LoveReading Says
Winner of for the 2009 Branford Boase Best Debut Novel Award
An extraordinary fantasy novel from a supremely talented debut
novelist. Set partly in a boys’ school and also in another world that
is both fierce and dangerous, it has themes of cowardice, loyalty and
bravery and will provide much food for thought for the reader. What
really makes this book so sensational is that each world, both real and
fantasy, is just as gripping as the other. The two-fold narrative with
alternate chapters is incredibly complex to construct, yet the talent
of this writer has made it look so easy and has created a fluid,
completely unputdownable read.
What the judges' said:
This is the 10th year of the award, which recognises new children's authors and the role of the editor in a book's creation. The Traitor Game,
published by Bloomsbury, is an ambitious teenage novel about the
problematic relationship between two school boys, interwoven with an
elaborate fantasy world they have created, called Evguard.
From the author:
'I'm interested in the way fantasy is a metaphor for a state of mind. In The Traitor Game,
the boys reinvent reality in order to escape from their everyday world.
Both boys are affected by bullying. I have never experienced bullying
but I wanted to tackle it because I am interested in exploring issues
of emotional damage. The further you move from your own experience, the
more you can explore issues truthfully.'
To see the author's new novel A Trick of the Dark click here.
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The Traitor Game Synopsis
There was a folded bit of A4 paper wedged into the locker. It said MICHAEL THOMPSON. Michael slid it out, and flipped it open. It said I KNOW WHERE ARCASTER IS. That was when the bottom dropped out of everything. Michael and Francis are best friends at school, drawn together by their common secret - a complete obsession with creating, crafting, adding to and poring over their joint fantasy world, Evgard. Their friendship is put to the severest test when Michael, thinking that Francis has betrayed their world, takes the cold, deliberate decision not to help Francis when Francis is the victim of a brutal attack. Michael then has to see the consequences of his mistake, and confront his own weaknesses. This absolutely compelling charting of the boys' friendship is reflected in the fantasy world, as the fantasy characters and their actions are a clear mirror of the boys' own actions in the real world. With one difference. In the fantasy world, one of the characters does not survive. Each world, both real and fantasy, is just as gripping as the other. The twofold narrative with alternate chapters is incredibly complex to construct, yet the talent of this writer is to create a fluid, completely unputdownable read. An extraordinarily and compelling novel that will attract many readers at many levels and within many genres.
About This Edition
ISBN: |
9780747597254 |
Publication date: |
7th September 2009 |
Author: |
B. R. Collins |
Publisher: |
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
Format: |
Paperback |
Primary Genre |
Young Adult Fiction
|
Recommendations: |
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About B. R. Collins
B. R. Collins is a graduate of both university and drama school. The Traitor Game, published by Bloomsbury in August 2008, is her first novel. Bridget lives in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
More About B. R. Collins