Monsters of Blood & Honour contains three stand-alone stories, each with a related theme. In each story a young teenager of 17 or 18 interacts with an elderly person who was their age during World War II. Each of these now-elderly people has undergone a traumatic and violent experience, which the modern teen, in a different world and lifestyle, cannot relate to. However, they are in turn affected to the point of having their perspectives altered. The older characters are: Maude who was a nurse during the fall of Singapore in 1942; Stan a co-pilot on a Lancaster during the thousand-bomber raids over German cities; and Mr Goodman, 'Old Goodey' an SS man who fought at the great tank battle of Kursk, was wounded and then sent to be a camp guard in Belsen. This last story, and the collection, ends in a dramatic and fiery conclusion.

Table of Contents

Contents: Parkin's milk run to hell -- Jooney's day at the beach -- Old Goodey and the fortress of dreams -- Epilogue: Dead blokes at dawn.

Accolades

Storylines Notable Book: Young Adult Fiction 2008.

Author Biography

Ken Catran is an award-winning writer of over 30 acclaimed novels for young adults. He is currently the Waikato University Writer in Residence and is the 2007 winner of the New Zealand's most prestigious award for children's writers, the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal. The award is given annually by the Storylines Children's Literature Charitable Trust to acknowledge a distinguished contribution to New Zealand children's literature.