The Narzat and the Shifting Shadow - Luke Marchant

GUEST BLOG POST AS PART OF THE BLOGTOUR!

The legendary Captain Carver and his wicked pirate crew commanded by the GLOOM BADGER have arrived in the Jumble Jungle Wood on board their pirate ship THE SHIFTING SHADOW in search of monstrous beasts to capture and use to tyrannise all the animals in the wood. They have already captured the Ravenoserous, the Chargemeleon and are heading for FIRE ISLAND beyond the DEEP DARK DEPTHS with the daringly wicked plan to steal the eggs of the GORGONCONDA, a two head snake whose eyes can turn you to stone. The GLOOM BADGER is in daily charge of a dastardly crew of rodent pirates and above him is the legendary CAPTAIN CARVER. But they haven't reckoned with THE NARZAT, THE LOOKY LIZARD AND THE CHATTY CHIRPER! Dive into a host of comic characters and an unpredictable plot!

Guest post from Luke:

Illustrations

It was an incredible moment when I first saw the Gorgonaconda. This legendary monster, both mysterious and deadly, has the power to turn those who look upon it to stone… and there I was, looking at the creature, absolutely frozen to the spot.

I had dreamt up the Gorgonaconda a while ago, along with a collection of other Jumble Jungle Wood Creatures (the fierce Chargemeleon! The friendly Giant Taught-Us! A whole host of Jungle Pirates!) And these characters had all taken the journey from my head to the pages of my story. I had, of course, hoped that my readers could picture what I saw and would meet these creatures too— but nothing could prepare me for meeting these characters myself.

You see, I managed to look the Gorgonaconda in the eye when I first saw Rory Walker’s incredible illustrations. Somehow, with a stroke of the pen, he had managed to conjure the animal to life. It’s no wonder I was frozen to the spot.

You see, Rory is an amazingly talented artist, and his illustrations have the knack of both capturing humour and heart. I would heartily recommend that you look at any of the myriad books he has provided artwork for.

As an author, it’s not just the way he captures the appearance of the characters, it’s the way he captures the character of the characters themselves. One of my favourite images from the book is his illustration of the Talky Tweeter as a young bird, lost and utterly alone in the Deep Dark Depths. It captures her vulnerability and the darkness of her past, and is utterly heart-wrenching. Within a few pages, he manages to show Pertinax the Gorilla Chef rowing up the face of the Reverse Waterfall with nothing but his temper and a frying pan.

I’ve had the privilege of seeing young readers enraptured by Rory’s illustrations—they have a wonderful habit of drawing you in and truly bring the story to life. Just watch out for his picture of the Gorgonaconda though. It’s rather dangerous.

Follow Luke online as @LukeEducation22

Find out more at https://www.everythingwithwords.com/authors/luke-marchant/

Thanks to Luke and Mikka for the book and content.

Post by Rich Simpson (@richreadalot) May 2025