 Cover of Hollow Earth | |
| Author | John and Carole Barrowman |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young Adult/Fantasy |
| Publisher | Buster Books |
Publication date | 2 February 2012 |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 336 |
| ISBN | 1-907151-64-8 |
| Followed by | Bone Quill |
Hollow Earth is the debut novel from sibling writing pair John Barrowman and Carole Barrowman which was published in the United Kingdom on 2 February 2012 by Buster Books.
The novel is about twins Matt and Emily ("Em") Calder who share an ability that allows them to make artwork come to life, due to their powerful imaginations. Their ability is sought after by antagonists who wish to use it in order to breach Hollow Earth—a realm in which all demons and monsters are trapped. [1]
Part of the novel is set on the fictitious island of Auchinmurn, which is inspired by the islands of Great Cumbrae and Little Cumbrae off the coast of Largs. The name Auchinmurn is a tribute to Carole and John's maternal grandmother Murn Butler. Other locations which feature in the novel include Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and the "Pencil" Monument near Largs. [2]
Since Art and artwork is an important theme in the novel, many of the paintings mentioned are based on or inspired by real-life works of art from artists such as Georges Seurat, William Blake, Vincent van Gogh, Henry Fuseli and Salvador Dalí. [3]
The name of the female protagonist 'Emily' was chosen for being the middle name of author Carole Barrowman and also the Christian name of the Barrowmans' paternal Grandmother, Emily Barrowman. The name of male protagonist, 'Matt', was chosen because it is John Barrowman's favourite male Christian name. [4]
The book has been described by Sarah Swain of The Herald as a Scottish-style version of Harry Potter. [2] Charles Kelly, writing for local news site S1Millport.com describes the book as a "brilliant read" which he devoured in one sitting, and expresses hope that the release of the book will increase tourism potential for the island. [5]
Great Cumbrae is the larger of the two islands known as The Cumbraes in the lower Firth of Clyde in western Scotland. Home to the National Watersports Centre, the Cathedral of the Isles and the University Marine Biological Station, Millport, the holiday island has an 18-hole golf course which sweeps almost to the summit, and a round-island road much favoured for family cycle runs.
Little Cumbrae or Little Cumbrae Island is an island in the Firth of Clyde, in North Ayrshire, Scotland. The island is known locally as Wee Cumbrae.
Millport is the only town on the island of Great Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde off the coast of North Ayrshire. The town is 4 miles south from the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry slipway.
Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about 33 miles (53 km) from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic.
The County of Bute, also known as Buteshire, is a historic county and registration county of Scotland.
The peryton is a mythological hybrid animal combining the physical features of a stag and a bird. The peryton was created and described by Jorge Luis Borges in his 1957 Book of Imaginary Beings, using a supposedly long-lost medieval manuscript as a source.
Daphne in the Brilliant Blue is a Japanese anime television series animated by J.C.Staff and broadcast on TV Kanagawa from January to July 2004. The anime was originally licensed by Geneon USA. It is now licensed by Sentai Filmworks.
John Scot Barrowman is a British-American actor, singer, presenter, author, and comic book writer. Born in Glasgow, Barrowman moved to the U.S. with his family in 1975. Encouraged by his high school teachers, he studied performing arts at the United States International University in San Diego before landing the role of Billy Crocker in Cole Porter's Anything Goes in London's West End. Since his debut, he has played lead roles in various musicals both in the West End and on Broadway, including Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, and Matador. After appearing in Sam Mendes' production of The Fix, he was nominated for the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical and, in the early 2000s, returned to the role of Billy Crocker in the revival of Anything Goes. His most recent West End credit was in the 2009 production of La Cage aux Folles.
The caladrius, according to Roman mythology, is a snow-white bird that lives in the king's house. It is said to be able to take the sickness into itself and then fly away, dispersing the sickness and healing both itself and the sick person. The caladrius legend formed part of medieval bestiary materials, which typically provided a Christian moralization for the animals they discussed.
The University Marine Biological Station Millport (UMBSM) was a higher education institution located on the island of Great Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and run by the University of London. It closed in 2013 and is now Millport Field Centre, run by the Field Studies Council.
Clan Hunter is a Scottish clan.
Dorita Fairlie Bruce (1885–1970) was a British children's author who wrote the popular Dimsie series of books published between 1921 and 1941. Her books were second in popularity only to Angela Brazil's during the 1920s and 1930s.
Michael O'Mara Books is a small, family-run, privately owned publishing house in the United Kingdom. Established in London in 1985, by an American expatriate, Michael O'Mara, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his British wife, Lesley, the company focuses on biographies and autobiographies. Its imprint Buster Books publishes children's books.
Largs Academy is a Scottish secondary school, opened in August 1970, serving the towns of Largs, Fairlie, Skelmorlie and the island of Cumbrae, as well as taking placement requests from across Scotland, from places such as West Kilbride, Beith and Renfrewshire. As of March 2017, Largs Academy was in the top 30 schools for Higher Results in Scotland, sitting at number 27.
MV Keppel is a passenger-only ferry built in 1961 for the Tilbury to Gravesend crossing. She had twenty years of service on the Largs to Millport route. Since 1993, she has operated in Malta.
Carole Emily Barrowman is a Scottish-American Professor of English and Director of Creative Studies in Writing at Alverno College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and a reviewer and crime fiction columnist for the Milwaukee Sentinel, also known for her writing contributions with younger brother John Barrowman, an actor, singer, dancer and writer.
Bone Quill is the sequel to Hollow Earth from sibling writing pair John Barrowman and Carole Barrowman, published in February 2013.
Events from the year 1866 in Scotland.
FSC Millport, run by the Field Studies Council, is located on the island of Great Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. The field centre was formerly known as the University Marine Biological Station Millport (UMBSM), a higher education institute run by the University of London in partnership with Glasgow University but was closed due to the withdrawal of higher education funding in 2013. FSC reopened the centre in 2014 and continues to host and teach university, school and college groups and to support and host research students from all over the world, whilst also extending its educational reach and providing a variety of courses in natural history and outdoor environmental activities for adult learners and families to enjoy. The centre is a very popular conference venue hosting many international events. The Robertson Museum and Aquarium is open to visitors between March and November. The centre also functions as a Meteorological Office Weather Station and Admiralty Tide Monitor.
Hollow Earth may refer to: