Five days of glory, gothic alchemy, and evil... An atmospheric, thrilling, and powerful novel of magic and desperate magic by award-winning author Marcus Sedgwick. Nominated for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and the Edgar Allan Poe Award.

The days between December 27 and New Year's Eve are "dead days" - days when spirits roam and magic stirs restlessly beneath the surface of our daily lives.

There is a man, Valerian, whose time is running out. He must pay the price for the deal he made with evil years ago. His servant is the Boy, a child with no name and no past - a child who despises him but serves his master well and finds solace in the company of his only friend, Willow. Unknown to everyone else, the Boy holds the key to their fate.

Set in dark, menacing cities and the frozen countryside of a distant time, THE BOOK OF DEAD DAYS conjures a spellbinding tale as Valerian, the Boy, and Willow struggle to stop time and keep themselves alive.