Description

Winner of the Branford Boase Award 2021, a breathtaking fantasy adventure for fans of His Dark Materials that The Times calls ‘Unputdownable’.

The City was built on a sharp mountain that jutted improbably from the sea, and the sea kept trying to claim it back. That grey morning, once the tide had retreated, a whale was found on a rooftop.

When a mysterious boy washes in with the tide, the citizens believe he’s the Enemy – the god who drowned the world – come again to cause untold chaos.

Only Ellie, a fearless young inventor living in a workshop crammed with curiosities, believes he’s innocent.

But the Enemy can take possession of any human body and the ruthless Inquisition are determined to destroy it forever.

To save the boy, Ellie must prove who he really is – even if that means revealing her own dangerous secret . . .

‘Unputdownable’ – The Times

‘Enthralling’ – The Daily Express

‘Sumptuously atmospheric . . . tirelessly inventive’ – The Daily Telegraph

‘Gripping’ – The Guardian

‘Energetic and inventive’ – Sunday Times

‘Gripping and original’ – The Observer

‘Singularly brilliant’ – Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars and The Mercies

‘Compellingly inventive and unpredictable’ – Piers Torday, author of The Last Wild

‘A terrific debut of strange myths and dark secrets’ – The Bookseller (Editor’s Choice)

Publisher Review

An imaginative journey to a stunning fantasy world, full of twists and heart . . . an absolute corker . . . filled with swashbuckling adventure . . . an enthralling fantasy that moves through dark and grisly scenes of grave peril to positively touching moments of profound friendship. An incredibly imaginative narrative that fills its reader with wonder and thrills while also not being afraid to share quieter moments of real heart. * The Daily Express * Outstanding and immersive . . . I devoured this in one go * book blogger Lily SugarPlum Faery * Absolutely cracking! Great characters, with quite the nastiest villain I’ve met in a long while. * Fleur Hitchcock, author of The Boy Who Flew * This is a terrific debut of strange myths and dark secrets, fierce loyalties and ruthless villains, told against the thrilling backdrop of a half submerged city. * The Bookseller – Editor’s Choice * The most original opening I’ve read in years and a plot twist that turns brilliantly * Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song * Orphans of the Tide is singularly brilliant. So inventive, and weird, and beautiful, with just the right amount of bite and darkness. I predict big things! * Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars and The Mercies * Struan Murray . . . effortlessly joins the ranks of the most skilled world-creators . . . Unpredictable, filled with plot twists and shades of moral grey, Orphans of the Tide is both gripping and original. — Kitty Empire * The Observer * Energetic and inventive . . . and with some startling surprises, this is also touching about friendship, siblings, loss and courage — Nicolette Jones * The Sunday Times * Unputdownable . . . Murray has an extraordinary imagination — Alex O’Connell * The Times * Gripping . . . with a touch of Frances Hardinge’s bizarre brilliance — Imogen Russell Williams * The Guardian * A sumptuously atmospheric adventure . . . Murray is a tirelessly inventive storyteller — Emily Bearn * The Daily Telegraph *