Something Watching

by Hugh Scott

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Biography

I love cats. I love their beautiful faces and ickle tickly tums. I have been owned by many cats, but now only a visiting ginger tom declares possession of me. I don't read my books to him, because he's into mice and sardines in tomato sauce, not spooks and crooks and flukes of nature, or even unnature such as the mighty Gargoyle or the dreadful creeping creature which is Something Watching. My proudest book, of course, is Why Weeps the Brogan? Which won the Children's Whitbread in 1989 and was shortlisted for the McVitie Prize. The Haunted Sand was shortlisted for something, but I can't remember what; it came second to a book that wasn't too bad, I suppose. I love good English; I can't stand sloppy modern drip-speak innit? wot books 'ave as written language, and which supposedly reflects the way kids spea. I don't mind a bit of rebellion in language, but dumb brainless Me am de man is pure stupidity and totally rebarbative in a language which has hundreds of thousands of words which cretins are too lazy to look up and use with clarity and power. To all the worm-brains who think bad spelling, ignorance and foul words make them better than other people, I say buy a dictionary.
Current events and projects

I talk to schools and writing groups about how to write.

Reviews

[Chris Browning · Rating 1 out of 5]

This thing is a bloody car crash. The plots contain a seaside castle bought seemingly on a whim by a family who previously seemed stuck in a tiny seaside chalet; a fur coat that becomes an actual leopard; some genuinely offensive African witch doctor nonsense; an occasionally worrying description of the heroine as “ripe” or wondering about “local talent”; then a bunch of new age bollocks added to taste the stew

It’s very readable but feels completely off and somewhat worrying. There’s a naggingly unpleasant tone hovering over the whole enterprise to put it mildly. I’m so glad it’s fucking finished so I can get it out of my house

[Bex Edmondson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange book, with occasional words that don't seem to exist. Written like a book from the fifties, but seemingly set in the nineties? Very creepy. Worth a read though!