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deaconist's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
hayleyg84's review against another edition
2.0
This book has been sat on my shelf since I was probably aged 8 and although I have started it many times I have never finished this. I remember watching the tv series and really enjoying it but I never seemed to get on well with the book. Well I’ve finally finished it and I really wish I hadn’t bothered. There are sections of this book that I really like and I found atmospheric. The use of the door in both worlds is clever. However, by the end of the book I just felt like there were too many unanswered questions and that I still didn’t really understand what had happened or why the children were involved. Not one of this author’s better books
laticsexile's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Another good children's/YA book from Alan Garner. It feels more rushed and disjointed than The Owl Service, but it's still pretty creepy. The dialogue feels off, although it was written ten years before I would have been the target audience and it hasn't aged well. Not sure how well it would work with Gen-Z.
jimbowen0306's review against another edition
3.0
This book sat on my shelf for years as a child, but never got round to reading it. Having read it now, I think it's because I've always been more Star Trek, and this is more Star Wars.
This book sees 4 brothers and sisters break into a church (to retrieve a ball), and get transported to Elidor, where they have to retrieve, and protect four precious artefacts that will bring light back to that land (during which time, they get transported them back to Manchester).
It wasn't a bad read, if you're an early teen and like the idea of the story, you'll probably like this book, it is engaging, and doesn't talk down to its reads. The problem is, I'm not sure I'm a fan of those sorts of books (I'm more Star Trek, than Star Wars), which made the effort of reading this one... more of a challenge.
This book sees 4 brothers and sisters break into a church (to retrieve a ball), and get transported to Elidor, where they have to retrieve, and protect four precious artefacts that will bring light back to that land (during which time, they get transported them back to Manchester).
It wasn't a bad read, if you're an early teen and like the idea of the story, you'll probably like this book, it is engaging, and doesn't talk down to its reads. The problem is, I'm not sure I'm a fan of those sorts of books (I'm more Star Trek, than Star Wars), which made the effort of reading this one... more of a challenge.
kellbells's review against another edition
3.0
Not sure how much I enjoyed this, but glad I read it for sure. Garner described Elidor as the 'Anti-Narnia,' a darker, more pagan slant on children's fantasy realms. Only a quarter of the book actually takes place in Elidor - like Narnia, a once-beautiful land fallen into decay - and it isn't a friendly place. I wish the Watsons had been more individual (Roland's the youngest and true believer, Helen is The Only Girl, I honestly couldn't tell Nicholas and David apart) but Garner evokes images and emotions REALLY well. There's some great low-key horror when the Treasures of Elidor cause all the electronics in the house to run by themselves: "So they lay awake through that night, listening to the machinery. At two o'clock in the morning the food mixer burned itself out. But the washing machine rumbled on. The children and their parents stared clear-eyed at the dark." Plus this lovely passage near the end: "His mane flowed like a river in the moon: the point of the horn drew fire from the stars. Roland shivered with the effort of looking. He wanted to fix every detail in his mind for ever, so that no matter what else happened there would always be this."
gingerliss's review against another edition
4.0
I've picked this book up and put it back down many a time since I got it as a kid. I don't understand why though, as it was a surprisingly good read. Surprising because I remembered the amount of times I'd tried to read it and thought that probably meant it wasn't all that good. Well it was. Maybe though as a kid it was a bit of a difficult read, reading it now it seemed a little bit too mature for a children's book. I got the book because I loved the BBC series. About 15 years later I finally read it. I liked that the book was set in Manchester. It was a very quick read and enjoyable. Now interested in more of Alan Garner's books.
adrianlarose's review against another edition
3.0
Lovely quick read. If you love fantasy and can enjoy a British children's fantasy book, give it a go :-)
richard_farley1976's review against another edition
4.0
Great read for a short novel. It’s a shame this wasn’t longer the story could have developed and followed a path similar CS Lewis and Narnia.
rosethorne_27's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0