Books by Tom Pollock
The City's Son (The Skyscraper Throne)
by Tom Pollock
"Glittering and gritty . . . Gorgeously written and brimming with bizarre urban creatures, this darkly imagined and sometimes painful tale should delight fans of Neil Gaiman, China Miéville, and Holly Black." ―PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, (starred review)
Running away from her traitorous best friend and her distant father, teenage graffiti artist Beth Bradley is looking for a new home. What she finds is Filius, the ragged crown prince of London’s underworld―a place where glassy spiders steal voices on telephone wires, railwraiths terrorize the train tubes, and deadly scaffwolves stalk the shadows.
Reach, the malign god of demolition, is on a rampage, destroying the creatures of hidden London to lay claim to the skyscraper throne. Caught up in helping Filius raise an alleyway army to battle Reach, Beth soon forgets her old life. But when the enemy claims her best friend, Beth must choose between the acceptance she finds in the streets and the life she left behind.
Praise:
"Imaginative, innovative, and bursting with creativity, this is a wonderfully confident debut that will have even the most critical fantasy fans clamoring for more." ―FANTASY BOOK REVIEW
"Here is a new urban mythology that reminds me of all the magic I've wished I could find hidden behind the scrawling graffiti of my own city. It's gritty, dynamic, and beautiful―I can't wait for more." ―TESSA GRATTON, author of Blood Magic
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This Story Is a Lie
by Tom Pollock
A YA thriller described as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time meets John le Carré, about a teen math prodigy with an extreme anxiety disorder who finds himself caught in a web of lies and conspiracies after an assassination attempt on his mother.
Seventeen-year-old Peter Blankman is a math genius. He also suffers from devastating panic attacks. Pete gets through each day with the help of his mother—a famous scientist—and his beloved twin sister, Bel.
But when his mom is nearly assassinated in front of his eyes and Bel disappears, Pete finds himself on the run. Dragged into a world where state and family secrets intertwine, Pete must use his extraordinary analytical skills to find his missing sister and track down the people who attacked his mother. But his greatest battle will be with the enemy inside: the constant terror that threatens to overwhelm him.
Weaving between Pete’s past and present, This Story Is a Lie is a testimony from a protagonist who is brilliant, broken and trying to be brave.
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The City's Son (Skyscraper Throne (1))
by Tom Pollock
"An impeccably dark parable, endlessly inventive and utterly compelling" --M R Carey, author of The Girl with all the Gifts
Beth's world is falling apart. Then she discovers a hidden London, full of marvels, magic . . . and menace. Perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere.
Hidden under the surface of everyday London is a city where wild train spirits stampede over the tracks and glass-skinned dancers with glowing veins light the streets.
When a devastating betrayal drives her from her home, Beth stumbles into the secret city, where she finds Filius Viae, London's ragged crown prince, just when he needs someone the most. For an ancient enemy has returned to the darkness under St Paul's Cathedral, bent on reigniting a centuries-old war. Desperate to find a way to save the city they both love, they find themselves in a desperate race through this bizarre urban wonderland, but when Beth's best friend is captured, she must choose between this wondrous existence and the life she left behind.
The City's Son is the first book of The Skyscraper Throne trilogy: a story about family, friends and monsters, and how you can't always tell which is which.
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Life Inside My Mind: 31 Authors Share Their Personal Struggles
by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Ellen Hopkins, Francesca Lia Block, Lauren Oliver, Maureen Johnson, Melissa Marr, Cynthia Hand, Kimberly McCreight, Robison Wells, Dan Wells, Aprilynne Pike, Sarah Fine, Sara Zarr, Amber Benson, Cyn Balog, Francisco X. Stork, Amy Reed, Jessica Burkhart, Karen Mahoney, Tom Pollock, Hannah Moskowitz, Wendy Toliver, Cindy L. Rodriguez, Candace Ganger, Rachel M. Wilson, E. Kristin Anderson, Kelly Fiore-Stultz, Scott Neumyer, Crissa-Jean Chappell, Tara Kelly, Megan Kelley Hall
“Who better to raise teens’ awareness of mental illness and health than the YA authors they admire?” —Booklist (starred review)
“[A] much-needed, enlightening book.” —School Library Journal (starred review)
Your favorite YA authors including Ellen Hopkins, Maureen Johnson, and more recount their own experiences with mental health in this raw, real, and powerful collection of essays that explores everything from ADD to PTSD.
Have you ever felt like you just couldn’t get out of bed? Not the occasional morning, but every day? Do you find yourself listening to a voice in your head that says “you’re not good enough,” “not good looking enough,” “not thin enough,” or “not smart enough”? Have you ever found yourself unable to do homework or pay attention in class unless everything is “just so” on your desk? Everyone has had days like that, but what if you have them every day?
You’re not alone. Millions of people are going through similar things. However issues around mental health still tend to be treated as something shrouded in shame or discussed in whispers. It’s easier to have a broken bone—something tangible that can be “fixed”—than to have a mental illness, and easier to have a discussion about sex than it is to have one about mental health.
Life Inside My Mind is an anthology of true-life events from writers of this generation, for this generation. These essays tackle everything from neurodiversity to addiction to OCD to PTSD and much more. The goals of this book range from providing a home to those who are feeling alone, awareness to those who are witnessing a friend or family member struggle, and to open the floodgates to conversation.
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