Yet more frustration...
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First off I want to say how much I enjoy and cherish the two books of Clive Barker's "Abarat" series. They are unique creations in children's literature, with beautiful images to match prose that is exciting in its description of character and events, alongside some wonderful ideas.
My only frustration is with the lack of a concrete publication date. This book was supposed to be out by now although various retailers have different ideas of its publication date:
- Borders don't have anything listed on their system
- Independent bookshops also don't have anything on their system
- Waterstones in-store staff are saying that their system shows they are due to receive copies on 29 September 2008 but as of yesterday they still haven't got anything
- while Waterstones on-line is showing the book as having been published on 31 August 2008, and yet it goes on to say it is available to pre-order.
I spoke with HarperCollins who informed me the book was due out on 1 September 2008, but as of today they still haven't received any stock, and don't have any idea when they will.
This isn't the first time that Clive Barker's books have suffered from lack of publication information and it is frustrating for his fans when they look forward to reading new material, specially when it is growing rarer as the years go by. So, who are we to ask when the publishers have no idea when one of their authors is going to give them a manuscript they were hoping to publish on a certain date? Over to you, Mr Barker: perhaps you could let your fans know when the much-anticipated third book in your Abarat series will reach us?
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Wolverhampton Libraries LGBT Reading Group Review
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Candy is an unhappy teenage girl growing up in Chickentown, Minnesota, when, after another bad day at school, she finds her way into another universe with the help of John Mischief and his seven brothers. The adventure that follows has all the strange characters that you'd expect from a magical fantasy novel, as well as the obligatory baddies to boo and hiss at.
The illustrated version shows the imaginative images that provided Barker with his original inspiration, which shies away from Barker's usual gore and horror - perhaps for the benefit of the young adults this book is aimed at.
The Reading Group was divided with this book - it is an imaginative story but some readers felt it needed more depth. "Abarat" is the introductory book from the series, followed by "Days of Magic, Nights of War" which readers must read if they want to know how the story progresses - everyone in the Group was disappointed by the abrupt halt to which this book came.
Several clues are planted in this first book, which presumably have significance in the future. If your committed to reading the whole series, or are unfamiliar with fantasy books, go for it! Barker is a great writer.
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Could do better
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This book is obviously written for a different audience to Clive Barker's earlier books. He has much more competition now and has not made the change entirely successfully. Abarat is highly reminiscent of the Garth Nix "Mr Monday" series but lacks the spark.
Most annoyingly of all, Abarat is not a complete book. It just stops half way through the story and demands that you buy the next book in the serious. It feels as though Mr Barker has written a book and his publishers have decided, whether for financial or audience reasons, to split it arbitrarily into several books.
Disappointing. I shan't bother to buy the next in the series.
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Intricate story from one of literature's great story-tellers
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Given Clive Barker's reputation as one of literature's great writers of horror, I expected this to be dark, violent and grim, like Cabal. Imagine my surprise, then, when I discovered an intricate and delicately-woven fantasy-driven story, with little to no violence.
This is not to 'Abarat's detriment, however. In actual fact 'Abarat' is a great story, about a teenage girl named Candy who lives a disatisfied, disillusioned and generally unhappy life in the ridiculously-named 'Chickentown'. In great fantasy tradition, she escapes from the real world into an alternate one, which no-one knows exists. That world is Abarat.
There, she encounters the various islands of Abarat, all devoted to a different hour of the day. She also meets a variety of odd, unpleasant and endearing characters who will come to play pivotal roles in her journey through Abarat. It's the little details that make this story so appealing: the beautiful descriptions of Abarat's flora and fauna, the descriptions of characters, the successful creation of suspense and expectation, and the effective technique of writing short chapters in order to keep the reader's interest piqued. I read this book in only a few short days; keen and enthusiastic to discover whether Candy manages to successfully avoid the clutches of Christopher Carrion, the Saruman/Voldemort type figure who resides in the Island of Midnight, the most feared island in Abarat.
Clive Barker is a gifted and imaginative story-teller, and the evidence of that is all over 'Abarat'. I am looking forward to reading it's two sequels.
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Amongst my favourite books
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This is one of my favourite books ever. There are characters from the first book, and new ones, but they are all great, and each more fantastical then before.
The story starts a few months after the first finished and Candy and Malingo have been travelling around the Abarat. However they are still pursued by Christopher Carrion's henchmen and they are seperated, and have to make their own seperate journeys. Their adventures take them through more of the hours, from Twilight to Three in the afternoon and more.
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