BookXcess Reviews Abarat – Clive Barker

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Abarat – Clive Barker
Price: RM17.90

1. So, what’s this book about?
Candy, the heroine of this story, lives in the dullest place in USA, called Chickentown. While doing research for her class assignment, a series of events happen and she is transported to the extraordinary world of Abarat. Here, she discovers that only she can save Abarat from dark forces that threaten its existence.

2. What’s special about it?
Abarat was picked as one of the best books for young adults by the ALA, nominated for the 2002 Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers, and won second place in the 2003 Locus Poll for the Best Young Adult Novel! Critical acclaim aside, Abarat is one of the stranger fantasy books I’ve read. I must say that fantasy is not a genre I read often, so perhaps I’m not the best judge on how ’strange’ this book is. But strange is probably one of the most appropriate adjectives to describe it. Strange in a bad or good way? I’ll let you decide if you ever pick this book up.

3. What did you think about this book?
This is the first book in the series, so there are a lot of things left to discover about Abarat, which might account for my thinking it strange. Was it a good read for me? It was a pretty interesting read from the usual genres I indulge in!

4. Would you recommend this book to anyone?
I’d strictly recommend this to readers of the fantasy genre. This is no Harry Potter, in my opinion – in the sense that it’s not a fantasy tale that has a universal appeal like HP did, though it’s not a bad book just because it isn’t so.

5. Random question: Name something strange that happens to you.
I never go anywhere without a book. At least, I try to do that. Most of the time it turns out I didn’t need to bring a book. But the very few times I go somewhere without a book are the very times I needed the book! Now how strange is that?? So I never go anywhere without a book just so that I don’t have to need a book when I don’t bring one.

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