Scan barcode
A review by chrissie57
Changeling, Volume 3 by Matt Wesolowski
5.0
I discovered this book by mistake. I have always liked the old tales of Changelings and I wanted to try some of the modern fiction available based around them; when I got this home and looked at it properly I thought I had picked up a standard crime novel. All ends well, though, because the title has more in common with the old legends than might appear at first and Changelingis probably the best book I have read all year.
The basic story is outlined in most of the other reviews - little boy vanishes from a broken down car driven by his father and is never seen again. Said father is racked with guilt and never ceases to search for his son, even after he is declared legally dead. Mixed up with all this are eerie stories about the ancient woodland by which the boy has apparently been swallowed up. We follow the efforts of podcaster Scott King to get to grips with what actually happened to Alfie Marsden on his podcast Six Storiesafter receiving a letter claiming to know what happened.
This book has everything - crime, horror and human psychology. Neither the crime nor the horror are exactly what you believe them to be, but that did not stop me lying awake unable to sleep at one point because I foolishly read a chapter just before bed. It had further interest to me because I grew up in the area the story is set in, although I was unsure why the author chose that locale.
After I had finished the book, I realised I had made a second mistake; the book is part of a series about Scott King and his podcast and Changelinggives away some pretty important information. However, I shall be reading the other books regardless of that, this is a truly excellent author.
The basic story is outlined in most of the other reviews - little boy vanishes from a broken down car driven by his father and is never seen again. Said father is racked with guilt and never ceases to search for his son, even after he is declared legally dead. Mixed up with all this are eerie stories about the ancient woodland by which the boy has apparently been swallowed up. We follow the efforts of podcaster Scott King to get to grips with what actually happened to Alfie Marsden on his podcast Six Storiesafter receiving a letter claiming to know what happened.
This book has everything - crime, horror and human psychology. Neither the crime nor the horror are exactly what you believe them to be, but that did not stop me lying awake unable to sleep at one point because I foolishly read a chapter just before bed. It had further interest to me because I grew up in the area the story is set in, although I was unsure why the author chose that locale.
After I had finished the book, I realised I had made a second mistake; the book is part of a series about Scott King and his podcast and Changelinggives away some pretty important information. However, I shall be reading the other books regardless of that, this is a truly excellent author.