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My Swordhand is Singing (My Swordhand is Singing #1)
★ “Brings fresh blood to the vampire mythos.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred
In a bitter winter, Tomas and his son, Peter, settle in a small village as woodcutters. Tomas digs a channel of fast-flowing waters around their hut so that they have their own little island kingdom. Peter doesn’t understand why his father has done this, or why his father carries a long, battered box,...more
In a bitter winter, Tomas and his son, Peter, settle in a small village as woodcutters. Tomas digs a channel of fast-flowing waters around their hut so that they have their own little island kingdom. Peter doesn’t understand why his father has done this, or why his father carries a long, battered box,...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
July 28th 2009
by Laurel Leaf
(first published July 26th 2006)
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Review from Badelynge
Marcus Sedgewick takes us to a cold lonely place in the 17th Century in this YA style short horror novel. The dead haunt the snow covered forests of Transylvania. An isolated village hides from the dark and what lurks at the shadow's edge, painting their windows with tar and and trusting that evil will not cross their defences. Sedgewick draws on the vampire folklore of the region to deliver a horror story that predates the more romanticised trappings of the last centu...more
Marcus Sedgewick takes us to a cold lonely place in the 17th Century in this YA style short horror novel. The dead haunt the snow covered forests of Transylvania. An isolated village hides from the dark and what lurks at the shadow's edge, painting their windows with tar and and trusting that evil will not cross their defences. Sedgewick draws on the vampire folklore of the region to deliver a horror story that predates the more romanticised trappings of the last centu...more
Here we go again. To all of you who love this book, I'm sorry. For me one description sums this books up.....:
Way too much wind up for way too little payoff.
I read all the positive reviews and kept waiting for the "terror" to kick in. About page 114 (of 204) while Sophia was explaining to Peter about the Winter King and the Shadow Queen and all the other stuff that most readers had probably already put together it dawned on me "it wasn't going to happen"...more
Way too much wind up for way too little payoff.
I read all the positive reviews and kept waiting for the "terror" to kick in. About page 114 (of 204) while Sophia was explaining to Peter about the Winter King and the Shadow Queen and all the other stuff that most readers had probably already put together it dawned on me "it wasn't going to happen"...more
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May I invite you to take a quick look at the nicely-designed creepy cover art and the cool title. Then turn the book over and read the blurb about father and son who live in the woods… everyday the father digs a channel around their hut without telling his son why and he also keeps a mysterious old box whose contents the son is forbidden to know. Sounds dark and scary? well, turns out it's a YA book. I was expecting good old horror goriness but instead I got coming-of-age and cute illustrations....more
A creepy vampire chiller, from Marcus Sedgewick, My Swordhand is Singing is an interesting emalgamation of myriad old vampire myths - brought together in a spare crisp winter world with an interesting, if simple plot. The vampires are what's quite refreshing about this young adult novel - they aren't your modern, swarve, eroticised dark lovers - these vampires (never referred to as such) are more akin to half-zombies with a penchant for blood. They are animalistic, yet intelligent and organized....more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I loved this 17th century, Eastern European vampire tale.
For me the story evoked the feeling of Peter and the Wolf, a classic that I first came to adore as a wee lad. The ending - rather the fact that I had reached the end of the book - was bittersweet. I enjoyed the experience of reading Segwick's tale so much that when there were no more words to consume, I felt a bit empty, as if I'd experienced a loss. That's the hallmark of a good book, at least for me. The push-pull of loving th...more
For me the story evoked the feeling of Peter and the Wolf, a classic that I first came to adore as a wee lad. The ending - rather the fact that I had reached the end of the book - was bittersweet. I enjoyed the experience of reading Segwick's tale so much that when there were no more words to consume, I felt a bit empty, as if I'd experienced a loss. That's the hallmark of a good book, at least for me. The push-pull of loving th...more
What a fantastic title!
That alone would have sold me on this book. But when I read a recommendation for it on an online list about great vampire stories that also included Sunshine by Robin McKinley, which I loved, I couldn’t get a hold of it fast enough.
And it didn’t disappoint.
This story completely kicks 17th century Transylvanian undead butt!
It is a teen novel but there’s not a sparkly, sulky or sultry vampire in sight. Hooray! These vampires are hard...more
That alone would have sold me on this book. But when I read a recommendation for it on an online list about great vampire stories that also included Sunshine by Robin McKinley, which I loved, I couldn’t get a hold of it fast enough.
And it didn’t disappoint.
This story completely kicks 17th century Transylvanian undead butt!
It is a teen novel but there’s not a sparkly, sulky or sultry vampire in sight. Hooray! These vampires are hard...more
'My Swordhand is Singing' is something of an antidote to the glut of contemporary vampire YA literature, which is basically high school with long canines, sexual repression and extra hair gel, as far as I'm concerned.
Set in the early 17th century in eastern Europe, it goes back to the old tales of vampires - people who were trapped between life and death, malevolent zombie-like beings.
Peter (in his late teens) and Tomas (his drunken father) have not long settled on the ou...more
Set in the early 17th century in eastern Europe, it goes back to the old tales of vampires - people who were trapped between life and death, malevolent zombie-like beings.
Peter (in his late teens) and Tomas (his drunken father) have not long settled on the ou...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Eletään 1600-lukua. Alkoholisoitunut puunhakkaaja Tomas ja hänen poikansa Peter ovat päätyneet asumaan pienen Chustin kylän liepeille, jota ympäröivästä metsästä löydetään eräänä talvisena päivänä miehen ruumis. Kuolemantapausta pidetään itsemurhana, vaikka ruumiista löytyvät jäljet viittaisivat johonkin paljon hirveämpään.
Peter tempaistaan keskelle outoja ja kammottavia tapahtumia, ja myös kyläläisten keskuudessa aletaan puhua Varjokuningattaren legendasta ja kuolleista omaisista, jot...more
Peter tempaistaan keskelle outoja ja kammottavia tapahtumia, ja myös kyläläisten keskuudessa aletaan puhua Varjokuningattaren legendasta ja kuolleista omaisista, jot...more
"My Swordhand is Singing" by Marcus Sedgwick tells the tale of a young man and his drunk father living in an Eastern European country during the 1700's vampire scares.
I was really pleased with this book because of its historical accuracy.Everything from the lifestyle of the characters is 100% correct-their town,their mannerisms,customs-all perfect,all believable.
The second reason I really enjoyed this book was that the vampire was an actual vampire. Not a glit...more
I was really pleased with this book because of its historical accuracy.Everything from the lifestyle of the characters is 100% correct-their town,their mannerisms,customs-all perfect,all believable.
The second reason I really enjoyed this book was that the vampire was an actual vampire. Not a glit...more
First off, I can’t believe I haven’t read this, and after the epicness of it all, I feel even worse! My Swordhand Is Singing is a true vampire novel. None of your Twilight-ish vamp falls in love with a human theme here. Oh no. This is the stuff of true vampire legend! Taking you right back to 17th century Eastern Europe where the legends of the vampire were first born and bred.
This is a truly good book. It’s addictive, a quality that all good books need. It’s gripping. Full of suspen...more
This is a truly good book. It’s addictive, a quality that all good books need. It’s gripping. Full of suspen...more
Zinggy
added it
cant help but finding the storyline a bit cliche and simple at time,maybe its just me,because i'am used to sherlock holmes's complex mysteries~ but descriptions are wonderful,gothic atmosphere maintained well throughout,the eyes blinking in the grave scared me to death.
the spoiler in the end shows the next book could be better than this one,,or maybe~
i finished the book within 4 hours,so i cant say it was a boring story or i wont get hooked up~
but the beginning let me down,it was ...more
the spoiler in the end shows the next book could be better than this one,,or maybe~
i finished the book within 4 hours,so i cant say it was a boring story or i wont get hooked up~
but the beginning let me down,it was ...more
My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick, in my opinion was a bit harder to read than most of the other books. The author used more advanced vocabulary and a more advanced plot as well. There were lots of twists and turns in this book because what I had thought would happen when I had read half the books was completely different to what actually happened.
When Tomas built a small island and placed his house upon it, it really puzzled me why he did it, but when I had read on a bit mo...more
When Tomas built a small island and placed his house upon it, it really puzzled me why he did it, but when I had read on a bit mo...more
This particular author is quite a prolific writer of YA stories in a variety of genres, but it was the mid-European horror story setting that drew me to this particular book.
Peter and his father, who drinks too much, have found themselves something of a home as woodcutters for a village, though they choose to live on its outskirts and associate with the villagers as little as possible. The village then sees two deaths, which are blamed on wolves even though it appears unlikely to say...more
Peter and his father, who drinks too much, have found themselves something of a home as woodcutters for a village, though they choose to live on its outskirts and associate with the villagers as little as possible. The village then sees two deaths, which are blamed on wolves even though it appears unlikely to say...more
I zipped right through this book and ultimately, I did quite enjoy it. The plot and story worked really well, however I had problems with Sedgwick's prose style at times. It wasn't tense enough, especially when Peter and Agnes are trapped in the cabin and the final battle with the sword. I felt Peter's character wasn't developed enough, I wanted to know more about his mother, for example, and more about life before Churst. Having said that, I did like the father son detail (again, I wanted to kn...more
Deliciously creepy, with a great set-up, but the payoff was not satisfying as I would have liked - would've been a 5 star read otherwise. Still, this is head and shoulders above almost every other YA vampire/zombie themed book I've encountered so far in terms of intelligence and tight writing. It has that lovely, effective combination of supernatural horror and interpersonal/circumstantial misery, and in a historical setting. I often find YA historical fiction off-putting, but in this case the s...more
This book and it's vampires were so amazingly scary, I still shudder at the thought of being outside alone.
There are lots of different names for vampires out there. And some of the tales are a little scary...
I had no clue what to expect upon starting this book, yet for some reason I'd gotten the idea that I wouldn't be impressed by it. I think it must have been a mixture of the cover, the lack of a blurb on the back of the book, and just the general 'feel' of the book in my hand. I'm not saying it makes sense, I'm just saying that that's how I went into the book. After the first couple of chapters I was ready to give up on it as a lost cause, but as I'd been asked to read it with an eye on translati...more
Eastern Europe in the 1700s. A small village at the edge of an endless forest. A suicide is buried with hawthorn branches. A widow claims her husband still visits her in the night.
Tomas the drunken woodcutter brings his son Peter to the village of Chust, escaping a past he won't talk about. Whispers of the Shadow Queen and murdered villagers disturb Peter, but his father calls it superstitious nonsense. When the girl Peter fancies is locked away for forty days in a hut outside the v...more
Tomas the drunken woodcutter brings his son Peter to the village of Chust, escaping a past he won't talk about. Whispers of the Shadow Queen and murdered villagers disturb Peter, but his father calls it superstitious nonsense. When the girl Peter fancies is locked away for forty days in a hut outside the v...more
It was very refreshing to read a vampire novel based on the old folk legends, which seem to have largely been ignored in fiction. My issue with this book is more that it is written in a very simplistic way, both in terms of the complexity of the language and of the plot. Yes, it is a Young Adult novel, but I have read YA novels with a great deal more sophistication and complexity to them than this one - which is a shame as the plot is quite good and the characters seem interesting, but nothing r...more
Yes... i am guilty, this is a vampire book - don't even look at me!!! Oh... never mind i forgot this is cyber space.
So anyhoo, it goes on - there's this guy who lives with his dad and there's this vampire whose turning everyone into vampires and there are these Gipsies and it goes on, yadiyada until- you'll never guess what happens next:
Wait for it... drumroll... THEY HAVE TO SLAY THE VAMPIRE!!! Or in this case vampire[S]...
I know so predicable...
...more
The creepiest thing about this book was that even though it's about certain blood-drinking, sunlight-allergic, extremely scary non-living people, they are almost never mentioned directly. The small community living in a huge, dark forest in the middle of nowhere prefers to pretend that these creepy and dangerous nighttime visitors don't exist. However, soon it becomes impossible to ignore what is happening, and then things get really gross and freaky. If you like scary books and are interested i...more
Against the darkened backdrop of the far away village of Chust in what seems like a Eastern Europian country at the turn of the 19th century we fall into step of the lives of Peter and his father Tomas. Now Tomas seems to be a man of morals and standards but really he's an unhappy bloke with a drinking people but then who wouldn't be unhappy when he carries a heavy burden that he can't tell a sole and we can only guess what it is. Peter tries to live up to his father's ideals and such and he d...more
Well, this is the third Marcus Sedgwick book I've read, and I have to admit that I'm totally hooked on his stories. Seriously, they're so awesome and totally suck me in!
Peter and his father, Tomas, have spent their lives moving from one place to another but have finally decided to settle down in the very small village of Chust. They might have spent a bit of time there already, but the woodcutter and his son are still considered outsiders. Tomas doesn't help, with his drunken ways, ...more
Peter and his father, Tomas, have spent their lives moving from one place to another but have finally decided to settle down in the very small village of Chust. They might have spent a bit of time there already, but the woodcutter and his son are still considered outsiders. Tomas doesn't help, with his drunken ways, ...more
Well…… This book was pretty good (My Swordhand is Singing). Even though it moved a little slow, when you hit the climax or when your in page 40 or more, you would be more into it. It’s like a rollercoaster; it builds up tension in your body when you’re reading it. The author was very specific, letting you know how everything and everyone looks. It helped me imagine the characters and the way they feel in that moment. For example “the man lunged forward and shoved his hand like a knife into Radu’...more
Evidently, I cannot avoid books involving vampires. Fortunately, this one goes back to some of the earlier conceptions of the undead. Sedgwick mixes together a variety of folklore and superstition to create a very different vampire story from those have become so common these days. The vampires in this book are a lot like bloated zombies that happen to suck blood. They do have super-strength, but there are plenty of ways to slow their progress. These are not the romantic, beautiful vampires of t...more
I have become a bit cynical lately concerning the vampire story. To me, is has been overflated, becoming a punchline to a really bad joke. MY SWORDHAND IS SINGING added little to the pantheon of vampire stories, but it did leave this reader feeling as Mr. Sedwick was going somewhere with this world of his. Granted, the ending did little to affirm that he stands alone as King of Vampire Mountain. But, the way he told his story impacted me. Sure cliches abound. But what he does with the clic...more
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charybdis
This review is copy-paste from the Charybdis. You can see it in it's natural habitat <a href=http://charybdisreviewz.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/my-swordhand-is-singing-by-marcus-sedgwick/"> here </a>:
I knew right from the first chapter that this was going to be my eerie-fest of the month. I mean honestly, the story starts with… well. You’ll just have to find out.
Tomas and Peter are humble woodcutters, burying themselves in the woodlands outside of Chu...more
I knew right from the first chapter that this was going to be my eerie-fest of the month. I mean honestly, the story starts with… well. You’ll just have to find out.
Tomas and Peter are humble woodcutters, burying themselves in the woodlands outside of Chu...more
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Marcus Sedgwick (b 1968) was born in Kent, England. Marcus is a British author and illustrator as well as a musician. He used to play for two bands namely playing the drums for Garrett and as the guitarist in an ABBA tribute group. He has published novels such as Floodland (winner of the Branford Boase Award in 2001) and The Dark Horse (shortlisted for The Guardian Children's Book Award 2002).
More about Marcus Sedgwick...
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