Oliver Twisted by JD Sharpe

JD Sharpe's Oliver Twisted is a dramatic and gory re-working of the Charles Dickens classic Oliver Twist. The first thing you notice about teen horror novel Oliver Twisted - published under Egmont's new YA imprint Electric Monkey - is the smart strap line: 'Please, Sir, I want some gore ' There is certainly gore aplenty in J.D. Sharpe's clever and pacy horror 'makeover' of the Charles Dickens classic Oliver Twist but it's all enjoyably grisly. Oliver gets in trouble for asking for more gruel and when he is sent away from the orphanage, he ends up with undertaker Mr Sowerberry and his wife, who try to turn Oliver evil. The young Oliver resists eating the leftover intestines from Sowerberry's workplace and his plight is vividly described by Sharpe: "Oliver's knees buckled beneath him. The last thing he saw as he crashed to the ground was the bowl of guts smashing down beside him and a rheumy eyeball rolling across the flagstone floor." Oliver Twisted, a powerful warlock, is in constant danger: from the neatly-named 'woe-begottens', from Bill Sikes, from Fagin (reinvented in the book as a repulsive soul stealer) and from the people who want to exploit his magical powers. Sharpe made a wise decision not to deviate too far from the core plot of Oliver Twist. It adds to the enjoyment if you know the original Dickens tale of 1838, but even if you don't, you'll want to know whether this Oliver is, as Fagin would have us believe, "a bad 'un". As you find out, the nicely over-the-top ghoulishness should be enough to satisfy even the hungriest of young horror fans. Oliver Twisted by JD Sharpe (Electric Monkey Books, £6.99) For more information and stories on Charles Dickens see the Telegraph Charles Dickens page.