‘No,’ she told it.
The Enemy smirked. ‘Ellie, you’ve lost everything.’
‘No, I haven’t. The seas are still parted, and that means Seth is still alive. And someone needs to warn the City that Kate is coming.’
‘I won’t let you do that. Don’t forget, I have a wish to make now.’
‘You’ll never get the chance.’
‘Ellie, I don’t think you understand –’
Ellie seized the Enemy by its throat. It tried to resist, pawing at her grip, and Ellie saw the exact same pattern of freckles reflected on the backs of their hands, the same wiry fingers. But the fear in the Enemy’s eyes was its own.
‘I do understand,’ she told it. ‘Kate’s mother was a Vessel. But then she was taken to a place beneath the sea, and suddenly she wasn’t a Vessel any more. The god was gone. Do you know what that means?’
The Enemy laughed, even with her hands round its throat.
‘Oh, Ellie, what a strange fantasy.’
‘It’s not a fantasy. Look around. With the sea gone, I should be able to reach it on foot.’
‘You’ll never find anything,’ it hissed.
Ellie shoved the Enemy away, bending to untangle her frayed, muddy coat from the parachute strings.
‘Altimus Ashenholme found something out there,’ she said, gazing at the horizon. ‘Somewhere even gods can die. That’s where I have to go.’
Ellie pulled on the rags of her coat and took her first steps north, through the shimmering shadows cast by the walls of roaring sea.
‘Maybe I can’t destroy suffering,’ she said, as the Enemy followed after her. ‘But I can destroy you.’
Read on to discover the inspiration
behind Shipwreck Island and more
about author Struan Murray.
1.
HOW DID YOU FIND WRITING
SHIPWRECK ISLAND COMPARED TO
ORPHANS OF THE TIDE?
They were such completely different experiences. Orphans of the Tide was written over five years, with lots of time to step away from it and think about what was working and what wasn’t. But it was also scary at times because literally anything was possible. With Shipwreck Island I already had the main characters, and a lot of the plot was already seeded in the first book, so there wasn’t so much possibility of the unknown. However, I had only a year to write it, so it was something of a rollercoaster to get it all done in time!
2.
WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION
FOR SHIPWRECK ISLAND?
After writing the City, I was really keen to explore a place where the people worshipped the god living amongst them, rather than fearing it. I imagined it as cheerful and colourful, and full of life and music, in complete contrast to the City. Mediterranean islands were a big inspiration, especially places like Malta, which inspired the feel and the visuals of the streets. For the Queen and her noble court I read a lot about King Louis XIV, also known as ‘The Sun King’, and the complicated etiquette at his court in Versailles. I had also discovered that the mining of bird-droppings has been a major industry throughout human history, with the existence of ‘Guano Lords’ at one point, so obviously that had to go in as well …
3.
FANS LOVE THE CHARACTER
OF ELLIE – WAS SHE INSPIRED
BY A REAL PERSON?
She began life as an attempt to write a story about a young Leonardo da Vinci, but swiftly became her own person! I loved the idea of an ‘eccentric genius’ child character with a head full of ideas but who is struggling with a dark secret that weighs on her every moment. Some of her habits are inspired by me … she’s very messy, and cares little about her appearance, and she’s always eager to prove to people that she’s clever, even if it gets her into trouble.
4.
WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR WRITING?
I really like writing in cafes and libraries, as I find it comforting to have lots of people and noise around me when I write. However, much of Shipwreck Island was written during the 2020 lockdown, so I had to improvise. In the summer I actually took to writing in a sunny park beneath a tree, which is a lot less comfortable than it sounds. The insects didn’t seem to care that I needed my own space.
5.
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON SHIPWRECK
ISLAND, WHAT THREE THINGS WOULD
YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU?
Sunscreen, definitely, because I have red hair and freckles and so get sunburned even on a cloudy November day. Also a notepad, so I can carry on doodling and writing to keep my brain active. And some smoke bombs, in case I need to run away from the Inquisition.
6.
WHALES FEATURE A LOT IN
BOTH ORPHANS OF THE TIDE
AND SHIPWRECK ISLAND.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ONE IN REAL LIFE?
Never! It has always been my biggest dream to finally see one, and I think it might be too much for me to handle when it finally happens. The closest I’ve come is seeing a forty-foot long whale shark at an aquarium in Japan. I stood there for three hours (I’m not exaggerating), just gaping at it, until my friend got angry with me and demanded we leave.
7.
WHEN DID YOU FIRST REALIZE YOU
WANTED TO BE A WRITER?
I was always drawing and writing silly stories when I was at school, including a comic book about a group of talking animals that I sold for 20p, to help pay for a serious Pokémon trading card obsession. A couple of years later, I wrote a series of detective stories for my uncle Hank, and he seemed to get such a kick out of how unnecessarily violent they were. It was a great feeling to have someone really enjoy something I’d written, and I knew I had to keep doing it.
8.
WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE NEW
CHARACTER IN SHIPWRECK ISLAND?
Molworth was a big surprise, and ended up my firm favourite. Like Anna in the previous book, he just sort of sprung to life on the page. He was originally going to be a grumpy, cynical but good-natured old man, until I realized it would be much funnier if he was a grumpy, cynical but good-natured twelve-year-old, who for some reason owned his own pub.
9.
WHAT WAS THE MOST
CHALLENGING SCENE TO WRITE
IN SHIPWRECK ISLAND?
Kate was a complex character to write, and her two sides – the frightened, lonely girl and the frightening, otherworldly queen – were hard to balance. The scene where she turns on Ellie was particularly challenging, because it had to be entirely believable that she would throw away the only friendship she’d ever had, so she might finally have the powers of a god.
10.
SHIPWRECK ISLAND ENDS ON A
CLIFFHANGER. CAN YOU GIVE US
A CLUE WHAT’S NEXT FOR ELLIE?
Ellie’s mission now is to find the mysterious place where Kate’s father, Altimus Ashenholme, was able to destroy the god that lived in Kate’s mother. Ellie believes that if she can find this place she will be able to destroy the Enemy once and for all. However, Kate is now hellbent on leading an army to the City, to conquer it and prove she is a true queen. And, of course, the Enemy has plans of its own, and will be doing everything it can to stop Ellie in her mission. Fortunately, Ellie will have the help of her friends from both Shipwreck Island and the City, including one particular red-headed girl with a fondness for violence …
THE BEGINNING
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First published 2021
Text copyright © Struan Murray, 2021
Illustrations copyright © Manuel Šumberac, 2021
The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted
ISBN: 978-0-241-38446-6
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
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