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A review by starrynews
Abarat by Clive Barker
4.0
I am not usually drawn into a book by its cover, as I know that the author often has little to do with it. In this case, Abarat should absolutely be judged by its cover, as it features Barker's own work that is used throughout the book as illustrations to the story. The pictures are amazing and really enhance the tale and Candy's journey, as she meets a number of interesting characters (a man with seven heads on antlers?!) and travels through the magical land of the Abarat.
There's plenty of action and a lot to learn about the islands Candy finds herself on, which makes for some fascinating reading. The only aspect of the tale that is a drawback is where it ends. While the book is already a decent length, so it makes sense to cut it off at some point to continue on in the next, this particular story feels like we had only just begun to get answers to some of the questions introduced. Then bam! It's actually done. But I look forward to picking up the next. Also -- the addition of the "excerpt" with further information about the Abarat at the end was very useful for filling in the blanks.
There's plenty of action and a lot to learn about the islands Candy finds herself on, which makes for some fascinating reading. The only aspect of the tale that is a drawback is where it ends. While the book is already a decent length, so it makes sense to cut it off at some point to continue on in the next, this particular story feels like we had only just begun to get answers to some of the questions introduced. Then bam! It's actually done. But I look forward to picking up the next. Also -- the addition of the "excerpt" with further information about the Abarat at the end was very useful for filling in the blanks.