A fantastical novel written from the perspective of a Muslim boy, Tyger is set in a London where the British Empire still rules, and engages directly with SF's Middle Eastern heritage. Phoenix had many sources of inspiration, from science fiction films, to the science of space, to the most ancient mythology. I wrote about some of these inspirations here: Our favourite characters were Varjak (4 votes), Sally Bones (3 votes) but the clear winner was Cludge (23 votes) (Cassius). Our favourite characters were Cludge (14 votes) Varjak (4 votes), Holly (3 votes) and one for scary Sally Bones!

Phoenix is so much about love and about connections and about fitting into the great space of the world(s), that I am a little bereft at finishing it. It is - it is something.

Not only does it break new territory – epic space adventures are, after all, not in abundance on the children’s shelf – but it is layered with depth and meaning right from the get go. A touching, meaningful story for children and adults alike" – Interzone So, when I was little, my parents read to me a huge amount - which lead to me wanting to read myself. I also had a massive fascination with cats (I still kinda do) which meant I read pretty much anything with a cat on the cover. Guardian children's fiction award shortlist 2014". Emily Drabble. The Guardian. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 2015-01-21.

Thank you all so much for your amazing message! I loved hearing about your reactions to the book, and the things you did with it. I don't find writing easy - Varjak Paw took me 5 years to get right. But all the hard work feels worthwhile when I hear from readers like you. And thank you so much for asking about my new books! Yes, I'm writing one right now - or possibly three! It's a trilogy called TYGER. I wrote about it in this blog post - have a look and see what you think... Finally, having said all that - although the new project that I'm working on right now isn't a sequel to Phoenix, it does have a lot in common with it, and even grew out of it, in a way. The working title for this project is TYGER, and I think it's going to be the best thing I've ever written. Please do look out for it - I'm not sure when it will be finished, but I will definitely blog about it here when it is! A brief diversion before I begin this review. Once, a long time ago, I went to see Persepolis in the cinema. For those of you who don't know it, it was an animated adaptation of a wonderful graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi: - The Complete Persepolis. The film is glorious in many, many ways but there was one particular scene which tore me open and stands with me now. Marjane is on her way to study in Austria. Her parents wish her well at the airport. Farewells are said. Smiles. Hugs.I love the fact that you want to read more - thank you! I don't have any plans to write a sequel to Phoenix myself, but I would be totally honoured if YOU were to write your own sequels! Some of the first stories I ever wrote were inspired by other people's stories. If you'd like to do that, here's something you might find interesting - a blog I made about the writing process, with lots of tips, and an early draft of the opening of Phoenix: Hello Sally Bones I am your mother and we could team up and kill Varjak Paw and his friends!” Sor said, but slowly a big hand snatched up Sor and Sally Bones.

For other authors, one of my all-time favourites is Ursula Le Guin, who recently passed away. I think her Earthsea books are the among the greatest children's books of all time. She wrote some incredible books for adults too! She was definitely a big influence on Phoenix, and on me in general - I wrote an article about her inspiration that you can read here:And of course, that lead me to Varjak Paw. I think I actually read the second book first by mistake, but I was so young at the time it didn't really matter that much. Since then, I've read them countless times. In recent years though, I haven't had as much time to read as I'm now doing my exams. I'm currently reading Stephen King's The Shining, and while originally it probably would have taken me a week or two to read, its now taking me months. :(

Why did SF become a writer in the first place. He'd never have done it if he hadn't read The Wizard of Earthsea, find out more in SF Said's inspiration: Ursula Le Guin. You might remember coming to our school before (in January 2016 when we were in Year 1) and we’d love it if you could come again. Oh man. I have read a lot of bad books lately, but at least I was able to get through them. Sadly, I couldn't get through this one. While I wouldn't say there was a much of a "twist" in the story, the ending was unexpected. I appreciated the ending, though I still have slightly mixed feelings. It took me seven years to write this book, but really, it's been growing inside me for my whole life. I remember seeing the very first Star Wars film when it was released in 1977. It was a life-changing moment. As I looked up in awe at that first starship filling the screen, I remember thinking that I wanted to write a story as big as that one day. I wanted to write a book that contained an entire galaxy.

I'm already working on my next book, but I can't say anything about it, because my books always change a lot in the years it takes me to write them! You may not like it at all, of course! It's probably dated quite badly - it was written in 1960. But it started a wave of really interesting books with a mythical/magical/otherworldly element - not just his own, but also books by writers like Susan Cooper (The Dark Is Rising sequence) and Ursula Le Guin (The Earthsea books) - who I think you might also enjoy... they were certainly big influences on me! We wrote a chapter when Varjak met another 'monster' on the streets of the city at night for example, a rubbish lorry (Aran), a fox (Bernardo), a motorbike (Daniel), a fire engine (Sophia). However, if he would still like to read another ending, or a sequel - I would be totally honoured if he wanted to write such a story himself! He doesn't need a competition to do it; he can just do it. And if he would like any writing tips to help him on his way, here's something he might find interesting - a blog I made about the writing process, containing an early draft of the opening of Phoenix: Tyger, is Said's latest novel. The New York Times writes that the "novel shares that fight of good against evil, but this time the lead cat is a magical “tyger”, an immortal being who comes to an alternative 21st-century London where the abolition of slavery was never achieved and empire is still going great guns". [15]