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A Boy And A Rat: The Strange Tales of Brennan and Riz: Book 1 Kindle Edition
With the human race under threat from an evil Fae overlord, it falls to Brennan, a teenage boy from Thornaby-on-Tees, to step up and fight.
The only problem is he has to do it with Riz, a talking rat with darker origins than Brennan could ever realise...
Based on real folklore and real locations, combined with witty characters and a dry dynamic between Brennan and Riz, the debut novel from Peter James Martin is packed with the familiar and the unusual.
“Charismatic, lots of fun, and I love the interplay between Brennan and Riz. Riz is brilliant!”
“Funny, new, snappy and totally addictive.”
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJuly 2, 2022
- File size748 KB
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Product details
- ASIN : B0B4TW4GWZ
- Publisher : Sixth Element Publishing (July 2, 2022)
- Publication date : July 2, 2022
- Language : English
- File size : 748 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 321 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,434,564 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #4,233 in Teen & Young Adult Sword & Sorcery Fantasy eBooks
- #12,775 in Mythology & Folk Tales (Kindle Store)
- #16,834 in Fairy Tale Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Peter James Martin is Teesside born and bred, having spent all his life so far in the quiet town of Thornaby on Tees, which is nestled snuggly right next to the River Tees. When he’s not writing he’s spending his days with his family, surviving the rigours of two boys and two Shih Tzu dogs.
Customer reviews
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Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2022
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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I was asked to be an ARC reader for Peter James Martins's newest book, A Boy and A Rat, and I was not disappointed.
What is it about?
The story of how a boy and a rat met... and how their magical adventures began.
With the human race under threat from an evil Fae overlord, it falls to Brennan, a teenage boy from Thornaby-on-Tees, to step up and fight.
The only problem is he has to do it with Riz, a talking rat with darker origins than Brennan could ever realise...
Based on real folklore and real locations, combined with witty characters and a dry dynamic between Brennan and Riz, the debut novel from Peter James Martin is packed with the familiar and the unusual.
“Charismatic, lots of fun, and I love the interplay between Brennan and Riz. Riz is brilliant!”
“Funny, new, snappy, and totally addictive.”
My review:
Having been a fan of Brennan and Riz for years now, I'd wondered how they got their start. How they met. And even how they became the duo I know them to be.
The story focuses on Brennan in his teenage years who realizes that the fate of the world is in his hands, and he only has Riz to aid him. A talking rat who goes on to be Brennan's closest companion.
Martin does a fabulous job of combining humor and an engaging storyline that kept me turning the pages until the very end. At some portions, I was laughing out loud. His description of locations is on point and his writing shines in areas of story and character development.
Readers who would be interested in this would be fans of Supernatural and Grim.
I would give this a 5-star review.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 19, 2022
I was asked to be an ARC reader for Peter James Martins's newest book, A Boy and A Rat, and I was not disappointed.
What is it about?
The story of how a boy and a rat met... and how their magical adventures began.
With the human race under threat from an evil Fae overlord, it falls to Brennan, a teenage boy from Thornaby-on-Tees, to step up and fight.
The only problem is he has to do it with Riz, a talking rat with darker origins than Brennan could ever realise...
Based on real folklore and real locations, combined with witty characters and a dry dynamic between Brennan and Riz, the debut novel from Peter James Martin is packed with the familiar and the unusual.
“Charismatic, lots of fun, and I love the interplay between Brennan and Riz. Riz is brilliant!”
“Funny, new, snappy, and totally addictive.”
My review:
Having been a fan of Brennan and Riz for years now, I'd wondered how they got their start. How they met. And even how they became the duo I know them to be.
The story focuses on Brennan in his teenage years who realizes that the fate of the world is in his hands, and he only has Riz to aid him. A talking rat who goes on to be Brennan's closest companion.
Martin does a fabulous job of combining humor and an engaging storyline that kept me turning the pages until the very end. At some portions, I was laughing out loud. His description of locations is on point and his writing shines in areas of story and character development.
Readers who would be interested in this would be fans of Supernatural and Grim.
I would give this a 5-star review.

And who and what are Brennan and Riz?! These stories are contemporary fantasy following folklore and faeries with a young man (Brennan) and a rat (Riz), or at least an incredibly ancient magical being in the form of a rat.
Fun, fantastical, atmospheric and prepared with horror, I love The Strange Tales of Brennan and Riz, and this is the prequel. Going back in time to when it all began, this book shows how Brennan and Riz became supernatural detectives (years later), and how they met Valarie, a supernatural reporter and sometimes ally (it’s complicated).
Setting
- North England - This book is from a local publisher and it feels like an adventure. From road names to the descriptions, there is so much authenticity to this book.
- The supernatural settings felt eerie and intriguing. It didn’t go overboard in description, leaving enough to the imagination for me to picture it as I wished, but when the scenes were tinged with paranormal, it felt nightmarish and bewitching. There was a sense of familiarity for horror and fantasy tropes with a distinct twist on it.
Characters
- Brennan, introverted and smart, this young man is at a crossroads in his life. His parents have ideas for his future, and he doesn’t have the heart to let them know he’s not enthusiastic about their plans. Seeing this formative tale was an excellent setup for the future stories featuring the mystery-solving pair .
- Riz, an eldritch mystery in rodent form, he’s greedy, crass, a bit bite-y, and hilarious. Where Brennan is the straight man, Riz is pure chaos. I adore this character in all his flawed glory. He’s very three-dimensional and intriguing.
- Merrick - Brennan’s best friend, this young man is an interesting mirror image. Brennan sees a side of his best friend that no one else does, or perhaps no one else looks deeply enough. The tension in their relationship as they navigate the discovery of the paranormal and react differently was handled with relatability and realism but given a dose of phantasm.
Emotional impact
- This story has me laughing at parts and crying at others. I felt the hope of being a new adult and all the challenges of coming-of-age, and I love that this is just the beginning.
- I appreciate that this book story wasn’t stuck on teenage drama. I thoroughly enjoy The Strange Tales of Brennan and Riz featuring Brennan at his prime. I hope you check this story out (and the rest).
- Sometimes with stories I joke that I hate denouement. The resolution of the conflict has passed but there’s still 25% of the book left for them to ponder their navels—this book is not like that. It is framed well and has an ending that left me satisfied but wanting a bit more. As a bonus, The edition I read has a short story at the end more in line with the Monster-of-the-Week type tales of his other work. That was the cherry on top: not a necessity, not an epilogue, but a dessert wine for the mind.
Conclusion
A Boy and His Rat features local flair, intriguing tales on folklore, and some intense horror moments. It strikes me as perfect for fans of
Supernatural, October Daye, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, and Harry Dresden (because I, too, like those things).
This novel was a striking prequel to the stories I love while also being an exciting setup for what is yet to come—The War with the Fae.
Speaking of the Fae, the author’s approach to the otherworldly really draws me in. I feel like I learn something each time and that I had a vibrant escape.
I hope you will enjoy A Boy and His Rat as much as I did!
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