Borgon the Axeboy

Years ago, when I was a full-time illustrator, some of my favourite jobs were the pictures for the Murderous Maths series, by the stylish and refined Kjartan Poskitt. They have a similar format to Horrible Histories, and they explain mathematical concepts through little stories featuring a recurring cast of characters - including Prof Fiendish, the Evil alien Gollarks, and the Barbarians of the Lost Desert. Here's a link to the subtle and understated Murderous Maths website.

Poskitt: refined and stylish. (Photo: Sarah McIntyre)

After a while, the Barbarians got their own spin-off series, in the form of three books about rough, tough Urgum the Axeman, his seven brutish sons, and his single, sensible little daughter.  And I got to illustrate those, too!

And now Poskitt has returned to the Lost Desert with a new character, Borgon the Axeboy. We're doing a series of books about him for Faber & Faber, and the first one, The Dangerous Breakfast, has just been published (we're working on the second at the moment). It's the story of what happens when junior barbarian hero Borgon sets off, accompanied by his friend Grizelda, to find the most dangerous breakfast the Lost Desert can provide.

Here's the cover (drawn by me, coloured by Faber's Emma Eldridge, which is why it's a bit brighter and cheerier than my usual stuff).

It's great being back in the crazy world of Poskitt, and I'm looking forward to exploring the rest of the Lost Desert with him.  There are a lot of places on the map which we haven't visited yet.  In the meantime, you should be able to get the first Borgon book from your local bookshop, or online.