Abarat

Rating:
Summary: Amazing art and an orginal story
Review: Abarat is a fantasy story about a girl named Candy Quackenbush who lives in the most boring town in the United States, Chickentown, where everyone works in a chicken factory. She lives with her mother and her alcoholic abusive father. She's very bored with her life and can be classified as "a little morbid." Her life changes forever when a bizarre looking and acting man called John Mischief brings her to Abarat, a place where there is an island for every hour of the day. Candy is fascinated by this new place but feels as if she's almost there before. She quickly learns that Abarat isn't a perfect place. Unknown to her at the time the ruler of midnight, Carrion, knows that she has entered Abarat from the "hereafter" and he's very interested in her arrival. So interested in fact, that he'd do anything to capture her. Headstrong Candy is not going to let that happen.

Talented artist, Clive Barker, spent years putting together various paintings for his new series, The Books of Abarat. Abarat, the first tale, contains over a hundred of these pictures. The art is not only beautiful but very original. As Candy meets someone new a picture of them is usually inserted, and let me tell you the people she meets neither looks nor acts normal. Abarat is an amazing original place filled with colorful characters and places. The story line is a little weak at times, which can happen whenever anyone makes their debut in a genre, and the ending is a bit disappointing. It leaves only lose ends for the next book and although that can often happen in a series I would have appreciated if Clive Barker would have tied together some of it! Still I can't wait to read the next book of Abarat. Candy's adventures are very interesting indeed.

Rating:
Summary: An Entry into a New World...
Review: This is an engrossing book for all ages. This is not by any means a book to be enjoyed only by children. I was unable to put this book down after a Candy entered the imaginitive world of Abarat...and I'm 21 years old! I cannot wait until the second book which should be even better as some of the loose ends should be tied up. If you are at all interested in fantasy novels...this is an absolute must! Don't think twice, order it now!!

Rating:
Summary: Belongs between Harry Potter and King Fortis on your shelf
Review: While so many authors are trying to jump on the young adult fantasy novel bandwagon, Abarat is one of the few that, like the Harry Potter books and King Fortis the Brave, actually delivers on the goods. Clive Barker redefines himself with this outstanding novel, proving that he has what it takes to become a master of this genre as well. The fifth Harry Potter book doesn't come out until June 21st. The publication date for Queen Aimee the Wise, the sequel to King Fortis the Brave hasn't even been announced yet. Abarat is out now. Buy it and read it. You'll be glad you did.

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Summary: Weird Story...
Review: This is definitely the weirdest book I've ever read and I really like weird!
The characters are given good descriptions, and the pictures are full of beautiful colors. The plot line rules, and you can tell that it's another mystery to find out about Candy -- even though the first book gives you enough clues to guess... *hint*hint*
I really enjoyed reading this book, I couldn't put it down after the first chapter, and everything was so clear. Clive Barker is a erally great author, I can't wait for the second one!!!!

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book
Review: I really enjoyed this book. The art was wonderful, as was the content. We're going to read it in Lit-lab soon.
Basically, there's a girl named Candy Quackenbush who is fed up with her teacher, so she runs away from school. Then she floats on the Sea of Isabella to the 25 magical islands of the Abarat...
All in all, you should read this book.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book I've Read Since Harry Potter
Review: If you liked Harry Potter, then you will love Abarat. This is the first book that I've read by Clive Barker. Now I want to read all his books if they are as good as this one. As soon as I opened the book, I was immediately taken with this wonderful story told by Clive Barker. It's about a young girl named Candy, who deep inside wants more than what her life is offering. Her home life is not going well, and she isn't treated very well at school by her classmates or her teacher. Not being able to take it anymore, she runs away from school and just starts walking as far away from Chickentown as she can. She ends up in this field right outside of town where she meets a strange creature with many heads which she befriends. She helps him return to his world Abarat, so he ends up taking her with him. They get separated at the beginning of the story. So Candy is left by herself, but she meets new creatures along the way. She knows that she has a purpose in Abarat, she feels that she has been there before. During the story, The Prince of Midnight finds out she is there and is desperately trying to find Candy. He wants to make her his. His obsession of her grows strong, and this leads to others trying to capture her. This story can get really strange, but I loved it. I like when I'm reading a book and it takes me to that world. I would definately recommend this book to anyone. Also, I heard that Abarat the movie will be coming out in a couple of years. I know I cant wait to see it, and after you have read this book, you wont be able to wait either!

Rating:
Summary: A Delight, A True Delight
Review: Well, others have covered the plot so I won't do it again.What I will say is that I found this magical and felt myself revelling (spelling?) in the sheer creativity and "otherness" of this book.Truly, though, be prepared to let your imagination roam and create this marvelous place, Abarat, in your minds eyes.Some books require that you slow down your reading and digest the imagery being created to fully enjoy it. This, I believe, is one of them. Then again, maybe it's only because I'm an adult. Younger readers may see this world immediately.There are rewards aplenty here. Let yourself see them.

Rating:
Summary: Readable, interesting, but no Harry Potter...
Review: Abarat is the first novel in an apparent series for young adults about another world, reachable from a field in Minnesota. Candy Quackenbush, a teen from a dysfunctional family, is the protagonist. One day, after yet another bad day at school, she just walks out of class and keeps walking into this field, only to discover some characters from the other world and wind up going there - only to begin to realize that she may have been there before.

Clive Barker's first foray into young adult literature shows an attempt to write for teens (and perhaps capitalize on the Harry Potter market), but not quite getting it right. It is painfully obvious that this book is part of a series and the cliffhanger is on a cliff that is only about five feet high. I will read more of this series, but if another book doesn't appear, I won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Fantasy
Review: I enjoyed this book. It read like a movie, with imagery so vivid, the illustrations were hardly needed. I can envision myself reading it again and again, and eagerly awaiting the 3 planned sequels. Like most first books in series, it focused on laying the foundation and establishing characters, succeeding in both. I was dissapointed when it ended, and immediatly went to the computer to find out when the other books were coming out. This book is definatly worth your time.

Rating:
Summary: Only the introduction to the Story
Review: I liked this book, but it left me wanting a lot more. Like more character development. More story line, more plot! This book hints of what is to come and I'm hoping that the next books fill in all the details that are missing in this book. So I'm being generous with 4 stars.

Also Clive can't draw women, or sailboats! The illustrations are generally ok. In that its nice to have so many, and its clear that he got better the more he painted, but I can't help wondering if he hadn't illustrated his own book and spent more time on the writing if it would have been better. Also there is way too much primary color painting. It's like he didn't have the technique of mixing colors. And no to very little perspective, people and things are flat, flat, flat, ok, ok, the illustrations aren't the reason to buy it. Clive take some art classes and more do live drawings! Go down to the docks and look at sail boats, look where the sail is when the wind is blowing and where the people sit. Look at buildings, they aren't flat, take a perspective drawing class. Use a pencil and put in some light perspective lines to guide your outlines.

On the good side, the world is cohesive, and compelling. By this I mean, the rules of the world stay the same for all the characters all the time. No plot tricks by suspending a rule so the heroine can escape or be caught. I like that a lot. It also stayed up late to finish the book another good sign. I cared about the heroine, I want to know more.

This isn't Harry Potter, there is an element of horror to the story so it isn't for young readers. On the other hand it isn't a horror book either. So mid to young teens seems to be its intended market.