Southside author pens children’s book as ‘sequel’ to Burns classic

Aimed at the 8-13 age group, The Shanter Legacy: The Search for the Grey Mare’s Tail, and has been be described as ‘magical realist fiction’, ‘fantasy adventure’ and ‘fantasy/horror’.

Following the events of Burns’ classic poem, Tam’s daughter Fiona and her wee brother Finn are swept into a strange mystical world to embark on a perilous quest.

They must find the tail that was torn from Tam’s horse Meg and has been taken to the dark and evil land of Dracadonia.

The tail is now in the possession of Morbidea, the beautiful but deadly druid queen, who wishes to use the power of the tail to enter the mortal world.

As the Queen and her undead army prepare to launch a savage and vengeful war on the people of Caledonia, Fiona and Finn learn of their extraordinary link to this deadly threat and must make the brave decision to try and prevent it.

Accompanied by Meg and their border collie, Kirsty, the children are catapulted into a land populated by weird creatures, an army of undead warrior nuns and an eccentric troublemaking alchemist as their quest unfolds.

Garry is award-winning actor, a writer and director who spends his time between Glasgow and his home in Andalusia.

He was artistic director of Baldy Bane Theatre Company where he wrote and directed over 30 plays for children and young adults, with the book itself originally starting life as a popular play.

Garry said: “I believe that humour and a clever animal or two are a great way to engage children in stories.

"One of my early memories was the excitement of waiting for the mobile library to arrive in the area of Edinburgh where I grew up.

“As well as being a fun read, I hope The Shanter Legacy will provide young people with a bridge to Robert Burns being a ‘sequel’ of sorts to ‘Tam o’ Shanter’.”

The book is available from the likes of Amazon and Waterstones or directly at https://tippermuirbooks.co.uk with free P&P.