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emsemce123's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
There are certain tropes that get me to pick up books. Things that if I know are featured in at least some way in a book I will pick that book up out of curiosity. Underwater cities, time travel, parallel universes and now that I think about it another is the crossover, or 2 characters from different worlds meeting, specifically well known and established fictional characters (i.e. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Sherlock Holmes vs Cthulu, etc.) and another of these tropes is fictional characters coming to the "real world" (i.e. Space Jam, Bill Willingham's Fables, the anime Re:creators) enter the Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep. I didn't know Uriah Heep was a character from Charles Dicken's "David Copperfield" (I've actually never read any Dickens) but in this book, told from the point of view of Robert Sutherland, a lawyer in New Zealand whose brother, Charley, just happens to have the unique ability to bring fictional characters and objects out of the books he reads, sometimes by accident and sometimes on purpose. I'm already hooked by the premise alone, though I kind of had different thoughts on what this was gonna be when I went in, I thought it was about a fictional character knowing he's not real and trying to escape his story. It's not that. True that characters are brought out of their respective stories and they know who they are and what they are and most don't wish to go back; the book is more than that. Charley has vowed to never use his abilities if he can help it but one night he accidentally brings Uriah Heep and calls his brother to help him catch him to prevent him from escaping, only it turns out he's not the only Uriah Heep, meaning Charley is not the only summoner. They soon learn somebody is summoning fictional characters for a reason and is trying to create an entirely new world, regardless of what it means for the real one and that's what this book is about. What I liked: the mystery is good with smaller ones popping up throughout the story and I liked the relationship between Charley and Rob. Stressed and loving at the same time. A small nitpick, and I get it, they're old enough to be public domain I'm assuming, the fictional characters are all from the Victorian Era (not a bad Era at all) or created for this book. I won't spoil any of the surprises but I do want to read the books that the characters who show up are from. You don't have to know the stories but I think it will be more fun if you do. What I didn't like: The characters and objects brought through are the readers (Charley's) interpretation of them, so its never a 1:1 and this allows H.G. Parry nore liberty to tell the story she wanted. It definitely makes sense but dont get too attached of a character doesnt align with how you interpret them. I had a good time with this book but I wanted just a little more and thats my fault for going in expecting one thing and getting another. Now that I've read it and will be reading the books the characters come from, I may reread this in the future and have a better time. So it's fine, not great, but not terrible.
If anyone wad curious what characters popped up and wanted to do some extra reading beforehand: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Tale of Two Cities, and a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, and Matilda by Roald Dahl. I hope that's all of them. Feel free to add some or correct me if I'm wrong.
If anyone wad curious what characters popped up and wanted to do some extra reading beforehand: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Tale of Two Cities, and a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, and Matilda by Roald Dahl. I hope that's all of them. Feel free to add some or correct me if I'm wrong.
rynflynn12's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
dawnpruyn1023's review against another edition
5.0
I don’t remember when I enjoyed a book as much as this one! So much to love! And nothing dicey to keep me from recommending it to my book-loving fifteen year old daughter. Bonus...it has me excited to read several Dickens novels that I never took the time to read before now. Looking forward to more from this author.
mdumler's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
_ottavia_'s review against another edition
2.0
C'era il potenziale. C'era la scrittura. Ma è tutto piuttosto piatto.
Però venisse tradotto altro dell'autrice lo leggerei sicuramente.
Però venisse tradotto altro dell'autrice lo leggerei sicuramente.
katykelly's review against another edition
3.0
Sprawling literary world-hopping adventure.
Great prospect - book characters coming out of their source novels, interacting with people. And I did love that aspect of this. Books about books always appeal. And there was a good story at the heart of this.
Rob is roped into helping his brother Charley. Again. A prodigy, his younger brother, English professor, calls Rob up in the middle of the night when he accidentally lets loose Uriah Heep from a Dickens novel he's reading, and needs help returning him to the literary world of David Copperfield. And this isn't the first time.
Since Charley was a small boy, lawyer Rob has looked out for him and his secret complication. Charley, reading Dickens as a toddler, off to University overseas at 13, relies on his brother to help him out of these scrapes, though both are out of their depth when characters from books began causing problems in the real world, and it seems that there is someone else out there with a similar ability to Charley, putting more than one world in danger.
This started well, it piqued my interest, and I loved meeting various literary characters - Matilda popped up, more than one Darcy - but it did feel overlong and protracted. A fairly simple story, with a couple of twists (that I liked, actually), it took a long time to cover relatively little ground.
Literary references were well-integrated (there were a couple of characters I was unfamiliar with though), I didn't really take to Charley. Rob as narrator was of course the most likeable and sympathetic but I was more interested in the books and characters than the real world. That might just be me, as librarian/book lover.
Slightly disappointed I must say, that it wasn't tighter, though I did relish the literary aspects of this. I'd have moved faster through this on paper perhaps, not stopped so often.
A long audiobook, but well narrated. I wanted to like this more than I did, though I did appreciate the author's efforts at including realistic characters from famous books that represented and expanded their literary sources.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
Great prospect - book characters coming out of their source novels, interacting with people. And I did love that aspect of this. Books about books always appeal. And there was a good story at the heart of this.
Rob is roped into helping his brother Charley. Again. A prodigy, his younger brother, English professor, calls Rob up in the middle of the night when he accidentally lets loose Uriah Heep from a Dickens novel he's reading, and needs help returning him to the literary world of David Copperfield. And this isn't the first time.
Since Charley was a small boy, lawyer Rob has looked out for him and his secret complication. Charley, reading Dickens as a toddler, off to University overseas at 13, relies on his brother to help him out of these scrapes, though both are out of their depth when characters from books began causing problems in the real world, and it seems that there is someone else out there with a similar ability to Charley, putting more than one world in danger.
This started well, it piqued my interest, and I loved meeting various literary characters - Matilda popped up, more than one Darcy - but it did feel overlong and protracted. A fairly simple story, with a couple of twists (that I liked, actually), it took a long time to cover relatively little ground.
Literary references were well-integrated (there were a couple of characters I was unfamiliar with though), I didn't really take to Charley. Rob as narrator was of course the most likeable and sympathetic but I was more interested in the books and characters than the real world. That might just be me, as librarian/book lover.
Slightly disappointed I must say, that it wasn't tighter, though I did relish the literary aspects of this. I'd have moved faster through this on paper perhaps, not stopped so often.
A long audiobook, but well narrated. I wanted to like this more than I did, though I did appreciate the author's efforts at including realistic characters from famous books that represented and expanded their literary sources.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
crtney's review against another edition
4.25
I really just loved this book—I loved the fictional characters coming to life, I loved the relationship between the brothers, and I loved the audio version. It was just fun with a turn towards the serious.
tsharrison93's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
justlynn_andbooks's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
angorarabbit's review against another edition
4.0
I am still waiting for Red Side Story so thought I'd try this. Apparently I am a fan of the get people in and out of books genre, who knew.
TW: non-graphic death and violence, discrimination, family relationships stillbirth. Triggers are not discussed in this review.
After being so violently disappointed by Just One Damned Thing After Another, I am leary of authors being compared to Jasper Fforde. While in the same genre as Fforde, Parry focuses on a family's relationships. It makes for an endearing story admist all the fictional characters running amok. There also is not as much word play and comedy as FFord's novels. I was chuffed at guessing a secret identity despite how long it's been since I've read the relevant books.
All in all a good, fun, clean read with heart.
Now the nitpicking criticisms. Too many climaxes. the first less than 1/2 through the novel. Climaxes are fun to write and this was the author's first published novel so forgivable. Also while I felt that meeting the final boss was a little weak the last chapter was a perfect ending.
Second: Where is Trollope? Uriah Heep, the Artful Dodger, David Copperfield, Fagin, and Scrooge, Nancy, Charles Dickens himself, but no Obadiah Slope (played by Alan Rickman in the Barchester Chronicles mini series), George Vavasor, or the fabulous Glencora. I understand keeping the cast of characters to a manageable level but this was very Dickens heavy.At least Kipling only received a rude mention.
To make matters worse Trollope only gets a mention in the June 2023 version of the Wikipedia article about Victorian Literature. Humph.
Never mind. The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep is a good read.
TW: non-graphic death and violence, discrimination, family relationships stillbirth. Triggers are not discussed in this review.
After being so violently disappointed by Just One Damned Thing After Another, I am leary of authors being compared to Jasper Fforde. While in the same genre as Fforde, Parry focuses on a family's relationships. It makes for an endearing story admist all the fictional characters running amok. There also is not as much word play and comedy as FFord's novels. I was chuffed at guessing a secret identity despite how long it's been since I've read the relevant books.
All in all a good, fun, clean read with heart.
Now the nitpicking criticisms. Too many climaxes. the first less than 1/2 through the novel. Climaxes are fun to write and this was the author's first published novel so forgivable. Also while I felt that meeting the final boss was a little weak the last chapter was a perfect ending.
Second: Where is Trollope? Uriah Heep, the Artful Dodger, David Copperfield, Fagin, and Scrooge, Nancy, Charles Dickens himself, but no Obadiah Slope (played by Alan Rickman in the Barchester Chronicles mini series), George Vavasor, or the fabulous Glencora. I understand keeping the cast of characters to a manageable level but this was very Dickens heavy.At least Kipling only received a rude mention.
To make matters worse Trollope only gets a mention in the June 2023 version of the Wikipedia article about Victorian Literature. Humph.
Never mind. The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep is a good read.