ELEVATOR PITCH:* A trainee undertaker makes a devilish bargain to save his business and get the girl! * For those who prefer to get pitched in elevators. Never one when you need one. BLURB:  It is 1665. Wannabe actor Clive Hucklefish has come to London seeking fame and fortune! Little does he know that he faces a threat so perfidious that it is to change the face of the acting profession forever! Actresses! Yes the merry monarch has finally allowed women to play themselves! With all the best cross-dressing parts taken, Clive instead 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... SLOGAN: PLAGUE! Shadow of the Rat King - have YOU caught it yet? RR Novel REVIEWS: (NOW on Rising Stars for Historical Fiction) "Plague is a RIOT! I can't remember the last time I had this much fun while reading!" ***** Thorn Greenwood "Packed to the gills with wit!" **** fachefaucheux "Tear-jerkingly hilarious!" ***** ElBigBad "Probably the best written story I've read on RR" **** Bulbus "Create[s] monuments to the language that rival even the wordsmiths of old!" ***** DGCampbell  "Fast paced, action filled ... chaotic comedy of errors!" ***** Zacheas 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 young 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). He has a HUGE arc... trust me! - 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!) - advanced language (historical words and slang, and made up derivations of such, that may require reaching for an online dictionary, and possibly a degree in etymology) - satire of the recent Covid pandemic (remarkable how little has changed...) - crazy long footnotes (think Bartimaeus or Strange and Norell) to explain historical context, language, and even just as comic asides - 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. 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! 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'