Happy World Book Day, and many thanks to
everybody who sent in their book pitches over the last week. What a magnificent effort - they were such fun to read!
Here are the pitches and first paragraphs for the Top20 entries, and the vote is now open to find the final Top-5 authors, who will be invited to write a complete first chapter of their future masterpiece. Please vote for your favourite entries via the links that appear throughout this booklet.
Enjoy!
Battle Against the Planet Humans in the future go to a different world where a different race is battling the environment in a hope to stop global warming. The silence was deafening. The spaceship hurtled towards the black hole and there was nothing we could do but sit and wait in silence. We had tried our hardest, but nothing had worked once we got too close to the blackhole: all there was left was to pray and get ready to explore the unknown. Crash, the pull was starting to get our spaceship to pull apart and then a certain calm took hold of the ship and us in it but then just as suddenly we were out. Where we were looked dreamlike but there was a daunting feeling telling me I would never see family or my planet again! Then “Kaboom”, our fourth engine blew apart, the strain had taken its toll on the engine and we needed to land on a planet before a different engine blew apart and only then could we even think of a way to get back home.
Please click here to vote for your favourite entries A Child’s Wild Side An eleven-year-old boy’s boat sinks and he is washed up on a remote island and the book shows a child’s perspective on survival. Gentle waves brushed the boat and a tune appeared in John’s mind. He drummed his fingers on the knobbly blue handrail lining the deck. Seagulls circled above him, forming shadows that played and danced around John as he looked out at the horizon. He could see distant white triangles gliding across the edge of his vision. Was it a shiver of sharks or a flotilla of small fishing boats on their return journey? The hum of the engine echoed in his head. Never changing, never stopping. It had only been an hour. Ten long hours left. The time became almost visible. He could see it stretch out in front of him, like it would never end. Annoying. He felt his mother’s cool touch on his cheek as she softly whispered to him that they should go inside out of the sun. As the door closed behind him, he caught an overwhelming stench of thick oil. And then suddenly, everyone running…
The Competition Delusion Student falls into a downward spiral of depression, becoming obsessed with defeating his 'archnemesis'. Until he realises it's himself. It's 3.27 AM and I am semi-consciously rushing through the last paper - words blur, I stare and my mind flashes: that lesson, fresh air and his smile. My head hurts, the sour ache of my heart spreads into my hand, the tremble being replaced by a state of numbness. My shoulder shakes intermittently as my back bends over the desk and my elbow creeps along. The contradiction inside me confuses my consciousness. My limited brain urges me to capitulate, but my soul surged, rebelled, and compelled me to defeat my weak biology. My soul is seceding from my body, becoming an independent unit forcing me to continue the offensive. I see I’m behind the deadline. Memories of past mistakes play on repeat in my mind, and the timeline of my failures stretches out in front of me — the quiz I lost last week, the major blunder in the speech contest last month, and the massive red C on my exam reports last year. How am I still repeating my past mistakes? I’m still failing my own schedule. As I think, my last whit of energy is exhausted, and I slow down.
Please click here to vote for your favourite entries The Demise of the Countryman A man re-emerges from hiding and fights for the rural way of life as the countryside is forcibly abandoned. A soft breeze wafted past some hamlets and past some dry thickets, bypassing an ancient fountain, before finding its way blocked most abruptly by a large manor filled with a strange emptiness, with the fastfading echoes of past jovialities. It was akin to a standing stone, ancient and timeless, an indispensable feature of the local countryside; a perennial friend of the hills that had stood there in the beginning. Truly, it had seen the best of times and the worst of times, like the long-abandoned kennels tucked away on the edge of the property. It was beginning, as with everything else, the slow but relentless return to nature. The fallen masonry had remained, unmoved, on the ground for years on end, apart from being shaken gently by the ever-increasing cry of the city. Then it moved; not softly, but with a scraping rasp. Then an opening hatch. Then a man.
The Earth Fights Back Fed up with man’s plundering and disrespect, Mother Earth decides to retaliate and get even. On Tuesday 25th February 2025 at 2.25pm, Erin was gazing out of the window, dreaming of doughnuts, as he did at this time every Tuesday while Mr Simms discussed titration or percentage yield. Two of the sixth formers were hurrying across the grass to their next lesson; clearly late after raiding the vending machine. They threw their drink cans in the general direction of the bins but didn’t wait to see if they’d hit their target. Before the cans could settle amongst Mr Hill’s carefully pruned camellias, a sudden gust of wind caught them and hurled them straight back at the retreating boys, with such force they were both knocked to the ground. The strange thing was, in that moment, Erin had known exactly what was about to happen, just as he knew now exactly what was about to befall Mr Moule, as he watched him striding purposefully towards the dining hall.
Please click here to vote for your favourite entries From Life to Death The book follows a family over 100 years and explores how the natural world deteriorates around them over their lifetime. It started so perfectly yet ended in catastrophe. 1st January 2000: I stepped out of the hospital and took in a deep breath of the clean air. The three of us returned home for the first time ever as a family. I was excited and felt as if I had an entirely new lease of life. This was not only because I now had the responsibility of being a parent, but the turn of the century seemed to give the whole world a new and upbeat feeling about what was to come. This was mainly fuelled by the remarkable advances in technology being made across the world, which will not only have an impact on our general lives, but the way in which we will now live our lives entirely. This is just the beginning and I can’t wait to see what the world will become.
Going back home A boy from Marshall Islands leaves home because of sea-level rising, comes back later to save his country from sinking. It is another stormy night in Delap. Over the years, people got used to it. However, this time the relentless wind and rainfall hit the tiny capital city hard. Walking down the narrow dirt paths in the neighbourhoods, you will see the tall, iconic palm trees being blown over; you will see people’s belongings blown out of their open houses; you will also find yourself standing in water a foot deep. On both sides of the paths, there are dozens of ordinary looking, typical Marshallese houses — painted wooden houses, with thin roof made out of metal sheets. They have been home to the families for decades. Looking into the windows, you will be ‘greeted’ with children, who are watching their houses being flooded with water. A never-ending flood of water. However, they know nothing. Perhaps they think this happens to everyone in the world.
Please click here to vote for your favourite entries Human Error 100 years from now, in a dystopian world because of human undue influence and the effects of climate change Who could have imagined that within such little time a place could be transformed so significantly; however, we only have ourselves to blame. Many positives had arisen as a result of our influence but are the trade-offs worth it? I can now live, having experienced our previous world, to tell the story that others cannot, but as a price, the need originates for me to tell such a story. I look back to my family home where the main house, enveloped by a perimeter of lush bushes, stood. Whilst today, as if it has been stripped of all its flesh, all that remains are is the skeleton of the once-thriving greenery.
I hoped for more… A comedic story of a boy's hopes from the womb before he faces the reality and disappointment of life. A series of faint moans tickled my feet. But no one laughed. For this seemed different to before, a confused sort of feeling. Unpredictable. More moans. Again, and again. Louder, stronger, more tickles, no laughs, and silence. A difficult sound to imagine shortly followed. I am not sure how best to describe it. Try to picture this. Picture that distinct sound that you hear from an empty drain. A clogged up one too. A hideous, vile noise, not far from someone gasping for air. Now is where I need you to get creative. Mix that sound with a much more pleasant noise, a gentle wave crashing onto a beach; and lastly now that you can picture those two noises, add the sound of a low hum. Very pleasant, the last two I thought. Now, do excuse our little detour there, but that rather hideous, beautiful, hum of a noise soon spat me out to the world; And in all truth, I had hoped for more.
Please click here to vote for your favourite entries The Journal of Lost Memories A man diagnosed with Alzheimer’s runs from his office job to live the life he always wanted. "Dad! What do you think you are doing?! Have you gone insane?!" “Not yet honey, but soon” “You are going to get yourself killed!” “Why should I care if I’ve never been living? Only when I am told I am losing my mind I see how crazy I was: I want to live! I want to explore! I want to take risks! I want to feel the body of a woman pressed against my own!” “Ew dad, don’t you have mum for that?” “Oh her? I’m divorcing her anyways, I probably forgot to tell you” “Why are you doing all this?!” “When I was told I had Alzheimer’s I wasn’t upset because I was going to lose my memory, I was upset because in my whole life there was nothing worth remembering” “Not even me?” “Oh sweetie I didn’t-“ “Just, get out” He grabbed his bag, the door slammed behind him.
A Light on the Moor A murder mystery/thriller set in the Highlands solved by the main character – a 14-year old boy. If you catch the sleeper train to Fort William and go on past Mallaig you might come across the dark waters of Loch Newin and the picturesque castle that lies on its banks. The castle itself was owned by Paul Benson, a wealthy American. Its previous owner, Lady Newin, was my great aunt. Now an elderly slightly dotty lady she would come down, every Easter holiday, to the castle. Or, rather to her cottage on the estate. I looked forward to this every year. The journey itself was magical. The slight panic at Euston, merged into the sighing relief of sitting in our wood panelled compartment. Then waking up to the long endless moors, the miniature stations, the mantle of pine forests over towering hills. But if I’d have known what this year would have in store for me, I might never have come.
Please click here to vote for your favourite entries A New Dawn After a pandemic that wipes out most of humanity a group of teens fight for survival. We walked out of the building, which we had called home for what seemed like an eternity. We knew nothing much about life outside our village where we had been scouring for food. Most people had long since passed, but for some reason unknown to us we had survived the virus’. We didn’t know who or what would be in the nearby town or if we were the only survivors. The group consisted of four of us. We had not been particularly close in school, but this disaster had forged us into the most close-knit circle of friends. The leader of our group was Finn. None selected him but we all seemed content with him at the lead and he kept us alive. He was the school jock. But this experience had changed him, he no longer bullied the other kids. He realized everyone’s skills mattered within our small group.
Pirates of the Currybean There are a group of teens who want to become pirates and so they buy a small boat and start pirating “We’re gonna need a bigger boat,” said Dave. Dave, a rather minute 13-year-old boy, with a large tubby face and a long drawn out nose, waltzed along deck, eying up his fellow crew mates. There is Bob, a string bean, whose rather wispy hair blocked his view of their terrifying captain. And then there is Jeremy. Jeremy is rather large, with small stubby feet, long thick hair, and burnt brown eyes. They are not your stereotypical “pirates” but they will certainly put up a fight to get what they deserve. But what treasure is that? You may be asking. Well, you’ll soon find out.
Please click here to vote for your favourite entries
A Planet Among the Stars A group of explorers sent out to explore our galaxy are surprised to see how very rare life-filled planets are, but when they stumble across one new civilisation, it casts doubt over the future of our own. We are travelling through a dark abyss of lifeless solar systems. Ever watching the endless screens on the deck of the Hermes waiting for a little blip to pop up, indicating that one of the scanners had found a planet orbiting in the goldilocks zone of a slightly more hopeful solar system. When the blip does come up there is a wave of excitement that fills the crew as they discuss whether it’ll have an advanced civilization like ours which is promptly followed by Kathrine (Kate) manually going through the endless stages to see whether it is within a reasonable distance and how long it’ll take to get there, as the AI we were given called IRIS is useless: well at least since we passed through a slightly dodgy nebula a couple months ago and without a manual on how its core was made Jerry our chief engineer has no idea what to do.
Pool of Blood A murder at a public pool in broad daylight leaves detectives without a suspect. Will this be the perfect murder? Constable Simpson burst into my office, breathing hard as if he had just sprinted up several flights of stairs. Pausing for a second to catch his breath he stood in the doorway. Simpson wasn't an athletic man and could often be found at the local cafe munching away on some pastry. "Let me guess," I lead with, "you've found an old body and you need me to come to look at it." I said vaguely. "Sir this one's different..." Simpson began while attempting to get his lungs filled back up, "it's not an old body... it's fresh..." This puzzled me, I am the guy that they come to when they find a body that the case is so cold that they can't put any of the police detectives on it. "You said it's fresh?" I asked, making sure that I heard the words correctly. "Mhmm" he got out, still breathing heavily. "Alright then," I said as I rose from my desk and grabbed my blazer from the back of the chair, "Lead the way." Simpson turned to leave the room as I flicked off the lights, "This should be interesting." I muttered to myself as I locked the door behind me and followed the Constable in toe.
Please click here to vote for your favourite entries The Proposal A man proposes a ground-breaking new technology which will change the way wars are fought forever. Charles was nervous as he made his way through the iconic hallways of Number 10 Downing Street. He was meeting the Prime Minister, Chief of the Defence staff and other ministers to propose a new technology which he believed could change the way conflicts were fought forever. Charles took a couple of deep breaths and glanced at his sweat-soaked hands before opening the door and entering the Cabinet room. Charles was slightly intimidated by all the serious-faced past Prime Ministers staring down at him from their portraits. He was also impressed by the beautifully intricate design of the wood-panelling. Charles briefly introduced himself to the Prime Minister and the other cabinet members before taking a seat. He handed out thick files to everyone and cleared his throat.
The Six-sided Dice A baby, left alone on an island, is used to determine definitively the nature of human inclination To settle a bet of two million years, before the Homo sapiens, the wheel and knowledge of knowledge itself, we must ask to what extent are we willing to go or, more practically, where the hell do we start? “But what is actually wrong with it?” “Told you he was a psychopath.” He stuck his finger up at him like he’d seen in the movies and the thought lingered. “It’s just wrong” remarked the third. “Yes, but y…” “You wouldn’t like it if they did it to you” “Well, I’d be dead then so…” “Maybe, there’s an autonomy that each individual has that makes it universal and taking their life is an infringement on their independence.” “It’s autonomy and don’t just repeat teacher.” “Yeah, and how d’you ever know that in the first place?” observed the third. “Oh, you just do, maybe?” “No. I mean, you can’t, you have to learn.” “So, when you’re born, you don’t understand evil or anything?” “Like a clean slate, neither good nor bad.”
Please click here to vote for your favourite entries
Through the Valley of Death A young boy is left to wander the country when his family and friends are mercilessly killed by foreign soldiers. The cold sweat trickled down the side of his head as he began to ascend the endless hill, no looking back and thinking of one thing only, getting out alive. The events of the previous day, however, began to pinch at his mind: his mother, his father, his brother. Everything was blurred and he needed to carry on. Those soldiers would be after him soon enough and the sun was beginning to fade. He needed somewhere to hide, before night swallowed him up and he would become lost. He found some pine trees and made a bed of dried grass underneath them, trying to keep as quiet as possible. When darkness came, he needed rest after a hard day of running and for another one the next day. As he was about to sleep, a voice suddenly announced, ‘well, well, what do we have here?’
Please click here to vote for your favourite entries Two Doves in the Blackest Night After the first interstellar voyage ends in catastrophe, Lyra drifts in space. That is, until she bumps into herself. Literally. If you asked people what the worst thing about being a Voidship conductor is, they would probably say the loneliness. But they would be wrong; asteroid belts really do suck. My name is Lyra, and I am the only Voidship Conductor in the universe. Right now? I’m attempting to steer the largest vessel ever created by humankind through the densest asteroid belt for millions of lightyears; and failing catastrophically. In case you needed a reminder of how geometry works, having a ship the size of Tokyo is not ideal for dodging rocks. The ground shudders as the ship is hit to my right, an asteroid a kilometer across destabilizing the autopilot’s control and disarranging my instruments. I rebooted the system. A tinny voice piped up: ‘recalibrating stabilizers. Five minutes remaining.’ Too long, far too long. I would have to take manual control.
The Walk through the End of the World One boy, One Continent, One Biosphere, one month to complete the journey. A survival story in a post-climate change world. The apocalypse had come, but not for me; I wasn’t dead – yet – but I was lost. I tentatively inhaled, my lungs gulped up the air greedily. I could breathe without my mask. The temperature was hot but not unbearable. I must be high up. Blinking heavily, my eyes adjusted to the light and I saw my immediate surroundings, a lush green land, I thought I was dreaming. I had almost forgotten the horror of the dying world until I realised the emptiness of this place, devoid of any living creatures. I smelled smoke - burning fuel. My consciousness returned abruptly, I could hear the pops and cracks of flames as they roasted the twisted metal. The ruins of the helicopter. Was anyone else alive? Disease carrying mosquitoes and flies, the only life that was thriving in this apocalyptic hell, would soon be attracted to the dead bodies. I had to leave this place; and as I surveyed the filthy grey mist shimmering in the searing heat of the valley below, the enormity of the task ahead caused a wave of nausea to rush through me.
Please click here to vote for your favourite entries When the sky turns red A man describes the blitzed world around him as poverty-stricken country of Ethiopia is hit by an earthquake ‘Tell me, what did you see?’ ‘Nothing’, I replied ‘but the hushed world around me embrace.’ I was then living in Mekelle. Walking from my father’s market stall back to the hovel in which my mother and ill sister awaited my presence. City life spurred from the ground my cracked soles clawed upon. Gangs of shoe-cleaners lined the pavements, eyeing the rabble of onlookers around me. Men cried out despairingly at the clans of bystanders dwindling around the edges of their produce. I looked up to see a friend passing the street in front of me, calling for my attention. Ten paces more. A roar echoed in the ground beneath me. There was a silence, unlike anything I had ever felt. Another tremor, crowds grasping their heads stagger to the sanctuary of buildings. A short pause in time where all life ceased and waited expectantly for the next interlude.
Many thanks for voting! Happy World Book Day! …and, of course:
Happy Environment Week!