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SWASHBUCKLERS

Swashbucklers Cover.JPG

"A fun romp, ideal for fans of the cultural references and humor of Ghostbusters and Ernest Cline's Ready Player One."
- Library Journal

When Cisco Collins returns to his home town thirty years after saving it from being swallowed by a hell mouth opened by an ancient pirate ghost, he realises that being a childhood hero isn't like it was in the movies. Especially when nobody remembers the heroic bits - even the friends who once fought alongside him. Struggling with single parenting and treated as bit of a joke, Cisco isn't really in the Christmas spirit like everyone else. A fact that's made worse by the tendrils of the pirate's powers creeping back into our world and people beginning to die in bizarre ways. 

With the help of a talking fox, an enchanted forest, a long-lost friend haunting his dreams, and some 80s video game consoles turned into weapons, Cisco must now convince his friends to once again help him save the day. Yet they quickly discover that being a ghostbusting hero is so much easier when you don't have schools runs, parent evenings, and nativity plays to attend. And even in the middle of a supernatural battle, you always need to bring snacks and wipes...

"Swashbucklers brings all the magic of the 80's back to life, and delivers a fun, action-packed tale with heart."

- The Fantasy Hive

"References to contemporary political issues sit alongside nostalgic name drops of Ghostbusters, Star Wars, and The Goonies. The '80s trivia strikes a similar vibe to Ready Player One (2011), but here it's a window into the fantastical worlds that sit alongside our own. A heartfelt, wacky tale beginning a potential series for fans of Stephen King's IT (1986) and anyone who's wondered why there are so many unsupervised children in fantasy."

- Booklist

"Combines sci-fi and fantasy elements into an energetic cross-genre romp."

- Publishers Weekly

"It's discovering a box of memories tucked away in your attic. It's sipping tipple from your teenage years under a blanket. It's watching fireworks in your favourite jumper. It reads like Stephen King on steroids. Stranger Things meets It meets The Goonies. I want to hear this story told late at night over a campfire, while the marshmallows go all gooey."

- Caroline Hardaker, author of Composite Creatures

"With Swashbucklers, Dan Hanks puts forty-year-old characters in an action-packed fantastical story designed for the fitness level of teenagers and sees if they can keep up. They can't. And it's an awesome formula for fun."

- Chris Panatier

 Author of The Phlebotomist and Stringers

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