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Publisher:
Atom (Time Warner UK) |
Release
Date: July 2004 |
ISBN:
1904233112 |
Awards:
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Format
Reviewed: Paperback |
Buy
it at Amazon US || UK |
Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
Teenage / Fantasy |
Reviewed:
2004 |
Reviewer:
Rachel A Hyde |
Reviewer
Notes: Check out the website at www.atombooks.co.uk |
Copyright
MyShelf.com |
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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.
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