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The Calling
A boy wakes up on a train to Edinburgh.He is shocked to discover that no idea who he is or how he came to be on the train - and once off it, he finds himself immersed in the chaos of the Edinburgh Fringe. After a day of wandering the crowded streets, he falls asleep and is woken by the sound of bells tolling midnight - only to discover that is the night of The Calling - a magical yearly event when all the statues of the city come alive. He is the only human ever to witness it. He quickly makes a couple of allies - the Colonel, the bronze cavalryman of the Scots Grey's monument, and the intrepid explorer David Livingstone. They christen the boy 'Ed Fest' and take him to Parliament Square to meet Charles II, the king of the statues, who isn't particularly fond of 'Softies' (humans).He assigns Sherlock Holmes to investigate the boy's case, to discover his real identity and to get back to his home and family. But as the bronze detective begins to decipher the clues, he discovers that 'Ed' is on the run from a sequence of terrible events; ones that could threaten his very existence. The Calling is a magical story set during Edinburgh's most exciting event - and nearly all of its characters can be observed, standing on plinths in the heart of the city, waiting for next year's Calling.
251 pages, Paperback
Published March 31, 2016
2 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Philip Caveney
69 books61 followersPhilip Caveney was born in North Wales in 1951. The son of an RAF officer, he spent much of his childhood travelling the length and breadth of Britain and spent several years in Malaysia and Singapore.
He attended the Kelsterton College Of Art where he obtained a diploma in Graphic Design. Whilst there, he became drummer (and latterly vocalist) with rock band, Hieronymus Bosch.
After leaving college, he worked extensively in theatre both in London and Wales and wrote the lyrics for rock adaptations of The Workhouse Donkey and Oscar Wilde’s Salome.
His first novel, The Sins Of Rachel Ellis, was published in 1976.
Published Works for Adults
The Sins Of Rachel Ellis: St Martin’s Press/ Robert Hale/Berkeley Press. ‘a spine chilling debut.’ – Doubleday Book Club magazine
Tiger Tiger – ‘ St Martin’s Press/Granada ‘…an intriguing tale of rivalry and honour ‘– Flintshire Chronicle
The Tarantula Stone – Granada - ‘breathtaking action.’ Kirkus
Cursery Rhymes Cornerhouse Books– ‘wickedly funny’ – City Life
Speak No Evil – Headline/Headline Review/ ‘cracking summer reading.’ City Life
Black Wolf – Headline/ Headline Review/ nominated for WH Smith Thumping Good Read award.
Strip Jack Naked – Headline/Headline Review - ‘a triumphant thriller’ - Evening Post
Slayground – Headline/Headline Review ‘,,, breakneck pace’ – Daily Mirror
Skin Flicks – Headline/headline Review – ‘Caveney uses the central image with considerable skill’ – Sunday Times
Burn Down Easy – Headline/Headline Review – ‘the fiction equivalent of standing on Semtex’ – Pure Fiction
Bad To The Bone – Headline/ Headline Review ’10 little Indians on speed!’ Tangled web
1999 – Headline/Headline Review ‘more than just a return to form.’ City Life
Love Bites – Xlibris – ‘a frighteningly funny read!’ Tregolwyn reviews.
Published works for Children
Cursery Rhymes(with Bob Seal) (Cornerhouse Books)
Sebastian Darke - Prince Of Fools (2007) (Random House)
Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates (2008) (Random House)
Coming soon…
Sebastian Dark: Prince of Explorers (2009) (Random House)
Alec Devlin: The Eye of The Serpent (2008) (Random House)
Alec Devlin: The Kingdom of the Skull (2009) (Random House)
He wrote the screenplay for the short film Dream Factory, directed by Philip Davenport and has recently written his first full-length screenplay The Sick House for director Curtis Radclyffe.
He is also an advertising copywriter and has been the co-ordinator for the Manchester Writers Workshop for over twenty five years.
He attended the Kelsterton College Of Art where he obtained a diploma in Graphic Design. Whilst there, he became drummer (and latterly vocalist) with rock band, Hieronymus Bosch.
After leaving college, he worked extensively in theatre both in London and Wales and wrote the lyrics for rock adaptations of The Workhouse Donkey and Oscar Wilde’s Salome.
His first novel, The Sins Of Rachel Ellis, was published in 1976.
Published Works for Adults
The Sins Of Rachel Ellis: St Martin’s Press/ Robert Hale/Berkeley Press. ‘a spine chilling debut.’ – Doubleday Book Club magazine
Tiger Tiger – ‘ St Martin’s Press/Granada ‘…an intriguing tale of rivalry and honour ‘– Flintshire Chronicle
The Tarantula Stone – Granada - ‘breathtaking action.’ Kirkus
Cursery Rhymes Cornerhouse Books– ‘wickedly funny’ – City Life
Speak No Evil – Headline/Headline Review/ ‘cracking summer reading.’ City Life
Black Wolf – Headline/ Headline Review/ nominated for WH Smith Thumping Good Read award.
Strip Jack Naked – Headline/Headline Review - ‘a triumphant thriller’ - Evening Post
Slayground – Headline/Headline Review ‘,,, breakneck pace’ – Daily Mirror
Skin Flicks – Headline/headline Review – ‘Caveney uses the central image with considerable skill’ – Sunday Times
Burn Down Easy – Headline/Headline Review – ‘the fiction equivalent of standing on Semtex’ – Pure Fiction
Bad To The Bone – Headline/ Headline Review ’10 little Indians on speed!’ Tangled web
1999 – Headline/Headline Review ‘more than just a return to form.’ City Life
Love Bites – Xlibris – ‘a frighteningly funny read!’ Tregolwyn reviews.
Published works for Children
Cursery Rhymes(with Bob Seal) (Cornerhouse Books)
Sebastian Darke - Prince Of Fools (2007) (Random House)
Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates (2008) (Random House)
Coming soon…
Sebastian Dark: Prince of Explorers (2009) (Random House)
Alec Devlin: The Eye of The Serpent (2008) (Random House)
Alec Devlin: The Kingdom of the Skull (2009) (Random House)
He wrote the screenplay for the short film Dream Factory, directed by Philip Davenport and has recently written his first full-length screenplay The Sick House for director Curtis Radclyffe.
He is also an advertising copywriter and has been the co-ordinator for the Manchester Writers Workshop for over twenty five years.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 17, 2024
2024: Still lovely. Also, this time I did catch up with Sherlock, so he got back eventually.
Goodbye Edinburgh!
2020: Every year at the 2nd of August in Edinburgh, all statues become awake for 24 hours, the Calling. All humans are asleep except for one, the boy who's this story's protagonist. He has amnesia and ends up chasing his identity with the best help possible, Sherlock Holmes.
This story is a brilliant way to learn more about the many statues in Edinburgh. I read it in preparation for my stay there, and it made me want to see all those statues and learn more about them. The one sad thing is that due to a tramline being built, the Sherlock statue is not currently on his plinth. Or is there another reason? I arrived on the 3th of August, just after the Calling, so maybe Sherlock failed to be back on time...
Goodbye Edinburgh!
2020: Every year at the 2nd of August in Edinburgh, all statues become awake for 24 hours, the Calling. All humans are asleep except for one, the boy who's this story's protagonist. He has amnesia and ends up chasing his identity with the best help possible, Sherlock Holmes.
This story is a brilliant way to learn more about the many statues in Edinburgh. I read it in preparation for my stay there, and it made me want to see all those statues and learn more about them. The one sad thing is that due to a tramline being built, the Sherlock statue is not currently on his plinth. Or is there another reason? I arrived on the 3th of August, just after the Calling, so maybe Sherlock failed to be back on time...
December 11, 2020
I love this book, i bought four copies to gift kids and adults alike, but i must say i find the directions within edinburgh very confusing and each book should have a map of the lad's journey to each statue as i'm sure as well as clearing up the confusion, a lot of people would be encouraged to take the tour around them.
October 4, 2020
I liked the premise of this book - one day a year all of the statues in Edinburgh come to life while the humans freeze in place for 24 hours. Since I had traveled to Edinburgh a year ago, it was especially fun to be reminded of the statues I saw during that visit and their history.
April 22, 2016
This review first appeared on our blog: http://www.tripfiction.com/young-adul...
YA mystery set in EDINBURGH
The Calling is a really good, and very inventive, Young Adult mystery. It will certainly appeal to the age group at which it is aimed.
A boy wakes up as the train he is on pulls into Edinburgh Waverley station. He has no idea who he is or where he is – his mind is a complete blank. He wanders confused around Edinburgh (at the height of the Festival) for the rest of the day, and eventually falls asleep in a park. He is awoken by a clock striking midnight… to the most amazing of sights. The close by statue of Colonel Alexander and his horse, Sultan, is moving – and is ‘alive’. Each year from midnight August 2nd to midnight August 3rd is ‘The Calling’ – when all the statues in Edinburgh come to life for 24 hours. But our hero is the first human to have witnessed this – all other humans fall asleep where they stand (or lie) and wake up 24 hours later unaware of what has been happening. The Colonel takes the boy (temporarily named as Ed Fest) under his wing – and introduces him to the other statues. He meets David Livingstone, Sir Walter Scott, King Charles the Second, William Wallace, Queen Victoria, and her husband Albert. And, finally, Sherlock Holmes – who offers to help him solve the mystery of who he is and where he has come from.
The arch sleuth deduces quite a lot from Ed’s accent, clothes – and a bump on his head which may well have induced his amnesia. Using a transportation portal designed by James Clerk Maxwell (another statue, and well known Edinburgh physicist) they head back to where they believe Ed came from, discover his real name, and solve the mystery that brought him to Edinburgh – a mystery involving some diamonds and some pretty unsavoury characters.
The story is well and amusingly written – with all sorts of technological gadgets to keep the teenage audience entertained. It is also a brilliant read in TripFiction terms – at the end of the book there is a map of the thirteen statutes featured and their precise locations in Edinburgh. A great way to see Edinburgh would be to walk around with map in hand. And those who’ve read the book first can imagine the characters they would meet, and conversations they would have, as they progress.
YA mystery set in EDINBURGH
The Calling is a really good, and very inventive, Young Adult mystery. It will certainly appeal to the age group at which it is aimed.
A boy wakes up as the train he is on pulls into Edinburgh Waverley station. He has no idea who he is or where he is – his mind is a complete blank. He wanders confused around Edinburgh (at the height of the Festival) for the rest of the day, and eventually falls asleep in a park. He is awoken by a clock striking midnight… to the most amazing of sights. The close by statue of Colonel Alexander and his horse, Sultan, is moving – and is ‘alive’. Each year from midnight August 2nd to midnight August 3rd is ‘The Calling’ – when all the statues in Edinburgh come to life for 24 hours. But our hero is the first human to have witnessed this – all other humans fall asleep where they stand (or lie) and wake up 24 hours later unaware of what has been happening. The Colonel takes the boy (temporarily named as Ed Fest) under his wing – and introduces him to the other statues. He meets David Livingstone, Sir Walter Scott, King Charles the Second, William Wallace, Queen Victoria, and her husband Albert. And, finally, Sherlock Holmes – who offers to help him solve the mystery of who he is and where he has come from.
The arch sleuth deduces quite a lot from Ed’s accent, clothes – and a bump on his head which may well have induced his amnesia. Using a transportation portal designed by James Clerk Maxwell (another statue, and well known Edinburgh physicist) they head back to where they believe Ed came from, discover his real name, and solve the mystery that brought him to Edinburgh – a mystery involving some diamonds and some pretty unsavoury characters.
The story is well and amusingly written – with all sorts of technological gadgets to keep the teenage audience entertained. It is also a brilliant read in TripFiction terms – at the end of the book there is a map of the thirteen statutes featured and their precise locations in Edinburgh. A great way to see Edinburgh would be to walk around with map in hand. And those who’ve read the book first can imagine the characters they would meet, and conversations they would have, as they progress.
June 29, 2016
Book review is here: http://www.mrripleysenchantedbooks.co...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews