Cliff McNish Books in Order
Explore Cliff McNish books in order, with quick summaries, series guides, background details, and simple advice on where to start reading.
Last updated: July 15, 2026
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Cliff McNish books in publication order
14 books
The Doomspell
by Cliff McNish
2000
Rachel and her younger brother Eric are dragged from their home into the frozen world of Ithrea, ruled by the Witch Dragwena. Rachel discovers a gift for magic, but the Witch wants to turn that power to her own cruel ends.
The Scent of Magic
by Cliff McNish
2001
Rachel and Eric return to a world where children everywhere are discovering magical powers. As the Witches hunt those children to build an army, the siblings race across Earth to find allies before their enemies do.
The Wizard's Promise
by Cliff McNish
2002
Magic has spread among Earth's children, but Rachel knows the Witches will strike back. With Eric beside her, she must face the invasion and travel to Ool, where living mountains, deadly snow, and a new enemy await.
The Silver Child
by Cliff McNish
2003
Six children are drawn to the desolate wasteland of Coldharbour, where each begins to develop a strange gift. As luminous Milo changes into something beyond human, the group learns that a vast, hungry force called the Roar is coming.
Silver City
by Cliff McNish
2004
Children from across the world flee to Coldharbour as the Roar closes in. Milo guards the city from above, but Thomas, Helen, Walter, and the twins face separate trials that may determine whether a new generation of defenders can rise.
Silver World
by Cliff McNish
2005
Millions shelter in Coldharbour as the terrifying Roar nears Earth. Milo, Helen, Thomas, Walter, and the twins must use their changing gifts to find a weapon against the enemy, while another threat rises from beneath the ground.
Breathe
by Cliff McNish
2006
Jack has survived dangerous asthma attacks, but his new house brings a terror medicine cannot explain. Only he can see and hear the trapped spirits inside, and uncovering their secrets may be the only way to save himself and his mother.
Angel
by Cliff McNish
2007
Freya cannot stop seeing angels, while lonely misfit Stephanie seems tied to her fate. When a dark angel begins stalking Freya, the girls are forced into choices about friendship, fear, and what it means to do the right thing.
Savannah Grey
by Cliff McNish
2010
Fifteen-year-old Savannah is settling into a new foster home when her body begins to change and strange events spread around her. As she discovers supernatural powers, Savannah must decide whether becoming dangerous is the only way to stop monsters.
The Hunting Ground
by Cliff McNish
2011
Elliot and his brother Ben move into crumbling Glebe House and find ghosts already waiting for them. An old diary, a terrible past, and the mansion's deadly East Wing pull their family into a maze where the dead are hunting.
Going Home
by Cliff McNish
2014
At Happy Paws Rescue Centre, Ralph, Mitch, Bessie, and Fred are the dogs nobody expects to adopt. When the centre's no-kill policy is questioned, the four no-hopers must prove they deserve the second chance every animal wants.
My Friend Twigs
by Cliff McNish
2015
After her grandmother dies, Jess inherits Twigs, a huge talking cockatoo with a talent for noise and chaos. Starting a new school is hard enough, but when her dad reaches his limit, Jess must fight to keep the bird she loves.
Craving
by Cliff McNish
2017
Elias has always been watched over and protected, believing it is because of his father's dangerous job. Then an overwhelming thirst reveals that his family is hiding a darker secret, one that involves Elias and could change everything.
The Winter Wolf
by Cliff McNish
2019
Each winter, when the final snow falls, a great wolf comes to the heart of the forest and weeps. In this illustrated fairy tale, a squirrel and the wolf share a quiet story about sorrow, courage, and memory.
Where to start with Cliff McNish
For magical middle-grade adventure: The Doomspell → The Scent of Magic → The Wizard's Promise
For darker, stranger fantasy: The Silver Child → Silver City → Silver World
For chilling ghost stories: Breathe → The Hunting Ground
For warm animal stories: Going Home → My Friend Twigs
Cliff McNish sub-series and character series
Doomspell books in order
Explore this seriesSilver Sequence books in order
Explore this seriesCliff McNish collections, short stories, and related book types
Standalone Cliff McNish books
Author bio
Cliff McNish was born in Sunderland, in northeast England, and has spent much of his life in southeast England. His early childhood was outdoorsy and unsettled. He remembers the woods near home, returning each evening scratched up, and a family that moved often enough to make every new school feel daunting.
At primary school, he was a daydreamer with average reports and a serious comics habit. The lonely Marvel figure of the Silver Surfer caught his imagination. Reading changed for him when an English teacher gave him The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis, followed by the rest of the Narnia books.
Later, Alan Garner's The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, The Moon of Gomrath, and Elidor showed him how strange, unsettling, and exciting fantasy could be.
McNish did not grow up with a fixed plan to become a writer, though his younger brothers remember the stories he made up for them, including characters with names like Stinky Linky and Simon the Hippo. After his A-levels, he studied History at York University for two years before leaving, unhappy with the course and needing work. Around that time, he read plenty of science fiction, including books by Philip K. Dick, Brian Aldiss, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov.
His first job was in a warehouse, packing boxes. His attention wandered, but instead of being dismissed, he was moved into the IT department. That led to a long working life in computing and project management, a career that lasted 20 years.
The turn toward fiction came through bedtime stories for his daughter, Rachel. When she asked for a tale about a truly nasty witch, McNish started writing one down. The small idea grew into The Doomspell, about Rachel and her brother Eric being pulled into the frozen witch-world of Ithrea.
That first novel gave him a way into the kind of stories he wanted to tell: ordinary young people facing things far larger and darker than themselves. The Doomspell books became a trilogy, and were published in 26 languages. He followed them with the Silver Sequence, where a group of children are drawn to the bleak wasteland of Coldharbour and discover alarming new powers as a threat approaches Earth.
The danger is never just there for decoration. McNish's books often ask what children do when adults cannot fix the problem, and what power, loyalty, fear, and responsibility cost. Readers looking for ghost stories can try Breathe or The Hunting Ground. Angel brings angels, friendship, and difficult choices into a teen story, while Savannah Grey turns a foster teen's frightening new abilities into a battle with monsters.
He has also made room for warmer stories. Going Home follows four rescue dogs in danger of being overlooked, and My Friend Twigs centers on a girl and the loud cockatoo she inherits from her grandmother.
McNish has spent years visiting schools and leading writing workshops. His route into publishing was not neat or planned, which may be part of why his stories make room for shy, isolated, and underestimated young characters.
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