My Swordhand is Singing

An original interpretation of the timelessly fascinating vampire myth, and a story of father and son, by award-winning author Marcus Sedgwick. Winner of the Booktrust Teenage Prize and shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.

In the bitter cold of an unrelenting winter, Tomas and his son, Peter, arrive in Chust. Despite the villagers' lack of hospitality, they settle there as woodcutters. But there are many things Peter does not understand. Why does Tomas dig a channel of fast-flowing waters around their hut so they live on an isolated island? Why does Tomas carry a long battered box everywhere they go – and refuse to tell Peter of its contents?

When a band of gypsies comes to the village, Peter's drab existence is turned upside down. He is infatuated by the beautiful gypsy princess, Sofia, and intoxicated by her community's love of life. He even becomes drawn into their deadly quest - for these travellers are Vampire Slayers, and Chust is a community to which the dead return to wreak revenge on the living.

Stylishly written and set in the forbidding and remote landscapes of the 17th century, this is a story of a father and his son, of loss, redemption and resolution.

About the Author

Marcus Sedgwick used to work in children's publishing and before that he was a bookseller. He now happily writes full-time. His books have been shortlisted for many awards, including The Guardian Children's Fiction Award, the Blue Peter Book Award, the Carnegie Medal, and the Edgar Allan Poe Award. Marcus lives in Cambridge and has a teenage daughter, Alice.

Find his website at www.marcussedgwick.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @marcussedgwick.

Reviews

"Marcus Sedgwick paints a chilling and irresistibly Gothic picture of the fight between good against evil. This book is tense, unnerving and well-structured – it scared me right to the end and I could not put it down." —Anna Hickling, Lancashire Reviews of the Year

"...a bloodthirsty tale which grips readers from the off." —Tom Lewis, WS Cheltenham, Waterstone's Books Quarterly

"Compelling and thought-provoking" —Tom Gatti, The Times

"Heart-stopping read" —Amanda Craig, The Times

Dimensions: 12.9 x 1.9 x 19.7 cm