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. Together they plan to save Finnegan’s grandmother and defeat the shadowy woman with bandaged eyes.
This is a fast-paced horror adventure story. It has some very frightening monsters and though light in tone, has truly terrifying moments. There is depth as well as Finnegan finally realises that the only thing he can do is follow the advice that his grandmother has been giving him all his life: “You’ve got to face your fears sometime, boy, or they’ll bite you on the bum.” This is good, chilling storytelling and it is welcome that there are more adventures to come, elaborating on some of the surprising revelations that appear at the end of this book.
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. Luckily, there isn't much of the story that takes place in the actual school (as I find this boring). You do wonder how he would have got away with things in real life without the school becoming more involved. Squid is timid and a book worm. The new girl is brave, beautiful and outgoing, and Finnegan is somewhere in between. The story gradually builds and builds with more and more terrifying monsters and goals, including a woman with dead eyes, who, spoiler alert, has a lot to do with the new girl. I like how the action doesn't just go from a to z, but switches around and around.
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. Removing most adult interactions in a realistic way Hayes keeps the three main characters of Finn, his friend Squid and new girl Cass front and centre. While the story is wrapped up a little quickly towards the end, this is just the beginning of Finn and friend's adventures (with a sequel already on the way) and is sure to be a hit with horror and adventure fans alike!
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. After all, his gran always says: “You’ve got to face your fears sometime, boy, or they’ll bite you on the bum.”
A thoroughly enjoyable read, with lots of twists, some humour, and many very scary monsters.
DO NOT READ AFTER DARK!
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! For the rest, you'll enjoy this book a lot.