about the author
G P Taylor
Vicar...club bouncer...trained exorcist...police officer...expelled school ‘failure...record plugger...best-selling author who knocked J K Rowling off the bestseller list...
G P TAYLOR has been them all. In 2002 he made the decision to sell his beloved Harley Davidson motorbike and use the proceeds to publish 1500 copies of his novel, Shadowmancer, a parable of the battle between good and evil. At that time still a vicar, his parishioners were his first customers but word spread fast and soon Graham was sending out more than 1500 copies each week and finally Waterstone’s took an entire print run. Within weeks he had a multiple-book contract with Faber. Shadowmancer topped the UK charts for a record 15 weeks and has been translated into 43 languages. All of his books have been optioned for films. GP Taylor is a New York Times best selling author.
His works include Shadowmancer, Wormwood, Tersias, The Curse of Salamander Street, Mariah Mundi and The Dopple Ganger Chronicles. He is currently mentoring Zack Dante as he recalls some of the most scarey experiences of his life. Zack Dante - The Orb of Hubris is available from all good book shops - but be warned - it is the most frightening book you will ever read...
He lives on the banks of a river in the midst of a dark wood, an arrow's flight from the Prince Regent Hotel near the 'town at the end of the line'. He spends his days writing and collecting firewood. More information can be found at www.gptaylor.info
“a literary troubadour” Yorkshire Post
“It (Tersias) is, in a word, brilliant. Colourful, dramatic, relentless, accessible to children – and more frightening for their parents" Scotsman
“he has a brilliant knack of connecting with his audience, swiftly identifying common interests, cracking jokes and recounting very humorous anecdotes” Oundle Festival
“Shadowmancer is a compelling and dark-edged fantasy … highly recommended” Independent
“when we came to see you we were so inspired by your work that we would like to hear much more. Please come to our school again” Harry, aged 12
“excels at metaphysical terror” Independent on Sunday
ABOUT THE BOOK... The Dopple Ganger Chronicles: The First Escape At Isambard Dunstan’s School for Wayward Children, life is trouble for 14-year-old identical twins Sadie and Saskia Dopple and their friend, former thief Erik Morrisey Ganger. But what starts out as a perfectly normal day of food fights, rioting classmates, fires, and (yawn) threats of expulsion goes suddenly and horribly wrong when a mysterious, wealthy woman appears at the school and adopts Saskia... without her sister. On her own in a mansion full of dark secrets, Saskia stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens her very life. Meanwhile, in a desperate attempt to find her, Sadie and Erik escape from the orphanage with a gang of enemies in hot pursuit. Faced with madmen, wild dogs, treasure seekers, and an otherworldly visitor with a secret message, the trio must decide who to trust – and what to believe – if they are to survive long enough to find each other again.
WHAT THE TEACHERS SAY...‘I was a reluctant reader when I was a child and comics were about the only thing I would read cover to cover without interruption… Your Dopple Ganger series will be a permanent part of my classroom for sure. I only hope it is the dawn of a new format of book so others can jump on the band wagon.’ Claire Williams, Assistant Principal at Ninestiles Technology College, said, ‘We have been extremely fortunate to trial The Dopple Ganger Chronicles – The First Escape at our school. The children have been so excited by the book. We have set aside 25 minutes every day to read it and that is not enough, as we have children begging to take it home. We even have a waiting list of children who want to read the book. It’s not often that reading can cause such a buzz.’
WHAT THE CHILDREN SAY... I was so absorbed in your book that it only took me two days to read it (I couldn’t put it down!). I loved the way it was part graphic novel and part book. That really made me understand what the characters looked like. My favourite bit was when Brummagem and Muzz Elliot were fighting over the donkey! That made me laugh out loud! …I absolutely love The Dopple Ganger Chronicles – I can’t put it down. I wanted a drink yesterday and I found myself walking around the house with the book, the story line is good and exciting and gripping. I especially like Sadie and Saskia because I have a twin so I like stories about other twins growing up… it is also a nice book to read as there is the little comic strips in between and it just breaks it down a bit…
WHAT THE PARENTS SAY... My son is almost 13, has ADHD and has a real hard time staying focused, so reading is a chore for him. He is totally into The Dopple Ganger Chronicles! When he’s not doing his schoolwork, he has his nose in that book! We’re so happy to see him enjoying a book on his own! Eleven year old Hannah Gerard had a reading age of 7 and would ‘switch off’ whenever she encountered a book as her dyslexia and special needs made reading tedious. But Taylor’s visit to her school inspired her to try The Doppleganger Chronicles. Her mum, Trish says, It was the first time that she’d ever grasped a book, and she read it all from cover to cover and even wrote a final chapter of her own. The teachers were astonished…It was the mixture of words and illustrations that made her want to read it. And now she’s talking about reading Harry Potter next – it’s almost a miracle. My 8-year-old son, Will, who’s been reluctant to read chapter books despite his abilities, devoured the first Dopple Ganger book, and then his 11-year-old brother, Alex did as well. They are very eager to know when the next book will be available! I want to thank you for writing The Dopple Ganger Chronicles. My son does not often enjoy reading, but he loved your book, in fact he couldn’t put it down. My son keeps asking when there will be another addition to the series. I can’t thank you enough; we’ll be anxiously awaiting the next installment.
WHAT THE PRESS SAY...‘Impressive stuff!...a gripping story and the graphic look is very engaging’ - Blue Peter ‘Hotter than Potter’ – The Times ‘The new C. S. Lewis’ – BBC Heaven and Earth show
YOU'VE NEVER SEEN READING LIKE THIS BEFORE... The Dopple Ganger Chronicles combines art and text to create illustra-novellas™ – a new kind of book designed to enhance the reading experience for a visually orientated generation of kids, especially reluctant readers. The book combines text, full-page illustrations, word art, graphics and manga comic strip to tell its exciting adventure story. Each page is black bordered to keep the child’s eye on the page and to mimic the familiar computer screen. The pages are tinted cream so that children with reading difficulties find it easier to read.
Praise for G . P. Taylor:
‘A literary troubadour’ – Yorkshire Post
‘He has a brilliant knack of connecting with his audience, swiftly identifying common interests, cracking jokes and recounting very humorous anecdotes’ - Oundle Festival
‘Excels at metaphysical terror’ - Independent on Sunday
ABOUT THE AUTHOR ... A motorcyclist and former rock band roadie turned Anglican minister, G.P. Taylor has been hailed as “hotter than Potter” and “the new C.S. Lewis”. His first novel Shadowmancer, reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list in 2004 and has been translated into forty-eight languages. His other novels include Wormwood (another New York Times bestseller, which was nominated for a Quill book award), The Shadowmancer Returns: The Curse Of Salamander Street, Tersias The Oracle, and Mariah Mundi: The Midas Box. Worldwide sales for Taylor’s books now total more the 3 million copies.
G.P. Taylor is a passionate advocate of reading and visits around 250 schools each year talking to some 20,000 children, aiming to get them interested in books.
The Dopple Ganger Chronicles: The First Escape is available now!
You’ve never seen reading
like this before!
The Dopple Ganger Chronicles combines art and
text to create illustra-novellas™ – a new kind of book
designed to enhance the reading experience for a
visually orientated generation of kids, especially reluctant
readers. The book combines text, full-page illustrations,
word art, graphics and manga comic strip to tell its
exciting adventure story. Each page is black bordered to
keep the child’s eye on the page and to mimic the familiar
computer screen. The pages are tinted cream so that
children with reading difficulties find it easier to read.
