"Thrilling, chilling, when-nightmares-are-reality horror fiction shot-through with comic quips and a message of facing your fears."
January 2025 Book of the Month
A sure-fire reminder that books shouldn’t be solely judged by their cover, at first glance Larry Hayes’ The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick had me thinking I was in for a rollercoaster ride of zany spooky fiction for younger readers. While it definitely is a thrilling ride of scary fiction, the arresting narrative voice sets an older, 10/11+ context from the terrifically tense opening pages, when Finnegan shares his big secret: “my dreams don’t just stay in my head. They change the world. They leave wounds and scars”.
Among the world-changing wounds and scars caused by Finnegan’s secret is the fact that his parents have vanished and his beloved grandmother guardian is under threat from a gruesome goblin creature, and not even his best mate Squid is aware of his struggles. On that subject, a special shout-out must go out to Squid, whom Finnegan brilliantly describes as a “flute-playing Sherlock Holmes trapped in the body of an undersized, twelve-year-old geek”.
Everything changes when Finnegan meets the girl from his dreams (as opposed to the girl of his dreams). Namely, Cass, who knows about his secret and — moreover — how he might be able to save his gran and find his parents.
Cue a thrilling, chilling comic quest that sees Cass, Squid and Finnegan battle all manner of nasty beings in a world of nightmares. Fuelled by fear and friendship, The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick hits the spot for fans of funny contemporary horror fiction.
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An exciting horror story as Finnegan and his friends try to rescue his grandmother from his nightmare monsters and to keep her from being removed from the real world.
The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick is an adventure story with the terrifying premise that Finnegan can change the world through his dreams. From his earliest memories he has had nightmares – but these nightmares do not disappear in the daytime. He loses his dog, and his parents, first taken away in his dreams by a shadowy woman, and then finds on waking that they have gone in reality, as if they never existed in the first instance.
The book starts at the point that his grandmother, the only one left, is at risk. Frightened of sleeping in case her disappearance becomes reality, Finnegan finally finds help from his school friends, new girl Cass, who he has already met in his dreams and his old friend Squid.... Read Full Review
A thoroughly enjoyable read, with lots of twists, some humour, and many very scary monsters. DO NOT READ AFTER DARK!
A chilling horror story that would appeal to boys and girls in equal measure. Suitable for children aged ten to thirteen.
Finnegan Quick is deathly afraid of sleeping – well, of dreaming, to be exact – since he realised that his nightmares have the power to affect and change the waking world. He first dreamt both of his parents away, now his gran is in real danger from an ugly goblin, sucking away her very soul. But above all, Fin is scared of being left alone. Yet he doesn’t know if he can do anything to prevent it. But then, unexpectedly, he meets a girl who seems to know an awful lot about his nightmares, and about his missing parents.
With a lot of help from his friends, Cass and Squid, he finally learns to believe in himself and to stand up to his nightmares.... Read Full Review
The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick is a gory, borderline too scary and creepy, book about how nightmares become part of your daily life. Finn's experiences of goblins and zombies are too much for his friends to even be told about... until the day the appear (and experience) the nightmares for themselves...
If brave enough to face demons, bloodsucking goblins and never ending nightmares, this book is for you.
Finn, the main character, has lost his parents and is beloved dog to evils becoming real in his nightmares. Squid, his best friend, finds his hard to believe the stories but when one day confronted by Cass and creatures in Finn's nightmares, things are beginning to turn even worse...
Gory, borderline too much frightening stuff yet strangely too engaging to put down, this book is something completely different to what I've read before. Not for the fainthearted and if scared of the dark... don't bother!... Read Full Review
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