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caomhin's review
5.0
The blurb for this book seemed interesting and it's only short so why not give it a try huh? I settled down thinking the cover looked interesting and flicked through to the first story, even barely pausing at the contents page. Shark 206. With a gorgeous line drawing of aforementioned shark. A smile crept across my face and I felt excited. But the end of the first page I was, if you'll forgive the phrase, hooked.
This is a glorious collection of adventure stories from another age, yet doesn't feel dated. They have a slightly stilted and distant tone which actually piles character into them. As I laid in bed reading I could picture myself with a leather library-bound copy in a creeky wingback chair next to a roaring behemoth of a fire. These stories manage that rare art of being more than something to read, they become an experience. And what an experience it is, I found myself absorbed and entranced - reading this book was a luxurious delight.
But I should mention the stories too. 12 shorts, basically 10 pages per tale, each with an accompanying piece of artwork. Each tale views the world from the perspective of a different protagonist. It's written in third person limited perspective which gives it that core narrative while being somewhat singular in outlook.
What makes the collection so rich is the variety, just as I felt i was maybe seeing a pattern developing in the thread between the tales it was snapped and a new tale appeared. It makes it very hard to describe them en mass but suffice to say that each story does indeed include an animal and some notable event.
The tales tend to have a slight dark reality to them, often exploring the harshness of the animal kingdom and in particular human involvement in the world. If anything it's a little Victorian in that regard actually, reading both coldly like a textbook but also with a touch of dramatic flair as the wild world out there is unveiled to a sheltered audience.
Whilst I know this book will be something of an acquired taste it is safe to say it fits me perfectly, I am delighted at having read it.
I received a complimentary copy of the book through First Reads
This is a glorious collection of adventure stories from another age, yet doesn't feel dated. They have a slightly stilted and distant tone which actually piles character into them. As I laid in bed reading I could picture myself with a leather library-bound copy in a creeky wingback chair next to a roaring behemoth of a fire. These stories manage that rare art of being more than something to read, they become an experience. And what an experience it is, I found myself absorbed and entranced - reading this book was a luxurious delight.
But I should mention the stories too. 12 shorts, basically 10 pages per tale, each with an accompanying piece of artwork. Each tale views the world from the perspective of a different protagonist. It's written in third person limited perspective which gives it that core narrative while being somewhat singular in outlook.
What makes the collection so rich is the variety, just as I felt i was maybe seeing a pattern developing in the thread between the tales it was snapped and a new tale appeared. It makes it very hard to describe them en mass but suffice to say that each story does indeed include an animal and some notable event.
The tales tend to have a slight dark reality to them, often exploring the harshness of the animal kingdom and in particular human involvement in the world. If anything it's a little Victorian in that regard actually, reading both coldly like a textbook but also with a touch of dramatic flair as the wild world out there is unveiled to a sheltered audience.
Whilst I know this book will be something of an acquired taste it is safe to say it fits me perfectly, I am delighted at having read it.
I received a complimentary copy of the book through First Reads
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