The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick
For ages 10+
A thrilling mix of humour, horror and heart. This first book in a new series is spine-chilling, edge-of-your-seat fast-paced, and very exciting, I couldn’t put it down!
Imagine what it would be like if you had a really bad dream and then the next day everything you dreamed about came true? ‘The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick’ by Larry Hayes (Bloomsbury) for readers aged 10+ is about a boy who doesn’t just have bad dreams - his nightmares bleed into real life, with terrifying consequences! First his beloved dog vanishes, then his parents disappear, and now he lives at home with his Gran. At least she seems understanding, and helps him by waking him up from his screaming night terrors. Inevitably, he’s going to have face his fears…
This is the first in a new series within a genre that lacks quantity but not quality. We are lucky to have some bestselling authors like Jennifer Killick and Derick Landy much beloved by readers for their age-appropriate Children’s horror fix. Author Larry Hayes is an interesting guy, looking at his biography on the PR documentation. Yes, he’s into horror but he’s also into comedy and this really comes through in his writing. The humour juxtaposes the terror making the paranormal narrative relatable, addictive and unputdownable. Apparently the inspiration for this book came from a few nights he spent alone in an old empty house in Ireland - he had a dream about a mouse being attacked and then the following morning he discovered a dead mouse - yikes. Wondering whether your dreams or even nightmares might come true has to be a common curiosity for children, I know it was when I was young - wondering if dreams can be prophetic or symbolic of what has passed or what might be. Such a great concept for a middle-grade chapter book adventure.
Finnegan Quick is a schoolboy in Year 7 who has a best mate called Squid - he’s kind of a nerdy and faithful friend to the end kind of guy, resourceful, and practical. Just what you need in a race against time disaster prevention quest for survival. The best friends are not exactly in the ‘in’ crowd at school. Finnegan and Squid sit together at lunchtime, when Finnegan‘s jaw drops as he spots a new girl across the room being chatted up by the Year 9 ‘it’ boy. Except she’s not just any new girl, she’s the girl from his dreams, the girl who’s been his sidekick on some incredible fantastical travels across the Zzzzz-waves. What the heck is she doing in real life in his school, and she’s now staring back at him as if she recognises him too. Is this for real?
It turns out that Cass and her dad moved from America to pursue a paranormal investigation into the death of her mum who died in a car crash, except that wasn’t the end by any means of her mum‘s presence in their waking (or sleeping) lives... plus she had the same strange nightmare-to-reality powers as Finnegan. Is there perhaps a connection?
Cass is Finnegan’s knight in shining armour just at the right time, when he he feels like the nightmares are winning (creepy goblins appearing in his house sucking the life-force from his Gran as she sleeps feels like the last straw). Finnegan is on his last ounce of stamina, he no longer feels he’s able to even allow himself to sleep for fear of what would happen to him once they take his Gran as well? He’s seriously desperate and can no longer cope with this huge mission alone. Cass knows all about this and she trains him how to manipulate his dreams and once they bring Squid on board too. They become a trio of fearless freak hunters. Thanks to Cass, they learn how to meet up inside their dreams to communicate and investigate time and again. Yes it’s dangerous. Yes it’s risky, and life or death, but there’s just no other way to solve the mystery.
Larry Hayes delivers a thrilling mix of humour, horror and heart. ‘The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick’ is spine-chilling, edge-of-your-seat fast-paced, and very exciting, I couldn’t put it down! I am such a fan of the ‘Trollhunters’ series on Netflix, which of course was an adaptation of Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus’s book series, that this really felt familiar yet unique at the same time, and I can’t wait to read book two! In fact, the back of the books has a teaser from the beginning of the second adventure and it’s sooooo good. I can’t wait for ‘The Fate of Finnegan Quick’ to publish in September 2025. So keep your skillet, frying pan, water pistols of holy water at the ready… you won’t want to miss this series!
Love the vibrant and freaky cover artwork by Berat Pekmezci too!
PRAISE
“I absolutely loved this book! The level of horror is perfect for 10+ readers who want something genuinely chilling and a little bit gory. And it’s balanced so well with touches of humour that feel really natural coming from such relatable and endearing characters. The plot moves at just the right pace and kept me reading from start to finish in one go. It was such a fun read, and I will eagerly awaiting the sequel.” - Jennifer Killick
“Amazing review. THANK YOU”
