The Hunchback Assignments

There are rumors that a hunchback infant in a gypsy freakshow has the power to transform his appearance. This comes to the attention of Mr. Socrates, a member of the shadowy Permanent Association, who decides to take the boy back to England and raise him for his own purposes. Naming him Modo, Mr. Socrates keeps the boy indoors and never lets him see his deformity, while putting him through training to be a secret agent. When Modo turns 14, his education is complete. He is handed a mirror and confronts his image for the first time, horrified. Then, he is taken to foggy, polluted London and abandoned, penniless, to test his skills.

But Modo is resourceful, and he finds a way to get by, keeping to himself… until one day, when the beautiful Octavia Milkweed knocks on his door. soon, with the help of Mr. Socrates, they find themselves uncovering a sinister plot being carried out in the very sewers beneath their feet. Will they be able to stop the mad scientist Dr. Hyde and his even more terrifying associates before they unleash their monstrous plans upon unsuspecting Londoners?

The start of a fantastic series, in the hot new genre of steampunk, The Hunchback Assignments takes readers into the sewers and alleyways of an alternative Victorian London, in an unputdownable adventure.

Visit The Hunchback Assignments web site for up-to-date news, games and information about the series.

Slade's writing is as strong as ever. The book contains some quite disturbing scenes which made for a scary read at times but at others the humour is high which gives this quite dark story an even balance of light moments. I loved everything about this book and could simply gush over it. 5/5 Rating."
--Back to Books Blog (Nicola Manning)

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ISBN: 9781554683543; ISBN10: 1554683548; Imprint: HarperCollins Canada ; On Sale: 28/08/2009; Format: Hardback; Trimsize: ; Pages: 288; $18.99; Ages: 12 and Up; BISAC1:JUV037000

	Island of Doom Modo’s discovery that he is French and was born near Notre Dame makes him question his allegiance to the British Permanent Association. He embarks on a personal mission to find his parents, but will they reject him all over again? Or worse, will sinister forces get to them first?
	Empire of Ruins While Modo has spent a quiet winter recovering from his adventure in the dark deeps, talk is swirling around London of ancient Egyptian ruins in the midst of the Australian rainforest. A temple bulges with riches but also contains danger: the infamous God Face. No one knows what the God Face is or...
	Empire of Ruins While Modo has spent a quiet winter recovering from his adventure in the dark deeps, talk of ancient Egyptian ruins in the midst of the Australian rainforest has been swirling around London. A temple bulges with riches, but also contains danger: the infamous God Face. No one knows what the God...

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