Rat Runners - Softcover

Oisín McGann was born and raised in Dublin and Drogheda, County Louth, in Ireland. He studied art at Senior College Ballyfermot and Dún Laoghaire School of Art, Design & Technology. Before becoming an author, he worked as a freelance illustrator, serving time along the way as a pizza chef and a security guard, as well as a background artist for an animation company and an art director and copywriter in an advertising agency.

In 2003 McGann published his first two books in the Mad Grandad series for young readers, followed by his first young adult novel, The Gods and Their Machines. Since then, he has written several more novels for young adults, including the Wildenstern Saga, a steampunk series set in nineteenth-century Ireland, and the thrillers Strangled Silence and Rat Runners.

A full-time writer and illustrator, McGann is married, has three children, and lives somewhere in the Irish countryside.

“High-velocity . . . It’s all about suspense and action.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A tense, entertaining story.” —Publishers Weekly

“Fast-moving and punchy, this well-written novel should hold the attention of young teenagers used to the cut and thrust of video gaming. With a clever and exciting plot and strong and endearing characters, this is an Oliver Twist for the 21st century.” —The Sunday Business Post

“If you like a high-octane, dystopian thriller with plenty of kick ass action, Rat Runners will be right up your alley.” —The Bookbag

“Rat Runners is a superb, fast-paced hi-tech crime thriller set in an all-too-believable future Britain.” —The Book Zone (for Boys)

“McGann has created a complex, intriguing and believable world for his readers. . . . He sucks the reader in and carries them breathless through the twisted alleyways and underground lairs of the city, making them part of the crew of rat runners hurtling headlong towards the climax that will decide their fate. A must-read for anyone who enjoys action-packed, well-written and exciting new YA.” —Inis magazine

“The action is fast and, occasionally, violent; the language is, in places, earthy, and the characters, especially the one with the Northern Irish accent, colourful.” —The Irish Times

“There were masses of action from the very first chapter. . . . This story is suitable for any age that loves action, adventure and can keep up with this fast paced plot!” —The Guardian

“Blade Runner meets 1984 with edgy characters and a pulse-racing plot, this has got to be one of the coolest young [adult] fiction books for 2013!” —Primary Times

“[A] Fantastic dystopian thriller . . . Teens will relish McGann’s nonstop action, full of intrigue and heart-pounding excitement. Fans of Cory Doctorow, particularly the Orwellian surveillance-themed Little Brother (2008), will find a lot to love here.” —Booklist