Clash by Colin Mulhern

Alex: Underground cage fighter, school psycho


Kyle: Talented artist, classroom joker 


When these two clash, a catastrophic sequence of events unfolds...


I was surprised by Clash. To be fair, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought I’d see a lot of posturing and hard-man action packaged as YA fiction. What Colin Mulhern gives us instead is something far better and more adept.

Alex, the very quiet boy with the thousand yard stare. Small of stature and unassuming, you wouldn’t think to look at him twice. But what that unassuming quietness hides is an incredibly violent and brutal side. But here’s the rub: Alex knows exactly what he’s doing when he acts this way. He is intelligent enough to realise what he’s doing and he knows he can stop it, but he acts the crazed psycho because it means people leave him alone. His home life is not pleasant. His dad is a complete jackass and ignores Alex unless he’s taking part in cage fighting. Alex’s mum is a victim. Her husband abuses her - initially not physically (not that we know of anyway) but she is definitely verbally abused and treated very badly. You literally will something bad to happen to Alex’s dad because then hopefully Alex and his mum have a chance for a better future.

On the other hand we have Kyle who is ridiculously talented as an artist. He lives with his mum who is a single parent. She is also pregnant at the start of the novel, and we get a sense of Kyle and his mum being close and pretty cool. They work well as a unit and you want good things for them.  Although they don't have a lot of money, you get the sense that they are frugal and that Kyle doesn't lack for anything.

It all starts in art class when Kyle turns in a piece of art. Alex has no idea who Kyle is, but the painting that Kyle left behind really draws him in.  He is stunned that anyone his age can be so talented, have such skills.  He identifies with this kid and he takes the artwork, to keep it safe, as he knows some other yob will take it to probably destroy it.  Alex reckons that by taking the bit of art, he's not even stealing it.  He's keeping it safe.  But he wants to know who the artist is and he goes out of his way to find out.  So he seeks out Kyle specifically to see who this kid is who can draw so well, who is so talented. Of course Kyle and his friend Gareth are terrified out of their tree when this skinny psycho kid walks up to them and just stares at them, Kyle specifically, for a few moments. Before walking away, not saying or doing anything.

It freaks them out. What was that all about?  They are convinced that Alex will soon be hunting them down to hurt them.  But it doesn't happen.  Not in the way they expect.

And the author takes us on this amazing tour of both these boys’ lives in the next few months as things change and get both worse and better and then completely insanely bad. Kyle and Alex aren’t really friends during the book - they are aware of each other but they don’t really realise how their stories are linked. And it is a testament to Mr. Mulhern’s writing skill as to how he brings the strands in this spiderweb of a story together in a completely believable and low-key way.  It is understated yet the impact is huge.

I can’t really go into more explanation here - I’m sorry, as it would be very spoilery and I’d hate for that to happen. I can however say we are shown how Alex and Kyle’s characters develop and grow and how they cope with everyday realities and how these realities intrude on their separate lives and how these separate lives converge into one truly awful moment and the repercussions of that. Gaah! I hate sounding this vague but really, saying more would be unfair.

I went through a gamut of emotions whilst reading Clash but in the end, whilst I was smiling, I also had this slight feeling of dread in my stomach. I read Clash in a few hours, in one sitting. From 11pm to 1am. On the weekend, and then spent the next forty minutes talking to Mark about the book.

Because that is what Clash does - it takes you on this incredible journey and it makes you think and wonder. I really liked it. I thought the writing was very tight and the plotting tighter still - I mean, you could bounce a coin of the plot strands’ butt! I definitely think that Colin Mulhern is a new talent to watch - Clash is suited for older and confident readers. There is a bit of swearing and there is some violence but it is all within the context of the story and it definitely does not glamourise violence or fighting in any way. It is quite stark and brutal but the story has an elegance to it that really had me turning the pages.

Oh, another thing. The chapters are all first person in either Kyle or Alex’s voice respectively and it works really well. As I wrote this I thought to myself that reluctant readers may benefit from reading Clash as the chapters are strongly written, not difficult to read and importantly they are kept short, so it feels like you are moving rapidly through the story.

I’ll stop gabbing now. If you have the chance to read Clash, please go ahead and do so. Or if you know a boy or girl who may want something different, something contemporary and local, with strong characters, this is definitely one to recommend.

Thanks to Liz and Non at Catnip for sending this out to me to read. I had a blast. Now, please ask Colin to hurry up and write his next one!

Colin Mulhern chats to MFB about his favourite book

I had the opportunity to read Colin Mulhern's debut novel "Clash" from Catnip Publishers only last week but fell for the story and the writing in a big way. I picked up Clash at eleven on Saturday night before going to bed and by 1a.m. I had finished it. The strength of the writing and the two characters really blew my socks off.

My review is later this afternoon, but first, Colin chats to us about being a reluctant reader and subsequently finding that One Book to turn him into a reader and then, crucially, how that continued to evolve him into a writer.

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A big hello to all the followers of MyFavouriteBooks! A great place to kick off my little blog tour, and a great subject to get the ball rolling because it took me a long, long time to find anything I’d describe as a favourite book.

Colin the writer - with a TYPEWRITER! 

I wasn’t much of a reader as a kid. I liked the idea of reading, and gave it a go, but I rarely finished anything, and when I did read, I was very slow. This will sound pretty strange, but even though I wasn’t a great reader, I always wanted to be a writer. I was always writing stories, just not really reading them. I used to buy the Pan Book of Horror Stories anthologies, but I’d stick to the shorter of the short stories. When I was 12 I discovered Fighting Fantasy books. These were incredible – game and story, with adventure, fantasy and horror all mixed up. But better than that, you didn’t have to read the whole book. Those managed to increase my reading ability, but I was still to find a novel that would hold me enough to get me through to the end.


The book that did it was The Six, by Janet Green. It was handed to me by my brother, who I never really thought of as someone who liked books. My brother was more of an outdoor type, kicking a ball about down near the garages. But here he was, recommending this book. It had a red-monochrome photo of a bunch of kids on the cover. He let me read a little then said I’d have to get it out of the school library as soon as he returned it.

I was a regular in the school library – not because I loved books, but because I didn’t like being outside at dinner times in the cold and drizzle. So long as you made it look like you were reading, you could go into the library. But, like I said, I wasn’t much good with books, so I’d get bored and start mucking about, which led to me getting kicked out every other week. And then came the day I remembered the book – The Six. I took it to the desk where the librarian glared at me.

She raised an eyebrow and said only one word, but it was dripping contempt, ‘Why?’

I shrugged. ‘Wor kid said it was canny good.’

She stamped it and pushed it across the desk. ‘You’re a moron, Mulhern. You deserve a book like that.’

Maybe I should have been insulted, but to tell the truth, this was class. If that book could provoke such a reaction, maybe it really was good.

It was. Mainly because it was about kids like me, like my brother, like the other kids on our estate – real people. They were all in a gang and they swore and stole and had fights. Class.

The Six isn’t in publication any more, which is sad. Maybe it wasn’t very popular; maybe it isn’t considered to be great fiction or have literary merit. But to me, it’s one of the most important books out there, because it was the one that grabbed me by the throat and held me tight. And for me, that’s the sign of a damn good book.

Thanks for the chance to drop by. Feel free to follow the tour.

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I love that this wasn't some classic but some sort of random book the librarian did not approve of.  Like Colin says, pure class.  And I think that sometimes parents and teachers forget that the classics aren't for everyone and that readers will find something that interests them.  And who knows what may happen then?

Colin will be visiting my friend over at Pewter Wolf tomorrow, 19th April, so do pop by there as Colin talks about discovering YA.

Find Colin's website here.

Badlands: Range Wars by Eldridge James

I giggled with glee (for real and no pun intended) when I tore open an envelope that arrived recently. Lo and behold, a cowboy story...with kids as the main characters. Why didn't I think of that? Quickly read the back and it went thus:

"Get your hands up in the air! Keep your guns on 'em, men! If they move, shoot 'em!"

"What's going on?" demanded Jess angrily. "We ain't done nothin'!"

The Drygulch gang have been thrown out of their shack with nowhere to go. When they hear of settlers looking for cowhands they think their luck has changed - but it soon becomes clear that someone doesn't want to share the open range. And they're willing to kill for it.

Can the boys stop the bloodshed or will they be next?

You may have seen me waffle on elsewhere on MFB about how I grew up reading Westerns - the only books my dad ever bought, apart from the occasional Wilbur Smith. I still have a deep abiding love for Westerns in print and in movie format. There is just something about a mysterious hero, riding in on a horse, with guns strapped to his hips and that big question of: is he a good guy or a bad guy, hovering in the back of your mind.

Personally I don't recall ever reading or seeing any kids' Westerns, until Badlands: Range Wars, that is. And reading it, made me realise that here, what the author did, was create the origin stories of any of those heroes I've come to know in adult fiction.

I was, needless to say, instantly smitten. B:RW is the second book in the series and I had no problem strolling in and reading it. The opening pages deal with the local mayor of Drygulch evicting the four boys, Jess, Shane, Billy Joe Ford and Andy (and Patch, the dog) from their ramshackle hut they've been living in on the outskirts of Drygulch. The boys are all hard workers, doing odd jobs around town, making sure they never beg, that they never get into trouble. They are proud and careful never to be in anyone's way or to cause any trouble. So for the mayor to evict them, and treat them like common criminals is too much. The sheriff intervenes, trying to help the boys but the mayor has the law on his side but with the sheriff''s insistence, the boys get a bit more grace. At least they can pack up their things properly before being evicted.

Between the four of them, they come up with a plan. Some families have moved into the area to farm and they are needing help as no cowboys have bothered taking up roles at their farms. The boys may not be fully grown, but they are hard workers and they decide to give things a go. They borrow a small trap and some horses from one of their friends in town and head off to the farm of the Amberson family.

As they near the farm, they see two men beating up a third. After a confrontation with the two hoodlums, it turns out that they've been sent to the Amberson's farm to beat up Mr. Amberson and to warn him to stop fencing in his farm and also to stop stealing cattle from his nearest neighbour Colonel McVie. Naturally the boys stand their ground, Billy Joe reveals he has a gun which he keeps trained on the two scruffs. Jesse's not pleased with this but has to admit having guns helped them in this situation. They send the two cowboys packing, after taking their guns from them. They make Mr. Amberson comfortable in the back of the buckboard and head towards the main house.

The Ambersons decide to take in the boys to help around the farm in exchange for food and lodging. It suits the boys fine as they are tough and hard working and in need of somewhere to stay.

Within the first two chapters the entire story and action is set in motion. This is really rare, pared down, interesting storytelling for younger readers. I was taken by the four boys, their honesty and courage in the face of adult wrath and nastiness. Jesse, Andy, Shane and Billy Joe stand by each other and work together to help the Ambersons. What I liked is that Jesse, the defacto leader as he is the oldest, is against violence, preferring to try and sort things out logically and verbally without resorting to violence first. And only looking at the more violent options to resolve conflict at the last moment.

It's strong clever storytelling and I really felt myself liking these four characters. The author gives us a snapshot what it was like growing up during this period in the American west. It wasn't pleasant or easy and the land only got tamed by strong individuals who had courage and foresight.

It was a quick read - I read it in say maybe two hours. It would suit young readers who are keen to tackle something on their own. There may be some question about the colloquial language use, but once you "get" it, it's no problem to zoom through. The chapters are short and snappy and work well. A lot is packed into this slender volume and I can't wait for the third in the series. Or in fact, to read the first.

Also, I'd like to mention the cover as it really drew me in. I liked the side-look of the kid above the title. And the two cowboys racing across the bottom of the page tells you more than anything else what this is about.

Badlands: Range Wars is out now. Find his publisher's Catnip Books website here.