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erebus53's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
As books for children these are relatively informative.. on a .. vocabulary level, but they are samey. Props for incorporating the word Brobignagian though. In this story the children are housed with yet another distant relative, this time on the shores of Lake Lacrimose.
Again the names of the locations are witty. (Lacrimose, here, means to do with tears.) Damocles Dock is a more alliterative way of saying perilous dock.. or maybe we could have gone with perilous pier..? but I digress. Again we have fanciful creatures. Again we have a library full of books that help the children solve a puzzle, a fancy-dress nemesis, and a consumptive banker who refuses to listen to young people.
The children face their fears and flex their bravery and creativity... but I'm really getting sick of the depiction of the scary hench being a gender-indeterminate fat person. I don't know what bothers me more; the fat-phobia or the dehumanisation of a person who defies gender norms, bt referring them as "it", a monster, and all the other slurs. I find it cringey and obscene.
Story is cute, absurd, and short. The soundtrack music is excellent (thanks, The Gothic Archies). Unlike the first two instalments, Tim Curry is not the narrator of this Audiobook. The patter is distinctive and the characters are consistent. Could do without the bigotry though.
Again the names of the locations are witty. (Lacrimose, here, means to do with tears.) Damocles Dock is a more alliterative way of saying perilous dock.. or maybe we could have gone with perilous pier..? but I digress. Again we have fanciful creatures. Again we have a library full of books that help the children solve a puzzle, a fancy-dress nemesis, and a consumptive banker who refuses to listen to young people.
The children face their fears and flex their bravery and creativity... but I'm really getting sick of the depiction of the scary hench being a gender-indeterminate fat person. I don't know what bothers me more; the fat-phobia or the dehumanisation of a person who defies gender norms, bt referring them as "it", a monster, and all the other slurs. I find it cringey and obscene.
Story is cute, absurd, and short. The soundtrack music is excellent (thanks, The Gothic Archies). Unlike the first two instalments, Tim Curry is not the narrator of this Audiobook. The patter is distinctive and the characters are consistent. Could do without the bigotry though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Abandonment
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