Hollowpox (novel)

**BEWARE!**

By Order of the Geographical Oddities Squadron and the Nevermoor Council,
 This Page Has Been Declared to Contain Possible ***Spoilers***.
**Enter At Own Risk**
**This article is not part of the *Nevermoor* universe.**

This article covers a subject that is part of the real world, and should not be taken as a part of the Nevermoor universe.

**"Step Boldly!"**

This article is about **the novel**. You may be looking for **the ailment**.

## Attribution

### Cover Artist

* Jim Madsen (AU, US)
* Hannah Peck (UK)

### Interior Artist

* Jim Madsen (AU, US)
* Hannah Peck (UK)

## Publication Information

### Publisher

* Hachette Australia (AU)
* Orion Children's Books (UK)
* Little, Brown (US)

### Release Date

* September 29, 2020 (AU)
* October 15, 2020 (UK)
* October 27, 2020 (US)

### Pages

* 470 (UK)
* 560 (US)

***Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow*** is the third and most recent installment in the Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend. It was first published September 29th, 2020 in Australia and worldwide in English-speaking countries by October 27th, 2020.

## Dedication

*"This book is dedicated with love to Jo Laurance and her friend Mrs. Miller, the original cabaret duckwun."*

## Book Description

Morrigan Crow and her friends have survived their first year as proud scholars of the elite Wundrous Society, helped bring down the nefarious Ghastly Market, and proven themselves loyal to Unit 919. Now Morrigan faces a new, exciting challenge: to master the mysterious Wretched Arts of the Accomplished Wundersmith, and control the power that threatens to consume her.

Meanwhile, a strange and frightening illness has taken hold of Nevermoor, turning infected Wunimals into mindless, vicious Unnimals on the hunt. As victims of the Hollowpox multiply, panic spreads. There are whispers - growing louder every day - that this catastrophe can only be the work of the Wundersmith, Ezra Squall.

But inside the walls of Wunsoc, everyone knows there is a new Wundersmith - one who's much closer to home. With Nevermoor in a state of fear and the truth about Morrigan threatening to get out, the city she loves becomes the most perilous place in the world. Morrigan must try to find a cure for the Hollowpox, but it will put her - and everyone in Nevermoor - in more danger than she could have imagined.

## Plot

### Chapter 1: Unit 919

Winter of Two

**Hawthorne**: "*What about Creation and Destruction? Maybe they're going to turn us into ALL POWERFUL GODS.*"
**Lam**: "*Or Chanting and Dancing?*"
**Francis**: "*Or Chips and Dip?*"
— Unit 919 discussing what C&D could stand for**[src]**

### Chapter 2: A Carefully Maneuvered Sequence of Events

"*It is an endless, thankless, dirty, dangerous, repetitious job, but one that we are privileged to perform. And now, that privilege is also yours.*"
―Elder Quinn**[src]**
Unit 919 is shown a footage reel of their wundrous society inauguration, it is revealed that the show that was put on was not intended to impress, but to distract the new scholars from the slinghouls and vools (which were attempting to cause physical harm to the scholars through means not disclosed) as well as the whingeing woods.

### Chapter 3: The Gathering Place

"*Because often . . . telling people they are at risk creates a different, sometimes even greater risk. People are dangerous when they're frightened. Remember that.*"
―Elder Saga**[src]**
after the events that transpired in the last chapter, the young scholars are now aware of the true purpose of the society, and they are all ushered into the gathering place to plan on the C&D of the nevermoorian scaly beast annual breeding season. The society is demonstrated at its fullest when scholars and people with knacks from all fields are allowed to build onto an idea, the motion that goes through is golders night.

### Chapter 4: Dangerous Levels of Cheer

**Jack**: "*How many verses does this song have, exactly?*"
**Morrigan**: "*I've heard . . . sixteen, so far.*"
**Jack**: "*What? No. It's easily been twenty. Remember he sang all those verses about responsible sleigh maintenance yesterday.*"
— Jack and Morrigan watching Jupiter's abundance of Christmas spirit**[src]**

### Chapter 5: Six Swifts, Two Cats

"*She is* tremendous. *An absolute queen.*"
―Helena Swift's first impression of Fen**[src]**Morrigan visits the Swifts, after Battle of Christmas Eve.

### Chapter 6: De Flimsé

"*Juvela De Flimsé is an icon, my dears. A giant of the Free State fashion world. She once called me her muse, you know.*"
―Dame Chanda Kali**[src]**Morrigan enjoys Christmas with her found family.

### Chapter 7: Rook

"*Wundersmith*"
―Rook — first meeting Morrigan**[src]**
### Chapter 8: Basement Nerds

**Conall**: "*I can only presume you meant to introduce us by what you well know is our* actual *name—the Sub-Nine Academic Group.*"
**Rook**: "*Presume away.*"
— Meeting the basement nerds**[src]**

### Chapter 9: The Book of Ghostly Hours

"*This book was a treasure chest and a time machine and a dream come true.*"
―Morrigan's excitement**[src]**Morrigan visits the morning-free-for-all Ghostly Hour on the Sixth Tuesday of Winter (the Ghostly hour was from the Age of Poisoners, Sixth Tuesday, Winter of Six).

### Chapter 10: Golders Night

"*How much experience do you need to stand outside an empty train station for three hours?*"
―Hawthorne not looking forward to Golders Night C&D**[src]**
### Chapter 11: Visitors

**Nurse Tim**: "*Got yourself a nasty scratch there, pet. You've had a rubbish night, haven't you?*"
**Morrigan**: "*Not my best. I got chased by a bearwun and then I drowned.*"
— Nurse Tim checking in on Morrigan**[src]**
Morrigan spends a week in Wundrous Society Teaching Hospital (her first visit to the hospital) after her bear attack. She celebrates her birthday there with a puppy Cadence borrowed.

### Chapter 12: Happenchance and Euphoriana

Spring of Three

"*No, you're quite right, darling. Tonight is a celebration! And as they say, the show must go on.*"
―Dame Chanda determined to honor Juvela on opening night**[src]**
Dame Chanda Kali and moosewun Theobold Marek headline the new opera *The Maledictions* on its opening night. Their voices combine to a dramatic Act One finale. However, their performance is interrupted by horsewun Victor Oldershaw, infected by the Hollowpox virus. He goes on to injury Dame Chanda.

### Chapter 13: "Wunimal Shock at Nevermoor Opera Horse!"

**Morrigan**: "*They misspelled—*"
**Dame Chanda**: "*Yes, they think they're being* funny*,*"
— About the article on the front page of a tabloid**[src]**

### Chapter 14: Hollowpox

"*When the Hollowpox leaves the body, it seems to take almost everything with it . . . But they're not* just *comatose, they're... sort of...* empty*.*"
―Jupiter reporting on the Hollowpox disease findings**[src]**
### Chapter 15: The Gossamer-Spun Garden

"*Morrigan had tried to make a red rose and instead ended up with something more closely resembling a vomit-green pillbox on a stick.*"
―Morrigan adding her 'flower' to the garden**[src]**Morrigan visits her first Gossamer-Spun Garden Ghostly Hour on the Second Wednesday of Spring.

### Chapter 16: Extracurricular Activity

**Thaddea**: "*Have you made any monsters yet, Morrigan? Something with lots of teeth, I hope.*"
**Cadence**: "*And lethal breath. And poisonous BO.*"
**Morrigan**: "*All good ideas. I'll make a note.*"
— Unit 919 joking with Morrigan**[src]**
Morrigan visits the Ruination Ghostly Hour on the Ninth Thursday of Spring.

### Chapter 17: Ezra, the Boy

"*[The other Wundersmiths] were his* friends*. His family—the only family he ever had, really, since his parents must have given him up to the Wundrous Society when he was young.*"
―Sofia feeling unsettled watching a young Ezra Squall**[src]**Morrigan visits the Ghostly Hour where Kokoro weaves a river in sub-nine on the Ninth Friday of Spring. She visits Rastaban's talking with nature Ghostly hour on the Tenth Monday of Spring. She visits the silent veil practice Ghostly Hour on the Tenth Wednesday of Spring.

### Chapter 18: Daylight Robbery

Summer of Three

**Morrigan**: "*Thaddea, I don't think this is meant to be a comp—*"
**Thaddea**: "*EVERYTHING IS A COMPETITION.*"
— Stealing something for a class assignment**[src]**

### Chapter 19: The Gobleian Library

"*I cannot stress this enough: It is* extremely *dangerous in here. You must be vigilant* at all times*.* "
―Roshni welcoming Unit 919 to the Gobleian Library**[src]**
### Chapter 20: Book Bugs

"*They don't even try to get them back in the book anymore, that's how bad it is. They just kill them.*"
―Miss Cheery explaining about the book bug infestation**[src]**
### Chapter 21: Concerned Citizens of Nevermoor

"*I decided that this extraordinary talent could not be wasted on this wretch of a woman.*"
―Sofia, discussing Gracious Goldberry with Morrigan in the Ghostly Hour**[src]**Jupiter and Morrigan have Saturday morning breakfast discussing the Golian library fallout, hollowpox, and Laurent St James. Weeks pass. Sofia invites Morrigan onto the roof for the midnight Goldberry Ghostly Hour on the seventh Saturday of Summer.

### Chapter 22: The Sunset Gala

**Fen**: "*I won't excuse you, or your behavior. You're a bully and a bigot and frankly I've no idea how either of you made it onto the guest list. I can only assume you're gate-crashing.*"
**Jack**: "*Fen. Maybe we should just ignore—*"
**Fen**: "*We don't ignore bigotry, Jack. That's how cowardly bigots turn into brave bigots.*"
— Fen confronting rude and obnoxious party guests**[src]**

### Chapter 23: Rescue Rings

**Morrigan *(simultaneously)***: "*She's... part of a smuggling ring?*"
**Jack *(simultaneously)***: "*Fen, you're a* smuggler*?*"
**Fen**: "*We prefer the term* rescue ring*.*"
— Finding out more about Fen**[src]**

### Chapter 24: From Bad to Worse

Autumn of Three

"*To use a highly provocative slur against her fellow Society members, against her* brothers and sisters*? That is precisely what she meant to do.*"
―Elder Saga**[src]**
### Chapter 25: We're All on the Same Side, Really

"*I just want you to remember that there are no* sides *to this. Wunimals, humans... we all just want this to be over. Even Prime Minister Steed and the Stink.*"
―Sofia**[src]**The morning gathering continues with the news that the hollowpox has taken the life of a baboonwun. Prime Minister Steed clashed with Senator Guiscard Silverback. The next day Conall and Sofia argue about how the Senator should respond. Morrigan visits a daylight the Goldberry and Bledworth Ghostly Hour on the Proudfoot House roof - curiously the Ghostly Hour was made on the Age of Industry, Third Monday, Autumn of Eight but Morrigan visits it on the day of the riot which was a Friday. Morrigan laments not having anyone to answer her technical Wundersmith questions. Squall is waiting for Morrigan as she leaves the Ghostly Hour.

### Chapter 26: Squall, the Monster

**Morrigan**: "*How do I know you're not lying? How do you know it even can* be *destroyed?*"
**Squall**: "*Do you think I would make something I couldn't unmake?*"
— Morrigan and Squall on the rooftop**[src]**
Squall has travelled to Nevermoor on the Gossamer Line. He points out Morrigan's slow progress, again offers to teach her. She refuses and he brings up the hollowpox, offering "to cure" it and then "destroy" it. He confesses to making the hollowpox but refuses to explain himself. He also predicts that the wunderous society will "flip the script" about Wundersmiths. Squall leaves.

### Chapter 27: Spark

**Lam**: "*No.* No*, Thaddea. Bad idea.*"
**Thaddea**: "*Are you saying that as an oracle, or a scaredy-cat?*"
**Lam**: "*Both.*"
— Unit 919 on the steps of Proudfoot House**[src]**

### Chapter 28: A New Threat to Nevermoor

"*I have mushy peas on my face!*"
―Morrigan's mortification at her photograph**[src]**
### Chapter 29: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow

"*As good as your intentions might have been, as brave and noble and* whatever*... you still swooped in where you didn't belong, where you* weren't asked to be*, and made a giant mess.*"
―Holliday Wu**[src]**
### Chapter 30: The Kindling in the Hearth

**Kindling**: "*The Kindling.*"
**Morrigan**: "*I'm... sorry, what?*"
**Kindling**: "*You will be please call the Kindling by its name.*"
— At the Hearth**[src]**

### Chapter 31: Call Me Mog

**Morrigan**: "*Mor—uh, Mog.*"
**Maud**: "*Moramog? Strange name.*"
— Morrigan forgetting not to give her real name**[src]**

### Chapter 32: Squid Crow Po

"*They wear that love like an invisible coat. It never comes off, it's always there, and in the quiet moments, you can feel it.*"
―Jupiter on Morrigan's love for Emmett**[src]**
### Chapter 33: Dear Prime Minister

"*It's a* slightly *dirty trick, and it will expose Steed to a lot of public outrage... but he was asking for it.*"
―Jupiter filling Morrigan in on meeting with the PM**[src]**
### Chapter 34: The Emissary

"*There were things about Squall that frightened her, but nothing so much as this. Nothing he'd ever said or done was as terrifying to Morrigan... as seeing him so frightened.*"
―Morrigan as Squall accosts her in the hallway**[src]**
### Chapter 35: Summoner and Smith

"*Tonight,* you *need to be the brightest beacon in Nevermoor. A lightning rod.*"
―Squall telling Morrigan how to draw out the Hollowpox**[src]**
### Chapter 36: Courage Square

**Morrigan**: "*I can't do it.*"
**Fen & Squall**: "*Yes, you can.*"
— Fighting the Hollowpox**[src]**

### Chapter 37: Bed Rest

**Miss Cheery**: "*They're anxious to see you, especially Hawthorne and Cadence. Should I let them know you're—*"
**Hawthorne**: "*FINALLY AWAKE, ARE WE?*"
**Miss Cheery**: "*Never mind, then.*"
— Morrigan waking up after two days**[src]**

### Chapter 38: Opening a Window

**Squall**: "*Don't go getting ideas about* summoning *me. This won't work every time, you know.*"
**Morrigan**: "*It worked this time.*"
**Squall**: "*Because I was expecting it.*"
— Morrigan calling Squall to finish the job**[src]**

## List of Deaths

 Young man (Robbie) | Baboonwun | Injuries sustained from attack
 Lionwun professor

## Details

### Morrigan's Christmas presents

* A plump, over-filled stocking of goodies (Saint Nick)
* Brightly colored bubble baths and carved soaps (Martha)
* Bird chandelier replica made of beads and silver wire (Kedgeree)
* *One Hundred Gruesome Deaths in the Age of the Nightwalkers*, clothbound book (Frank)
* Amethyst bracelet, delicate (Dame Chana)
* Jodhpurs & horse-riding lessons (Charlie)
* Pheasant, large - dead (Fen)
* Ice Skates, crimson leather (Jupiter)
* Silver key to 5th floor lake (Jupiter)

### Morrigan's Birthday Presents

* A box of chocolates (Jupiter)
* A polished dragon scale (Hawthorne)
* A borrowed puppy (Cadence)

## Awards

* **Australian Book Industry Awards, Book of the Year for Younger Children (Shortlisted)** - 2021
* **Goodreads Choice Award, Middle Grade & Children's (Shortlisted)** - 2020

## Editions

Australian Edition (paperback), published by Hachette AustraliaAustralian Edition (hardback), published by Hachette AustraliaAustralian 2023 Limited Collector's Edition (hardback), published by Hachette AustraliaAmerican Edition (hardback and paperback), published by Little, BrownBritish Edition (hardback), published by Orion Children's BooksBritish Edition (paperback), published by Orion Children's BooksDanish; *Tomhedsfeber: Jagten på Morrigan Crow*Finnish; *Onttorokko: Morriganin ajojahti*German; *Leere Schatten*Hungarian; *Kámforkór: Morrigan Crow nagy dobása*Serbian; *Šupljikuga: Lov na Morigan Vranu*Swedish; *Hollowpox: Morrigan Crow & wundjurens mörka gåta*Thai; *Hollowpox มหันตภัยโรคประหลาด*Turkish; *Ruhkoparan: Morrigan Crow'un Peşinde*Ukrainian; *Порожневірус. Полювання на Морріґан Кроу*Vietnamese; *Xứ Nevermoor Diệu Kỳ: Morrigan Và Bệnh Dịch Trống Rỗng*
## Behind-the-Scenes

* This is the first novel to include the title in a chapter name (Chapter 29 - *The Hunt for Morrigan Crow*)

## Release

While the original release of the book was slated for an early 2020 release (February 4 in Australia, March 10 in North America), the date was later pushed back to a late summer release (Australia - July 28, August 18 - North America) to allow Townsend more time to focus on the “pivotal book in the series and a crucial turning point for Mog.”

Due to the worldwide Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, the release date was once again pushed back by approximately two months (Australia - September 29, UK - October 15, North America - October 27) in the hope that bookstores and other retailers would be open once again and able to sell the novel at that time.

Those who preordered the book had it automatically carried over to the new date both times.

## Trivia

* The motto for *Hollowpox* is "Burn Brightly"
* This is the longest book published so far
* The Waterstones special edition paperback includes a bonus chapter that was ultimately cut from the novel. There is a focus on the witchery section of the School of Arcane Arts at WunSoc, the witches of Coven Thirteen (last seen during the Fright Trial in *Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow*), and also includes a goat. The character Mrs. Patchett is introduced as well. This bonus chapter was later included with the North American paperback edition.
* In discussing the novel, Townsend mentioned that there are things she wrote many months before the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic that are identical in the novel (due to it focusing on a magical disease outbreak). She also mentioned that in the novel, a politician puts up vague/unhelpful "STAY ALERT'' posters up around Nevermoor (though she mused that her editor may make her take it out due to the situation of the worldwide pandemic).

## External Links

 *Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow* on **Goodreads**

## Notes and References

1. ↑ https://www.hachette.com.au/jessica-townsend/hollowpox-the-hunt-for-morrigan-crow
2. ↑ It was the day before Jupiter arrived in a good mood with the Saturday Morning Paper
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow*, Chapter 25 (*We're All on the Same Side Really*)
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 *Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow*, Chapter 27 (*Spark*)
5. ↑ *Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow*, Chapter 33 (*Dear Prime Minister*)
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://twitter.com/digressica/status/1206859200376299520
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://twitter.com/digressica/status/1260038442798350336
8. ↑ https://twitter.com/digressica/status/1402961163265081345
9. ↑ https://twitter.com/digressica/status/1259496294646571008