The Otherwhere Emporium: Read an Extract

The Nowhere Emporium has returned.

In the following extract, Daniel Holmes, the owner of the Emporium, has just finished writing a new entry in the Book of Wonders. But something is not right…

Return to a world where imagination is power and anything is possible in the finale of the multi-award-winning Nowhere Emporium trilogy.

Storytelling genius; a fantastical, fitting finale to a trilogy I want to climb inside the covers of and never leave. Ross MacKenzie’s magical touch makes you believe in the impossible where endless imagination and wonder permeate so perfectly through his pages.
— Scott Evans, The Reader Teacher

‘The shop is right up there with Ollivanders as a magical place that readers will want to explore again and again.’
— The Guardian

Sneak Peek

You can watch author Ross MacKenzie read an extract from The Otherwhere Emporium, or keep scrolling to read it yourself!

A Strange Occurrence

Daniel put down his pen and sat back in his chair, the fire spitting in the darkened shop, its flames reflecting in the many treasures so tightly packed into the place. He picked up the Book of Wonders and admired his work, the detail and description. This… this would be one of his finest Wonders yet. All that was left to do – the final part of the process – was to close the book. When that happened, when those pages touched, the magic would be complete. The Wonder would appear somewhere in the great Carnival of Wonders behind the red curtain by Daniel’s desk.

Scanning the work one more time, he gave a nod of satisfaction and closed the book with a snap.

He waited.

He sat forward.

He stared at the book through narrowed eyes. His heart had begun to pick up pace, and the feeling that something was wrong sat heavy and cold in his belly. Still clutching the Book of Wonders, he shot to his feet and wheeled away through the curtain.

“Daniel!”

“Hello, Mr Holmes!”

“Good day, Daniel! All set for opening time?”

“Master Holmes! When you have a moment, I’d like to talk to you about my Wonder. I think we could do with a few more elephants…”

These were the voices of the Emporium staff, all of them characters written in the Book of Wonders, brought to life inside the Emporium by the powerful magic of Daniel’s imagination. Normally, Daniel would have greeted each of them in turn, taken time to answer their questions and hear what they had to say, but today he rushed past, ignoring their calls, not seeing the puzzled looks on their faces as he went by.

At last, after goodness knows how long hurrying through the great tent city that comprised the Carnival of Wonders, between tents as tall as ten-storey buildings and tents as small as phone boxes, all under an impossible twilight sky, Daniel came around a corner and skidded to a halt on the dry summer grass.

His arms dropped to his sides, his right hand still gripping the book. His head tilted slightly to the left as his eyes surveyed the scene.

There, between two enormous tents – one of rich purple silk, the other of gold and black velvet– was the new Wonder. The new tent, however, was not shining and splendid as newly born Wonders usually were. It was small and plain and lopsided. It looked sad.

Daniel moved slowly towards the tent. When he reached the curtained entrance, he stopped and touched the worn canvas. Holding his breath, Daniel brushed the curtain aside and entered.

He should have been standing in a vast plain during the Cretaceous period, surrounded by huge, plant-eating dinosaurs.

Instead, he found himself in a bare, cold attic room. Cobweb strands hung from the ceiling and coated the small window. The floorboards were warped and dusty and creaking. The flowery, faded wallpaper was peeling from the walls. There was no furniture,  no boxes or shelves. Nothing.

The only feature was a door in the far wall of the room.

Daniel’s eyes scanned the door. There was nothing special about it. It was, by the look of it, a normal door – the sort you might find in any house. And yet it made him uneasy. This whole room made him uneasy.

He turned to leave.

Then he stopped and spun around.

Had he just heard…?

Was someone behind that door?

Daniel stood still as death, listening, waiting. No sound came. No movement. He edged across the room. When he reached the door, he realised that he was clutching the Book of Wonders tight to his chest, the way a child hugs a security blanket or a soft toy.

He stood inches from the door, so close that his nose was almost touching it, and he listened.

Still nothing.

He could not shake the feeling, though, that there was someone on the other side.

“Hello?” Daniel’s voice sounded strange to him, shaky and hesitant. “Is someone there?”

No reply.

Daniel reached out a trembling hand, and wrapped his fingers around the door handle.

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