jarichan's review against another edition
3.0
Der Schrecksenmeister und ich hatten einen etwas mühsamen Start. Dass Moers sich gerne Ideen sucht, ist bekannt. Doch der Beginn war derat 1 zu 1 "Spiegel das Kätzchen" von Gottfried Keller, dass es mir rasch zu bunt wurde.
Das legt sich dann aber mit der Zeit und Moers geht, auch dies ist bekannt, seine eigenen Wege. Wer ein Buch von diesem Autoren zur Hand nimmt, weiss meistens, worauf er oder sie sich einlässt. Wundervolle Bilder, phantastische Ideen und ganz viele Geschichten in der Geschichte. Das alles bekommt der geneigte Leser auch hier geboten.
Nur bin ich mir etwas unsicher, ob ich nicht vielleicht schon draussen bin aus dem Moers, oder ob der Anfang mich etwas zu sehr gefoppt hat, aber es dauerte fast bis zum Schluss, bis ich ganz in der Handlung angekommen war. Man liest Moers ja nicht wegen der eigentlichen Handlung, sondern wegen deren Umsetzung. Aber irgendwie wurden mir die Aufzählungen der Lebensmittel irgendwann über (könnte auch daran liegen, dass Essen für mich hauptsächlich Energieversorgung bedeutet). Auch die Geschichten in der Geschichte konnten mich weniger fesseln.
Dafür hat es mir Fjodor umso mehr angetan. Und das Ende natürlich, das sich völlig vom Original entfernt und ein paar tolle Überraschungen zu bieten hat. Aber davon verrate ich nichts. Lieber selber lesen.
Das legt sich dann aber mit der Zeit und Moers geht, auch dies ist bekannt, seine eigenen Wege. Wer ein Buch von diesem Autoren zur Hand nimmt, weiss meistens, worauf er oder sie sich einlässt. Wundervolle Bilder, phantastische Ideen und ganz viele Geschichten in der Geschichte. Das alles bekommt der geneigte Leser auch hier geboten.
Nur bin ich mir etwas unsicher, ob ich nicht vielleicht schon draussen bin aus dem Moers, oder ob der Anfang mich etwas zu sehr gefoppt hat, aber es dauerte fast bis zum Schluss, bis ich ganz in der Handlung angekommen war. Man liest Moers ja nicht wegen der eigentlichen Handlung, sondern wegen deren Umsetzung. Aber irgendwie wurden mir die Aufzählungen der Lebensmittel irgendwann über (könnte auch daran liegen, dass Essen für mich hauptsächlich Energieversorgung bedeutet). Auch die Geschichten in der Geschichte konnten mich weniger fesseln.
Dafür hat es mir Fjodor umso mehr angetan. Und das Ende natürlich, das sich völlig vom Original entfernt und ein paar tolle Überraschungen zu bieten hat. Aber davon verrate ich nichts. Lieber selber lesen.
nnnamiko's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
rayyan3's review against another edition
3.0
Walter Moers write great fantasy with never-ending descriptions that transport you into a different world (Zamonia). However, his commitment to describing every single detail can detract from the actual story and I found myself skipping over paragraphs upon paragraphs that intricately describe mundane things such as everything that the Alchemaster made for Echo's meals (which sometimes extends into half a page or more of descriptions).
It is a very slow book and takes forever to actually get into the meat of the story-- I could do with a much shorter preamble that was more gripping. It took me SO long to finish this because it wasn't the type of book that you couldn't put down, it was the kind of book you had to force yourself to pick up so you could find out how it ends. I would try to read it in bed every night but found myself falling asleep after 5 pages every night just waiting for the actual story to begin.
Once you get to the actual story of Echo's fate and how he plans to escape it picks up a little, but it still isn't entirely gripping.
It is a very slow book and takes forever to actually get into the meat of the story-- I could do with a much shorter preamble that was more gripping. It took me SO long to finish this because it wasn't the type of book that you couldn't put down, it was the kind of book you had to force yourself to pick up so you could find out how it ends. I would try to read it in bed every night but found myself falling asleep after 5 pages every night just waiting for the actual story to begin.
Once you get to the actual story of Echo's fate and how he plans to escape it picks up a little, but it still isn't entirely gripping.
calimero747's review against another edition
5.0
This is a must read for all the fantasy fans out there! Walter Moers is a genius. It's magical, it's creepy, it's intelligent, it's funny and it's just fantastic. Read it!
Well, this book is a part of series, but it really doesn't matter where you start because the stories aren't connected. Aside from the fact that it's happening in the same world: Zamonia.
Echo is a crat, which is a very similar being as a cat except that he has two livers and can talk. Crats are also so clever, that they speak every language, including the animal ones.
After his mistress dies, Echo is left to live on streets of the most ill city in Zamonia. Everyone is sick there. Their main priorities aren't food or water, but medicine. Everyone only cares about themselves and their health. Why is that, you might wonder. It's all the Alchemaster's fault. Alchemaster Ghoolion governs the city, everyone is afraid of him and his sick mind. Besides, he has magic, so they have a reason to be afraid.
Ghoolion is repeatedly poisoning the air with various diseases, so everyone'd get ill, but no one can say anything, because they're basically zombies by this point and because he'd just curse them with something and they'd die a slow and painful death.
In this horrible city of illness and death, who would care about a hungry crat? Echo almost dies of starvation, and that's how the Alchemaster finds him. What a coincidence! Ghoolion needs a crat's fat, to finish a twisted experiment of his, an immortality potion. He offers Echo a safe home with lots of food and entertainment until the next full moon. And then he'd kill him. Echo signs the contract. After all, the full moon seems so far away and Echo thinks that it's better dying satisfied, full and happy, than on the street, hungry and in pain.
However, after weeks of the Alchemaster caring for him, feeding him the most delicious food he can think of, showing him all of his experiments and magic tricks, teaching him everything he knows about alchemy... Echo starts to realize that he's not prepared to die yet.
I love everything about this book. From the writing style, to the descriptions the writer literally paints into your head, to the creepiness, to the magical story. The parts where Ghoolion teaches Echo about alchemy is amazing. And how Moers describes scenes... breathtaking, I tell you! And Fjodor F. Fjodor (the middle F. probably stands for another Fjodor) is the best. His grammatical issues are really fun to read. I even care about Ghoolion. I mean, sure, he's nuts and horrible and his ideas are totally sick, but his tragical story makes us feel sorry for him. And I think that if he didn't go crazy, he'd be a pretty decent person. He doesn't want immortality potion for himself after all... I especially love the bond that forms between Ghoolion and Echo. Not just in the teacher-student kind of way. They literally become friends. Ghoolion himself states that he thinks Echo has a good influence on him, making him more sane, more down to earth. It's a shame that the Ghoolion's love towards a certain someone overpowers their friendship.
I loved the book and you're probably going to like it too. If you don't, well, I guess it's not everyone's cup of tea. But give it a try. I'm soooo glad that I did.
Well, this book is a part of series, but it really doesn't matter where you start because the stories aren't connected. Aside from the fact that it's happening in the same world: Zamonia.
Echo is a crat, which is a very similar being as a cat except that he has two livers and can talk. Crats are also so clever, that they speak every language, including the animal ones.
After his mistress dies, Echo is left to live on streets of the most ill city in Zamonia. Everyone is sick there. Their main priorities aren't food or water, but medicine. Everyone only cares about themselves and their health. Why is that, you might wonder. It's all the Alchemaster's fault. Alchemaster Ghoolion governs the city, everyone is afraid of him and his sick mind. Besides, he has magic, so they have a reason to be afraid.
Ghoolion is repeatedly poisoning the air with various diseases, so everyone'd get ill, but no one can say anything, because they're basically zombies by this point and because he'd just curse them with something and they'd die a slow and painful death.
In this horrible city of illness and death, who would care about a hungry crat? Echo almost dies of starvation, and that's how the Alchemaster finds him. What a coincidence! Ghoolion needs a crat's fat, to finish a twisted experiment of his, an immortality potion. He offers Echo a safe home with lots of food and entertainment until the next full moon. And then he'd kill him. Echo signs the contract. After all, the full moon seems so far away and Echo thinks that it's better dying satisfied, full and happy, than on the street, hungry and in pain.
However, after weeks of the Alchemaster caring for him, feeding him the most delicious food he can think of, showing him all of his experiments and magic tricks, teaching him everything he knows about alchemy... Echo starts to realize that he's not prepared to die yet.
I love everything about this book. From the writing style, to the descriptions the writer literally paints into your head, to the creepiness, to the magical story. The parts where Ghoolion teaches Echo about alchemy is amazing. And how Moers describes scenes... breathtaking, I tell you! And Fjodor F. Fjodor (the middle F. probably stands for another Fjodor) is the best. His grammatical issues are really fun to read. I even care about Ghoolion. I mean, sure, he's nuts and horrible and his ideas are totally sick, but his tragical story makes us feel sorry for him. And I think that if he didn't go crazy, he'd be a pretty decent person. He doesn't want immortality potion for himself after all... I especially love the bond that forms between Ghoolion and Echo. Not just in the teacher-student kind of way. They literally become friends. Ghoolion himself states that he thinks Echo has a good influence on him, making him more sane, more down to earth. It's a shame that the Ghoolion's love towards a certain someone overpowers their friendship.
I loved the book and you're probably going to like it too. If you don't, well, I guess it's not everyone's cup of tea. But give it a try. I'm soooo glad that I did.
bordsteinkante's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
nestordemeure's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
alh118's review against another edition
4.0
Such a fun book. I loved that the main character was a cat. I kept envisioning my own cat running around and having the adventures.
mothmancommunitycenter's review against another edition
5.0
Normally I just rate books, but I really want to write a quick review for this book. I typically do not read fantasy books, but I am so glad I read this one. It took a few chapters to peak my interest, but after it got going it was such a fantastic book. The last line was so beautiful I almost shed a tear. Also, the art was so gorgeous!