Cliff McNish Books in Order

Where to Start Reading Cliff McNish

If you are new to Cliff McNish's bibliography, the absolute best place to start is with his debut fantasy novel, The Doomspell. This book launches a tight, highly acclaimed trilogy that showcases the author's ability to blend wonder with a chilling sense of danger. Starting here allows you to experience the exact story that launched McNish from a career in IT to becoming a full-time author.

If you prefer standalone stories or are a fan of horror, your best starting point is Breathe: A Ghost Story. It is widely considered one of his finest, most atmospheric works and can be read completely on its own. For readers who enjoy science fiction and high-concept cosmic evolution, starting with The Silver Child is recommended.

The Doomspell Trilogy

The Doomspell Trilogy is a dark fantasy series that follows siblings Rachel and Eric after they are kidnapped and whisked away to the freezing, ruined world of Ithrea. Ithrea is ruled by Dragwena, a cruel witch who seeks children with raw magical potential to serve her. To read this series correctly, you must follow the publication order as the story builds directly from one volume to the next:

1. The Doomspell (2000)
2. The Scent of Magic (2001)
3. The Wizard's Promise (2002)

In the first book, Rachel discovers her incredible shape-shifting abilities, while her brother Eric displays a unique knack for destroying spells. As the trilogy progresses through The Scent of Magic and The Wizard's Promise, the scale of the conflict expands, introducing new magical children and a wizardly army as Ithrea is threatened by even greater, more ancient forces.

The Prequel Novella: The Light of Armath

For the 20th anniversary of the trilogy, Cliff McNish wrote a special prequel novella titled The Light of Armath, which was published inside the anniversary hardback edition of The Doomspell. This story is set in the world of Ithrea before the events of the first book. It focuses on the backstories of the characters, specifically explaining how the character Morpeth came to serve the witch Dragwena, while also introducing new characters named Anna and Sarren. It is best read after you have finished the main trilogy, as it serves as a wonderful return to the universe rather than a required starting point.

The Silver Sequence

Following the success of his debut trilogy, McNish turned his sights to science fiction with The Silver Sequence. This trilogy is a massive, conceptual story about six children who undergo strange, physical mutations and gain extraordinary abilities. They must unite to protect Earth from a colossal, cosmic entity known as the Roar, which feeds on the misery of planets. The books must be read in order:

1. The Silver Child (2003)
2. Silver City (2004)
3. Silver World (2005)

The series begins with The Silver Child, where the children are drawn to Coldharbour, a desolate wasteland. In Silver City and Silver World, the battle for Earth's survival goes global, combining elements of body horror, evolutionary science fiction, and mythological fantasy.

Standalone Supernatural Novels

Outside of his two major trilogies, Cliff McNish is highly regarded for his standalone novels, which often lean heavily into horror and the supernatural. These books can be read in any order you choose, as they do not share a common universe or continuing characters.

• Breathe: A Ghost Story (2006): McNish's most famous standalone work. It tells the story of Jack, an asthmatic boy who moves into a house haunted by the spirits of ghost children and a malevolent Ghost Mother who seeks to trap Jack's soul.
• Angel (2007): This book explores a teenage girl named Freya who has spent years recovering from a breakdown caused by her obsession with angels. When a new student arrives, Freya begins to see these beings again, discovering they are far more alien and dangerous than traditional religious figures.
• Savannah Grey (2010): A teen horror novel about a foster girl who starts noticing bizarre changes in her body and environment, eventually discovering she must fight a parasitic force known as the Ocrassa that threatens the natural world.
• The Hunting Ground (2011): A chilling ghost story set in a grand old house called Eastgate. Unlike the "good-bad" ghosts in Breathe, the ghosts in this novel represent an undiluted menace, making this one of the author's darkest works.
• Going Home (2014): A major departure from McNish's usual spooky style, this is a heartwarming and humorous story about four rescue dogs at a shelter who must prove their worth to find permanent homes.
• My Friend Twigs (2015): A lighthearted and funny story about a young girl named Jess who inherits a loud, talking cockatoo from her grandmother, trying to keep the pet while adjusting to a new school.

Short Stories and Novellas

Cliff McNish has also written shorter fiction, including stories designed specifically to encourage reluctant or struggling young readers:

• The Craving (2017): A fast-paced, vampire story about a teenager named Elias who discovers his father's protective rules were shielding him from a dark family secret. It was published by Badger Learning.
• The Winter Wolf (2019): An original, illustrated winter fable about a young squirrel who disobeys warnings to observe a mysterious, weeping wolf that appears in the forest at midnight.