ELEVATOR PITCH: A trainee undertaker joins forces with the King of Rats to start the Great Plague of London 1665 to save his business, get rich, and get the girl! BLURB:  It is 1665. Wannabe actor Clive Hucklefish has come to London seeking fame and fortune! Clive joins a band of undertakers whose business is dying (in every sense), for the undertakers’ arch-nemesis, the Alchemist, will stop at nothing to see death ended forever! But when Clive falls hopelessly in love with the Alchemist's daughter, Clive receives a timely summons from the furry godfather of all ratkind, with an offer he simply cannot refuse... READ IT IF: You love absurd black humour (think Pratchett, Stroud, Monty Python, Blackadder, Good Omens, the Addams Family), CJSansom-esque historical detail from the Stuart period (Old London Bridge is virtually a character unto itself), an idiotic male lead in need of a LOT of progression (mostly via bizarre undertaker training regimens and the need to get street-smart before the street murders him), alchemy (inverted, the Alchemist in question is the bad guy, despite trying to help everyone in London achieve immortality!), mafioso mutant rats with New York accents (think Brian Jacques' Redwall, and, yes, there WAS a New York in 1665!), the character of Death (she's not what you expect), cozy romance (via tragedy) and strong female characters, musicals (this novel was based on a musical and some songs remain!), and a hidden identity for those clever enough to spot it! (NOT revealed in this first novel). AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am going to publish the whole novel, a chapter a day, as a soft open before publication on other platforms. Depending on response here, I may start a Patreon so that you can get chapters in advance and listen to the Audiobook which I am recording now. I use lots of crazy footnotes in the final novel which to me are a big part of the reading pleasure (think Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus, Strange and Mr. Norell), but I can't put them on Royal Road, so that will be another way for you to access the full experience. If you want to say thank you, the absolutely best compliment you can pay is to leave an honest review and/or some feedback! It really helps, and your comments may end up on the back of the paperback, who knows? Thanks for joining me on this journey! WARNING: This novel is based on the award-winning PLAGUE! The Musical by the same author, so symptoms do include a tendency to break out into song mid-sentence! SLOGAN: PLAGUE! Shadow of the Rat King - have YOU caught it yet? REVIEWS from the 2008 Production of Plague! The Musical: "An astoundingly good production!" - British Theatre Guide "One of the most ridiculous, outrageous, over the top and watchable pieces of musical theatre in a long time!" - What's On Stage "This is what you come to the fringe for!" - The Stage AWARDS: 2008 Sell-out Show status. It was also named a Mervyn Stutter 'Pick Of The Fringe' NOVEL REVIEWS:* "He finished it? 'Bought bloody time!" - the author's mum "If C.J.Sansom, Terry Pratchett and Jonathan Stroud owned a timeshare together, this would NOT be it." - some bloke from down the pub * fake - new read, waiting for real ones!