It was January 2015 back then, when I entered my English classroom, all set for the 2nd term. It was the first day after the long winter break which somehow felt short. We were really not in the mood to study that day. But we were anxious as well because we had no idea about what our 2nd term literature piece would be. In the 1st term we usually learn a Shakespearean play. The 2nd term matters a lot to us because it might be one of those best-selling series that we are addicted to; who knows.
Our teacher came into the class with another older student carrying books with icy blue covers. The books seemed small but thick, which meant that it had a lot of pages. She settled the books on her table and finally distributed. We were rather surprised when we read the name of the author. Had no clue about him, for sure. We were awaiting a book from the Hunger Games series or maybe a book from the Maze Runner series. But it was only later on when we found that this book was kind of like a drug – it was so addicting! It was one of the best books I had ever read in my life!
Ok, let’s get back to the point. The name of the book was ‘Revolver’. At first we had to describe the cover, our first impression of the book, by judging the cover. I know, I know. Here goes the phrase – ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’. But that’s exactly what we did here. Breaking the rules once in a while is fine. The mysterious front cover and the back cover – the front cover had the picture of a burnt matchstick, with its whirly, black smoke creating a slight suspicion. I don’t really remember that awesome quote that it said on the back cover, but that was something which made me read the book and admire the author. When I turned the first page, I saw this tremendously amazing quote right in the middle of the empty page – ‘Even the dead tell stories’. I am saying – this quote will addict you to this book because right after we read this quote, we were like, ‘Oooo man, something is gonna happen here.’
Enough of all the description there. Do you know whom I was talking about? Marcus Sedgwick. A name that most of us might not have heard before amongst the other popular authors – Suzanne Collins, J.K. Rowling, James Dashner, John Green, etc.
Marcus Sedgwick is an acclaimed writer of teen fiction. My first impression of this undisputed writer was formed after I read the book ‘Revolver’. ‘Revolver’ is a gripping tale of survival and the importance of knowing how to make the right decisions at the right time. This book is set in the Arctic Circle, a place that perfectly settles with the atmosphere of the story – cold and lonely. The thing that I liked about this book is that it wasn’t annoyingly long, cliché or sugar-coated.
Sedgwick’s writing style impressed me a great deal. It was haunting, shocking and beautiful. Rest assured, this book is not very long and will keep you on the edge of your seat. The novel tells the story of Sig Andersson, a young teen who finds his dad’s corpse and has to figure out what happened from a bunch of clues. Along the way, Sig encounters a mysterious stranger, and secrets about his dad he never thought could be true.
When I figured out that I am becoming a fan of his way of writing, I decided to read another book of his. The book was called ‘Midwinterblood’. Even though the name sounds super scary, the book surprisingly is not. It tells the story of Eric and Merle who are destined to meet, love and lose each other in each of seven lifetimes. Its pretty much about reincarnation.
Marcus Sedgwick is a remarkable writer who won the Branford Boase Award for his book ‘Floodland’ in the year 2001. He was also nominated for several other prestigious awards like the Carnegie Medal and the Michael L. Printz Award. His books are all razor sharp and memorable. Its one of those kind of books that will stay in your memory for a long time. It also teaches many life lessons and is not very exaggerated too.
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