A review by willgalltall
Abarat by Clive Barker
5.0
I first read Abarat when I was around 10 years old. I had very fond memories of the book, and started my love for Clive Barker. 11 years later, I decided to revisit the world of Abarat with the intention of refreshing my memory of how it all started, ready for Abarat 4 (when it is released).
Oh, how I made the right choice!!
This really did take me back to my childhood, but at the same time, being able to interpret the story in a different way.
Clive's prose is so smooth, and allows you to literally fly through the pages, whilst being able to take the time to study the beautiful illustrations (hardback only), that he created himself. If you do read this, then you will only get the full experience of it by reading out of the hardback. This was one of the main reasons why Clive even wrote Abarat, to create a story for all of the paintings he made.
The characters are brilliant as well! They are so real and unique. Characters that could only come from the mind of Clive Barker. We have Candy Quackenbush, John Mischief, Christopher Carrion, Mater Motley, Kasper Wolfswinkel, Malingo, and so many others!
I couldn't really believe how short the story is. I always remember it being a long book, but looking back, it really isn't that long.
I honestly have nothing negative to say about Abarat. It truly is a great story, and is very different to what Clive is mainly known for, which is gruesome horror. This is definitely a fantasy story, that is fun from start to finish! A must read!
Oh, how I made the right choice!!
This really did take me back to my childhood, but at the same time, being able to interpret the story in a different way.
Clive's prose is so smooth, and allows you to literally fly through the pages, whilst being able to take the time to study the beautiful illustrations (hardback only), that he created himself. If you do read this, then you will only get the full experience of it by reading out of the hardback. This was one of the main reasons why Clive even wrote Abarat, to create a story for all of the paintings he made.
The characters are brilliant as well! They are so real and unique. Characters that could only come from the mind of Clive Barker. We have Candy Quackenbush, John Mischief, Christopher Carrion, Mater Motley, Kasper Wolfswinkel, Malingo, and so many others!
I couldn't really believe how short the story is. I always remember it being a long book, but looking back, it really isn't that long.
I honestly have nothing negative to say about Abarat. It truly is a great story, and is very different to what Clive is mainly known for, which is gruesome horror. This is definitely a fantasy story, that is fun from start to finish! A must read!