The first book of Chris Wooding's that I read was Poison, and my review is below. It was written several years ago, so it's not as thorough as it could be.
Although technically classed as a children's story, this book has enough in it to keep anyone occupied.
A lot of the book is based on the ideas of faerie tales. What is rather fantastic about this book in particular is that it is not dumbed down at all, unlike many children's books, which seem almost artificial in parts. This isn't an easy story, and it's not really a happy one. There's a depth to it that you don't often find, and you'll be thinking about it long after you put it down.
All the way through the book the reader is given hints as to the ending, but this is done in such a skilled way that the time the characters take to figure it out does not seem at all protracted, unlike in many other children's books or TV shows where you find yourself cursing a characters stupidity for three hours straight.
Another thing I like about this book is that you get out of it what you put in. A child would find it suited to their understanding, and so would a teenager and an adult. As you grow, you begin to understand the more subtle layers in the story, and so there is always something new to see. I've no doubt I'll be reading this for years. Some books you grow out of it, this one you won't.
The only reason this book doesn't get five out of five is because I feel that there are more stories to be told in that world, that universe. Until they are told, and there is more of this to read, the book falls short of perfection.
It's taken me several years to get around to reading another of his books. I was idly browsing in the library's teenage section when I spotted The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray. Since then, I've had it out for three months (it's due back today, actually), and I only started reading it a few days ago. I don't know why I waited so long.
...I don't know why I waited so long to finish this post, either. I liked The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray. I liked how all the names were just a little bit off - Alaizabel, Thaniel - and the whole supernatural element. The story takes place in a kind of alternate history, in a Victorian (if I recall correctly) London with various monsters. If you're familiar with the Witcher stories, well, it's a London that could do with a few of those. Thaniel's job is essentially to deal with the supernatural, to be something like a Witcher. Or a Ghostbuster, if you prefer, only less sci-fi and more historical and mythic.
I did originally intend to make a big, indepth post about Chris Wooding as a writer, but I can't quite recall what I was going to say.
Although technically classed as a children's story, this book has enough in it to keep anyone occupied.
A lot of the book is based on the ideas of faerie tales. What is rather fantastic about this book in particular is that it is not dumbed down at all, unlike many children's books, which seem almost artificial in parts. This isn't an easy story, and it's not really a happy one. There's a depth to it that you don't often find, and you'll be thinking about it long after you put it down.
All the way through the book the reader is given hints as to the ending, but this is done in such a skilled way that the time the characters take to figure it out does not seem at all protracted, unlike in many other children's books or TV shows where you find yourself cursing a characters stupidity for three hours straight.
Another thing I like about this book is that you get out of it what you put in. A child would find it suited to their understanding, and so would a teenager and an adult. As you grow, you begin to understand the more subtle layers in the story, and so there is always something new to see. I've no doubt I'll be reading this for years. Some books you grow out of it, this one you won't.
The only reason this book doesn't get five out of five is because I feel that there are more stories to be told in that world, that universe. Until they are told, and there is more of this to read, the book falls short of perfection.
It's taken me several years to get around to reading another of his books. I was idly browsing in the library's teenage section when I spotted The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray. Since then, I've had it out for three months (it's due back today, actually), and I only started reading it a few days ago. I don't know why I waited so long.
...I don't know why I waited so long to finish this post, either. I liked The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray. I liked how all the names were just a little bit off - Alaizabel, Thaniel - and the whole supernatural element. The story takes place in a kind of alternate history, in a Victorian (if I recall correctly) London with various monsters. If you're familiar with the Witcher stories, well, it's a London that could do with a few of those. Thaniel's job is essentially to deal with the supernatural, to be something like a Witcher. Or a Ghostbuster, if you prefer, only less sci-fi and more historical and mythic.
I did originally intend to make a big, indepth post about Chris Wooding as a writer, but I can't quite recall what I was going to say.
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