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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Would make a good film, but a few too many threads to follow and not really gripping enough to make it worthwhile
This book has enough characters and enough plot elements for 2 books at least. But I enjoyed it! Mysterious town descended from child geniuses has secret gate to another world and lots of secrets.
This is Rotherweird: an autonomous enclave of England where cutting-edge technology rubs shoulders with rural magic; a region inhabited by geniuses who somehow cling on to a neo-Elizabethan way of life. It does not take long to realise that Rotherweird is, well... rather weird...
Jonah Oblong, an "outsider from wider England" has just been employed as history teacher at Rotherweird School. He soon learns that the residents of Rotherweird town and the surrounding countryside are barred from enquiring into the region's past and, particularly, from researching the dark reasons for which Elizabeth I granted Rotherweird its special status. Oblong also discovers that his predecessor Robert Flask disappeared after showing an unhealthy interest in this forbidden subject. Desperate times, however, require desperate measures. "Outsider" Sir Veronal Slickstone has strangely been invited to purchase the town Manor, and his arrival brings with it the threat of ancient evil. Will an ill-assorted bunch of anti-heroes manage keep these dangers at bay?
I often read supernatural fiction although I generally avoid fantasy. This might soon change thanks to this highly entertaining novel, the first of a projected trilogy. The plot is dense but gripping, occasionally threatening to burst at the seams (like the Town's tangled buildings), but somehow managing to remain on track. What impressed me most (apart from the diverse case of eccentric characters) is the way in which various genres are seamlessly combined. Nominally a "fantasy novel", it also involves elements of crime/mystery, steampunk (courtesy of the curious inventions of Boris and Bert Polk), historical fiction/alternative history and various shades of horror (including body horror in the shape of a man-eating spider, eco-Gothic and folk-horror). There is also an underlying streak of good-natured English humour of the Wodehouse type, featuring witty wordplay and inept bachelors besotted with strong-willed women. On paper it shouldn't work. Somehow, it does.
The text is complemented by imaginative illustrations by Aleksandra Laika, which help to put the reader in the mood of this strange book.
Allow me three questions...
- It turns out that author Andrew Caldecott is a high-flying QC. When does he manage to write novels this complex? Any time-management tips welcome.
- when is the sequel out? I'm already looking forward to it.
- And the movie?
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in return for an honest review
Jonah Oblong, an "outsider from wider England" has just been employed as history teacher at Rotherweird School. He soon learns that the residents of Rotherweird town and the surrounding countryside are barred from enquiring into the region's past and, particularly, from researching the dark reasons for which Elizabeth I granted Rotherweird its special status. Oblong also discovers that his predecessor Robert Flask disappeared after showing an unhealthy interest in this forbidden subject. Desperate times, however, require desperate measures. "Outsider" Sir Veronal Slickstone has strangely been invited to purchase the town Manor, and his arrival brings with it the threat of ancient evil. Will an ill-assorted bunch of anti-heroes manage keep these dangers at bay?
I often read supernatural fiction although I generally avoid fantasy. This might soon change thanks to this highly entertaining novel, the first of a projected trilogy. The plot is dense but gripping, occasionally threatening to burst at the seams (like the Town's tangled buildings), but somehow managing to remain on track. What impressed me most (apart from the diverse case of eccentric characters) is the way in which various genres are seamlessly combined. Nominally a "fantasy novel", it also involves elements of crime/mystery, steampunk (courtesy of the curious inventions of Boris and Bert Polk), historical fiction/alternative history and various shades of horror (including body horror in the shape of a man-eating spider, eco-Gothic and folk-horror). There is also an underlying streak of good-natured English humour of the Wodehouse type, featuring witty wordplay and inept bachelors besotted with strong-willed women. On paper it shouldn't work. Somehow, it does.
The text is complemented by imaginative illustrations by Aleksandra Laika, which help to put the reader in the mood of this strange book.
Allow me three questions...
- It turns out that author Andrew Caldecott is a high-flying QC. When does he manage to write novels this complex? Any time-management tips welcome.
- when is the sequel out? I'm already looking forward to it.
- And the movie?
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in return for an honest review
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Rotherweird was described as 'English folk horror', which made me think I'd either love it or hate it. I like folk stories, but as discussed in my review of Dread Nation, I don't usually read horror. As it turns out, I didn't love or hate Rotherweird. It was fun and reading it definitely cheered me up more than Scottish Traditional Tales, but it's not going on my favourites list.
My favourite bit was the coracle race, which I thought was a really cool adventure which also showed a lot of the different characters' personalities. It reminded me a lot of a Goblin Emperor fanfic that I read by big sunglasses: Passage, which also features a boat race and lots of great exploration of character.
There was no character development as such in Rotherweird. The characters were more... quirky, almost caricatures, with no sign that they were going to grow into anything else. Which is fine, because the book was more about the mystery than about the characters’ interior lives. What struck me as odd was how passive the characters were. Oblong, in particular, seemed curiously willing to obey the rules and not investigate the central mystery. Which is not exactly what one is used to in fiction!
I finished Rotherweird not entirely certain I fully understood everything. There were certain things, like who Gregorious Jones actually was, that I was sure I'd worked out at one point only to have forgotten. And then there were things that were probably meant to be left unanswered to give Andrew Caldecott something to write about in the sequel. So it wasn't quite as satisfying as a good murder mystery, but I've heard good things about the sequel so perhaps that's not something that should hold anyone back from reading this.
As editor of a puzzle magazine, I have to give a shout-out to the inclusion of crossword clues and crossword creating. You don't get to see that too often in media: the only examples I can think of are All About Steve (which is ludicrously unrealistic) and The Imitation Game. Rotherweird didn't do anything egregiously wrong, so I'll give it the crossword-editor seal of approval!
My favourite bit was the coracle race, which I thought was a really cool adventure which also showed a lot of the different characters' personalities. It reminded me a lot of a Goblin Emperor fanfic that I read by big sunglasses: Passage, which also features a boat race and lots of great exploration of character.
There was no character development as such in Rotherweird. The characters were more... quirky, almost caricatures, with no sign that they were going to grow into anything else. Which is fine, because the book was more about the mystery than about the characters’ interior lives. What struck me as odd was how passive the characters were. Oblong, in particular, seemed curiously willing to obey the rules and not investigate the central mystery. Which is not exactly what one is used to in fiction!
I finished Rotherweird not entirely certain I fully understood everything. There were certain things, like who Gregorious Jones actually was, that I was sure I'd worked out at one point only to have forgotten. And then there were things that were probably meant to be left unanswered to give Andrew Caldecott something to write about in the sequel. So it wasn't quite as satisfying as a good murder mystery, but I've heard good things about the sequel so perhaps that's not something that should hold anyone back from reading this.
As editor of a puzzle magazine, I have to give a shout-out to the inclusion of crossword clues and crossword creating. You don't get to see that too often in media: the only examples I can think of are All About Steve (which is ludicrously unrealistic) and The Imitation Game. Rotherweird didn't do anything egregiously wrong, so I'll give it the crossword-editor seal of approval!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
DNF'd @ 20%
The premise of Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott sounded really cool - it totally gave me Peril in the Old Country by Sam Hooker vibes. Unfortunately, the writing style and the tone just weren't working for me here. I managed to make it through 20% before I realized I was too bored and uninterested to continue. Thanks anyway, NetGalley.
DNF'd @ 20%
The premise of Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott sounded really cool - it totally gave me Peril in the Old Country by Sam Hooker vibes. Unfortunately, the writing style and the tone just weren't working for me here. I managed to make it through 20% before I realized I was too bored and uninterested to continue. Thanks anyway, NetGalley.
I could solve some parts of the mystery a little to early, but a great and original story, fantastic characters and a good plot.