Charlie just happens to be the harbinger of death. He never wanted the job, but he had no choice in the matter. His headquarters are in Milton Keynes and he is not the only one of his kind as even the horsemen of the Apocalypse have their own harbingers! Claire North, a pseudonym for the prolific Catherine Webb who also writes as Kate Griffin, is best known for her frantic but ingenious high concept fantasy thrillers The First Fifteen Lives of Harry North, Touch and The Sudden Appearance of Hope. This new take is equally original if at times a bit elliptical, but offers echoes of Pratchett and Gaiman albeit in a darker, more contemplative mood and the topsy turvy adventures of Charlie, the salesman of death in his wide-ranging, breathless travels are intriguing and amusing and will not disappoint readers in search of the uncommon. ~ Maxim Jakubowski
***SHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES / PFD YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD***
'Funny, ambitious, immensely humane and full of philosophical panache' Sunday Times
'Extraordinary . . . wildly impressive" Lucy Hughes-Hallett, BBC Radio 4
'Wholly original and hauntingly beautiful' Kirkus
Sooner or later, death visits everyone. Before that, they meet Charlie.
Charlie meets everyone - but only once. Sometimes he is sent as a courtesy, sometimes as a warning. Either way, this is going to be the most important meeting of your life.
The End of the Day is the stunning new story from Claire North, the voice behind the word-of-mouth bestseller The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.
'Reaffirms the passion and ambition that have made North such a consistently intriguing writer' Locus
'Every one of the chapters is shaped with philosophical panache' Guardian
'Compelling . . . keeps the surprises coming until the very end' San Francisco Chronicle
Works by Claire North:
Novels: The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August Touch The Sudden Appearance of Hope The End of the Day 84K The Gameshouse The Pursuit of William Abbey
Digital novellas: The Serpent: Gameshouse Novella 1 The Thief: Gameshouse Novella 2 The Master: Gameshouse Novella 3