''Bring Me the Head of Oliver Plunkett'' is the second novel of the '' Eddie & the Gang with No Name'' trilogy by Northern Irish author,

Colin Bateman Colin Bateman (known Mononymous person, mononymously as Bateman) is a novelist, screenwriter and former journalist from Bangor, County Down, Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Biography Born on 13 June 1962, Bateman attended Bangor Grammar ...

, published on 13 May 2004 through

Hodder Children's Books Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publisher ...

Plot

The story surrounds a twelve-year-old named Eddie and his affiliation with a local gang, known as the "Reservoir Pups". Two runaway orphans, Pat and Sean, witness the theft of

Saint Oliver Plunkett Oliver Plunkett (or Oliver Plunket) ( ga, Oilibhéar Pluincéid), (1 November 1625 – 1 July 1681) was the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland who was the last victim of the Popish Plot. He was beatified in 1920 and c ...

’s head from St. Peter's Church in

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

, where it was on display for a forthcoming papal visit. Pat speaks to the

primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...

of the church and discovers that he will be greatly embarrassed by the disappearance; Pat decides to help as he is feeling guilty for not preventing the crime initially. The orphans enlist the help of Eddie and his best-friend Mo in their task. Eddie and Mo, meanwhile, have been involved in some tasks for the Reservoir Pups which coincidentally involve the son of Scarface Cutler; a blind boy named Ivan and son of the thief in possession of the head.

Characters

* Eddie Malone; twelve-year-old boy,

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

of the story. * Mo; female

albino Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...

best-friend of Eddie and leader of the ''Andytown Albinos'' gang. * Pat;

runaway Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to: Engineering * Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable * Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...

orphan boy who enlists Eddie in finding the head of the

after witnessing its theft. * Sean; also a runaway orphan who witnessed the theft of the head. * The

; stands to be greatly embarrassed by the loss of the head. * Gary; friend of Eddie who fond of

explosives An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...

and

explosions An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Supersonic explosions created by high explosives are known ...

in general. * Scarface Cutler; violent criminal and holder of Plunkett's head. * Ivan; blind son of Cutler.

Development

The story was initially written in 1995-6 as a feature film script aimed at adults. It was sold in 1996 although, , no further information has been released. When Bateman was attempting to write the sequel to ''Reservoir Pups'', he found this script, "threw most of it out"; and re-aimed it at the young-adult audience.

Reception

The novel received a positive reception from reviewers. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' called the novel a "fast-paced improbable adventure", stating that readers "will quickly warm to Eddie" and that it is "a good choice for reluctant readers"; although they do state that this is an easier read if you read ''Reservoir Pups'' beforehand. In a review aimed at younger readers, ''Kidzworld'' stated that "the worst part about Eddie's adventures is that Eddie and his friends basically spend the first half of the book getting beaten up and abused"; although this is somewhat mitigated as "it's fun to read about Eddie and his gang saving the day at last". They awarded the book a score of four out of five stars. Conan Tigard, writing for ''Reading Review'', praised the novel’s pace, characters and believability, stating that he read the book in one sitting. Tigard comments that he found many references to the first book in the series, although did not think it necessary to read it first. In conclusion, he stated "overall, I thought that ''Bring Me the Head of Oliver Plunkett'' was an excellent story with fun and excitement that all readers will enjoy. Bravo, Colin Bateman. Way to go!" and awarded the novel a score of nine out of ten. Cooper Renner, for the ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

'', praised the "marvelously over-the-top plot"; the "likable, down-to-earth main characters"; and stated that " plot-turns worthy of an adult thriller keep the pages turning, and Bateman's light touch keeps the violence from seeming as frightening as it otherwise might". Renner concluded by saying that this novel is "a first-rate achievement, and a truly comic novel with a plot that never lets up". ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'' stated that "there's nothing subtle here" and that there is much that is "specifically Irish and Catholic", however tempered this somewhat by stating that "readers already familiar with Eddie will enjoy Bateman's wry humor, nutty characters, and swift-moving plot".

References

External links

* {{Colin Bateman Novels from Northern Ireland Novels by Colin Bateman 2004 British novels British crime novels British children's novels Hodder & Stoughton books 2004 children's books Children's books set in Ireland Novels set in Ireland