main plot kicks into gear, the reader is left wondering how both of those strands could possibly be linked. Early on, the novel looks as though it is could be a story about the risks Ruth is running in defying convention by falling in love with a stable boy called Silas. Or maybe it's going to be about the clash between science and authority, as the cause of Jude nearly losing his head 50 years previously after daring ton suggest to Henry VIII that maybe the Earth really did orbit the Sun. But no: instead, the story is about what the title says: Black Snow Falling. Because that's what the effect seems to be as when the shadowy dream thieves go to work. And it is only when one sees their ship anchored a mile in the sky that one begins to appreciate the novel's ambition. It isn't just going to be about one person touched by some sort of magic, or insight, or - in this case, soul-shrivelling loss of hope. That will be something that could apply to all of its characters, and indeed (because the dream-thieves' ship sails into different centuries) all of its readers too. Because the opposite of dream-stealing, then now, is defying convention and living with hope. Fort a novel of such capacious imagination, Black Snow Falling also has a deep sense of history and its protagonists have a satisfyingly complex characterisation. It's rare to find all three at once in YA fiction, let alone fused together so effectively, and in all my time as The Scotsman's books editor (15 years and another 10 as deputy) I don't think I ever have. I recommend it highly. David Robinson Books Editor, The Scotsman 2000-15 -- David Robinson

Due to the nature of this book, it is best viewed on the latest versions of kindle software and devices.A modern ballad in verse form, with a child protagonist. Crispin inherits a ghostly and ghastly stately pile, threatened by a curse and menaced by a demonic butler. A humorous satire that continues Young's commentary on decadence in our age with gothic illustrations by Julie Verhoeven.ReviewIf ever there were a salutary tale of the perils of fame, of being careful what you wish for, of fin de siecle excess, the story of Murray Lachlan Young is it. --The Sunday TimesFast,funny, provocative and hugely entertaining; --The Guardian About the AuthorMurray Lachlan Young is a poet, broadcaster and stand up performer who has written for theatre and film. He came to prominence in the mid 90s when he signed a contract for performing his poems with MTV worth GBP1 million. Best known as an across network performer on BBC radio, he was commissioned by Mark Rylance to commemorate the Globe Theatre's relocation to its current home, by BBC World Service to explore the connection between science and religion for a special program recorded at CERN in Switzerland, and he co-wrote the 2015 adaption of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'. Murray has two sons and lives in London. This is his first collaboration with artist Julie Verhoeven.