Not Yet Dark

The cover of Not Yet Dark by Simon P Clark - a black white and purple cover showing the silhouettes of two children emerging from a cave into a a land with a river, trees and a mountain

It's original, haunting stuff - Teach Secondary

'There are other places, Philippa. Other dreams and mirrors.'

15-year-olds Philippa and Danny have been best friends for years, but things are starting to change between them.

Danny has a new set of friends - the rugby boys - and suddenly whispers of 'Phil the Thrill' start to follow Philippa around school, and she knows exactly where those rumours started.

One evening, Philippa escapes to an abandoned seaside house to clear her head, but quickly discovers that she is far from alone. Not only has Danny secretly followed her, the two of them are about to witness something that will change their lives for ever.

black and white sketch of a beetle

I loved this supernatural thriller. It has a great narrative drive and I read it in one, rather breathless, sitting. But it's not just magical adventure. It's about the nature of life and death and is really quite profound as it ponders some very deep existential questions . . . There is quite a lot in this story and Clark handles it all with elegance and great sensitivity. (The Bookbag)

This darkly fascinating story cleverly juxtaposes a thoroughly contemporary coming of age almost-romance with a sinister and magical adventure. Simon P. Clark is as convincing and captivating when writing about spells and other worlds as he is on the topic of adolescent emotions and shifting human relationships -and each strand of the novel feeds into the other with surprising ease. It's original, haunting stuff. (Teach Secondary)

Well written with great narrative drive, it excels at the school and friendship elements of the storyline, boasting some particularly believable [...] dialogue, and yet breezily makes the transition into paranormal/sci fi thriller. An original, thoughtful and somewhat haunting read. (The School Librarian)