Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Publisher: Atom (Time Warner UK)
Release Date: July 2004
ISBN: 1904233112
Awards:  
Format Reviewed: Paperback
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Genre:   Teenage / Fantasy
Reviewed: 2004
Reviewer: Rachel A Hyde
Reviewer Notes:  Check out the website at www.atombooks.co.uk
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Boggart & Fen
By Garry Kilworth


       If you are going to set a teenage novel in Fairyland then it is going to have to be witty and imaginative; fortunately this lively trilogy combines the two. Think of Piers Anthony’s Xanth and you will possibly be on the right lines, although definitely not the same lines. This is very much its own world, and engineering student Jack is still lost in it with the talking rat Kling, the valiant boggart Spiggot, hardboiled mediaeval maiden Rosamund, and monk Solomon. Somehow they have to defeat the evil magician Mallmoc and save Fairyland, but they also have to sort out their own tangled love lives and decide where home truly lies.

       As the characters get down to a bit of villain-bashing, the story ceases to be quite so episodic—no more wandering around and encountering odd and amusing (or dangerous) entities. I was wondering how on earth Mallmoc would be defeated and where it would all end and was pleasantly surprised that Kilworth had some believable (under the circumstances) and imaginative ideas. This has been an inventive and original series, its humor a sly wink to fantasy and children’s literature and its stereotypes, and just managing to avoid being twee. It will probably appeal to girls more than boys (all those fairies) and I would also suggest the younger end of the teenage spectrum, suiting those who have finished with something like Redwall but who are not quite ready for robust adult fantasy. With its broadly drawn characters, rich descriptive passages and tongue-in-cheek humor, adults will probably enjoy it too, particularly if they are looking for something a bit different. My favorite part? Kling’s wonderful suggestions for grand menus which epitomize the trilogy’s cheerful comparisons of Fairyland and the world we inhabit.