"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
Terrifying nightmares come alive as Finnegan battles goblins, dead eyed monsters and anything worse that your mind can make up!
Everyone has, at some point, suffered that dreadful feeling in their dream of losing control and things becoming 'real'. The Matrix film took it to the next level, and this book exemplifies how bad it could be, if your dreams could be real. The word 'nightmare' is definitely needed in the title as a warning to what is to come. Finnegan has never really been 'normal' and now his nightmares are causing those who he loves (pets, mum and dad) to disappear at an alarming rate. Now that he's only got Grandma left, he is terrified that she will be next.
A pacy read, and quite terrifying for those under 10! The main characters are enjoyable and fully rounded. Their various idiosyncrasies make them real and help the relationships between them to develop.... Read Full Review
Middle-grade horror with a great hook and just about the right balance between gore and story. Just keep telling yourself - it's only a dream!
Finnegan Quick has been plagued by nightmares for most of his life, the difference being when he wakes up things he has dreamt about come true!
Hayes strikes just about the right balance between horror and story, describing some quite horrific scenes in places, but balancing that with some exploration into the why of what is happening to Finn - and what he can do about it! Juxtaposing that with the pressures and tribulations of school issues for the average 13-year-old boy, seeing friendship issues, mean teachers, bullies and even the reality of missing a day of school! Finn is also a believable character, it takes time for him to stand up and face the creatures from his nightmares, as he is just a young boy dealing with quite traumatic circumstances after all.... Read Full Review
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