Welcome to the Secret World of Malladay
by T M John
The world falls asleep. Magic wakes up.
The eighth day
Creatures of myth roam free.
One boy shouldn’t be awake.
Nothing will ever be the same again.
Malladay is a three-book fantasy series following one boy’s extraordinary childhood after he begins waking on the secret eighth day of the week. What starts as hidden adventures between Sunday and Monday grows into a richly layered world of ancient stones, Arthurian echoes, and epic quests, building book by book into a realm of increasing wonder, depth, and complexity where the fate of magic and the modern world become entwined.
Book one of the Malladay Saga
'The Secret Day of the Week'
Book two of the Malladay Saga
'The Warrior Awakens'
Book three of the Malladay Saga
'Virago
What are other authors saying?
The secret day of the week is an enchanting, imaginative read - everything you could hope for in a middle grade adventure series.
It leads you straight into the action from the very first page guided by instantly lovable characters who have great chemistry with one another. The story is packed full of adventure manifesting in many creative ways - it’s a bit like partaking in an escape room - how will they get out of each predicament?!
Mythology and folklore permeate through the entire book beautifully creating a modern twist on ancient stories. T M John clearly knows his stuff, and he leads you through the story with an expert, poetic, and friendly voice. You know you are in safe hands with his story telling skill.
The ending is exciting and satisfying - the perfect platform to propel you into the next book in the series. The secret day of the week will be much loved by myself and my own children for years to come.’
Rachel McWillow
Acclaimed author of 'The Coven in the West'
A Book Series That Should Be Mandatory for British Middle-Schoolers
The first book in the Malladay series has an intriguing and engaging concept; a magical day between Sunday and Monday. Instantly, I'm hooked.
We follow Tom as he attempts to awaken from Malladay, going through different realms with his dog (that isn't who he seems). We meet unlikely heroes, who are instantly familiar, along our quest, with jokes you know would have the kids laughing. Can I be sure? Of course I am, the young kid within me laughed, and so did the adult.
Then we meet people along the way, inspired by British folklore and fantasy culture. Immediately, you imagine Galadriel, the Woodsman, and the likes of the Lady of the Lake and Merlin come about, alongside familiar landmarks steeped in history throughout this magical world. It has riddles that make you think, and moments that would make anyone stop and see situations differently; life lessons for young ones dropped within the adventure.
The story is steeped in British folklore, and it is like listening to the echoes of our own past. In a modern world where many question British identity, perhaps a tale exploring its rich roots is just what we need; a magical Arthurian adventure for all awaits!
If you read this review, and don't pick up the book, may I suggest you start again from the top and change your mind when you reach this sentence.
I for one can certainly imagine reading this tale with my little boy before bedtime.
David Hughes
Acclaimed author of 'Curse of the Highlands'
MOST IMPORTANT! WHAT THE YOUNG READERS SAY...
The Secret Day of the Week
(Click play to hear an excerpt from the book narrated by the author)
Tom should be asleep. Everyone should.
But when he wakes in the middle of the night, the world is not as it should be. There is an eighth day hidden between Sunday and Monday. It is called Malladay. While the human world lies fast asleep, something older walks freely.
On Malladay, animals speak. Ancient paths reopen. Rules exist that no one remembers writing. And no human is meant to wake.
As Tom is drawn deeper into the Other Place, he must navigate a day that does not belong to him, uncover why he alone is conscious within it, and find his way back before Malladay slips quietly into Monday again.
Because if he fails to return to sleep, the boundary that protects both worlds may not hold.
There is a secret free download of the first three chapters narrated by the author... me! T M John.
Have a good look around the Malladay website and see if you can find them. Good luck!
The Warrior Awakens
Tom is taken in his sleep.
Bound and blindfolded, he is carried through the Gate Between and driven deep into the Other Place by captors who fear the Master they serve. With Malladay slipping steadily towards Monday, Tom is racing a clock he cannot see.
On the other side of the gate, Max refuses to give up. Rallying the Snuffle Squadron, he leads a desperate pursuit across ancient passes and treacherous mountain paths.
But this time, Malladay has woken more than one human.
When Tom’s younger sister Emily discovers the truth about the hidden eighth day, she makes a choice that will carry her through henges, into Avalon, and towards the Lady of the Lake herself.
The hunt is on.
The clock is ticking.
And Malladay is far more dangerous than anyone realised.
Virago
Some bonds are older than memory.
When Avalon falls and the ancient world begins to bleed into the modern one, Tom and Emily must find the only people who can help them: the living descendants of Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. Not legends. Not warriors in armour. Ordinary people in ordinary lives; a choir singer in a Welsh valley, a café owner in Patagonia, a man in northern Iraq who has been quietly waiting his whole life without knowing why.
Across continents and centuries, a loyalty forged at the Round Table has never broken. It has only been sleeping.
But the enemy they face is not simply evil. She is a mother who lost her son, and her grief has curdled into something that will unmake the world if it is not stopped.
They have twenty-three hours.
