The vast lands of the Half-Continent bear the scars of centuries of conflict between humans and monsters. Only the hardiest souls now travel the inland ways: merchants, Imperial messengers and - bravest of all - the monster-hunters. To be a hunter takes great cunning and extraordinary skill, for the creatures are as deadly as they are varied. Bogles, rever-men, grinnlings and nickers - any one can kill a human quicker than thought.
Not that Rossamünd Bookchild should worry. The orphan boy with the girl's name lives safe within the walls of Madam Opera's Estimable Marine Society for Foundling Boys and Girls. Safe, at least, until the day he is recruited into the service of the Empire by a strange man with wrong-coloured eyes. This is his story.
This edition includes the EXPLICARIUM, a complex illustrated guide to the Half-Continent, including over one hundred pages of classified data, appendices and maps revealing the peculiarities of the realm of MONSTERS, the true methodology of monster-hunters, and the many tricks of the DARK TRADES.
"Stories as vivid and inventive as Foundling are exceedingly rare. David Cornish has introduced us to something wonderful and new, and I look forward to enjoying the relationship for many years to come. Brilliant."
- Sean Williams
D. M. Cornish is an award-winning author and illustrator who stormed the American market with the first book in his acclaimed fantasy series, Monster-Blood Tattoo, which received starred reviews in School Library Journal and Booklist. He is from Adelaide, where he studied illustration at the University of South Australia.
"... a book that feels like the first true successor to Tolkien I've ever found ... I recommend this to anyone who wants something wholly new and never seen before. Cornish's imagination will fuel fans for decades to come ..." — Betsy Bird, School Library Journal
"From the pre-industrial English feel to the sprawling setting and backstory, this book feels every bit as substantial as its heft implies." — Publishers Weekly
"... the book's blend of horror, fantasy, and science fiction could appeal to a broad audience, who will appreciate the heroism of a young man facing frightening peril." — April Spisak, Johns Hopkins University Press
"The world building Cornish carries out in this book is so exquisitely woven and the story's characters so well developed that I forgot I was supposed to read the book in order to write a review and instead allowed the story to carry me along. I then went back and read it again, this time marking things as I went. I loved reading this fantasy story once and then once more." — Clay Kallam, AuthorsDen
"I'm told that there are two more books in this series. I can't decide what I am looking forward to more: reading more about Rossamund as he keeps moving towards his destiny or just wanting to immerse myself once more in the world Cornish has created." — John Enzinas, SF Site
"Foundling is a great book. The characters were amazing. No clichés here, every character was an individual, unique, deep, stirring, even if you only met them briefly — simply beautiful characters. Also, the world building in this novel is exceptional. From the breathtaking wilds, to the vinegar-smelling sea." — Skye Walker, Fantasy Literature
"Monster Blood Tattoo: Foundling is a thoroughly enjoyable read, taking the reader into a world they will never wish to leave and the perfect start to an outstanding series of books." — Lewis Martin, Fantasy Book Review
"Every character you meet has a little something that endears you to them and makes you want to meet them again, whether it's the affable Postman Fouracres or the villainous Captain Poundinch...." — Graeme Flory, Graeme's Fantasy Book Review
"A freakishly good mash-up of science fiction and fantasy, Foundling (Monster Blood Tattoo, Book 1) is the first in the Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy by creative author, D.M. Cornish." — Lulu, Compass Book Ratings
"Not one word is out of place; all the creatures have histories and descriptions which are finely crafted to meld with the others. Each has a position in the story. Lovers of fantasy will gobble up this book..." — Fran Knight, ReadPlus
