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A review by heathercatherineo
Abarat: Absolute Midnight by Clive Barker
4.0
As with some other notable young adult series, Absolute Midnight makes it clear that this series is growing up and growing out, increasing not only in its imagination but its complexity as well. I have a few minor complaints, and sometimes Barker's prose is a bit hard to follow due to the way he splits up his sentences, but overall the book was a strong piece of literature. It read as much more than a simple fantasy novel, and his artwork for this third installment of the series was brilliant: dark and chaotic, like the nature of the events happening in the world of the Abarat.
Only a few complaints...
The first complaint I have is of the Abarataraba, the ancient, most powerful form of Abaratian magic. It's mentioned within the first few chapters of the book, and Candy admits to having had heard of it, and yet this is the first time we the readers are hearing of it. It pops up out of nowhere, and we don't understand what it really is until later, only getting bits and pieces of information about it. But then again, maybe that's meant to reflect the nature of the Abarataraba itself, in which case, kudos to Barker.
The next two complaints I have
Second, Gazza, the fisherman (who doesn't have his own portrait, though Barker is quick to give us illustrations of many of the other major characters) who seems to come out of nowhere. He suddenly pops up, and with hardly any interaction that the reader witnesses, suddenly he and Candy are soulmates and it feels as though the readers are left to just go with it and just accept the fact that suddenly Gazza is a major character.
Neither of these complaints would be as prominent if Barker hadn't done such a wonderful job in the first two books (and even this one, with some other characters) creating an intricate portrait of each major player in this world, both with words and art. But the fact that these things pop up with no background other than what is hastily supplied on the spot and afterwards leaves a bad taste of shallow plot devices in my mouth.
I suppose I could summarize my complaints by saying, as another reviewer put it, that I feel as though I missed a step between the second and third Abarat books, that there is an "Abarat 2.5" out there that explains all these things that seem to pop up out of nowhere and the increasing detachment that at least I felt from the character of Candy as she becomes exponentially more abstract. Yes, the third book begins right where the last one left off, but suddenly all these new elements are introduced and I'm left scratching my head and struggling to keep up.
Overall, however, I find that though it seemed a bit rushed at times, Absolute Midnight is a well-written, creepy and complex chapter in this epic story.
Only a few complaints...
The first complaint I have is of the Abarataraba, the ancient, most powerful form of Abaratian magic. It's mentioned within the first few chapters of the book, and Candy admits to having had heard of it, and yet this is the first time we the readers are hearing of it. It pops up out of nowhere, and we don't understand what it really is until later, only getting bits and pieces of information about it. But then again, maybe that's meant to reflect the nature of the Abarataraba itself, in which case, kudos to Barker.
The next two complaints I have
Spoiler
are, as I've found, fairly common among people who have read the book. First, Boa is evil? I'll agree with many other readers in saying that that felt like it came out of left field. As the book progresses, Barker gives an explanation as to why she's evil and has been, but it feels like a weak filler for such a big revelation, especially when an entire section of the book is devoted to her true evil nature.Second, Gazza, the fisherman (who doesn't have his own portrait, though Barker is quick to give us illustrations of many of the other major characters) who seems to come out of nowhere. He suddenly pops up, and with hardly any interaction that the reader witnesses, suddenly he and Candy are soulmates and it feels as though the readers are left to just go with it and just accept the fact that suddenly Gazza is a major character.
Neither of these complaints would be as prominent if Barker hadn't done such a wonderful job in the first two books (and even this one, with some other characters) creating an intricate portrait of each major player in this world, both with words and art. But the fact that these things pop up with no background other than what is hastily supplied on the spot and afterwards leaves a bad taste of shallow plot devices in my mouth.
I suppose I could summarize my complaints by saying, as another reviewer put it, that I feel as though I missed a step between the second and third Abarat books, that there is an "Abarat 2.5" out there that explains all these things that seem to pop up out of nowhere and the increasing detachment that at least I felt from the character of Candy as she becomes exponentially more abstract. Yes, the third book begins right where the last one left off, but suddenly all these new elements are introduced and I'm left scratching my head and struggling to keep up.
Overall, however, I find that though it seemed a bit rushed at times, Absolute Midnight is a well-written, creepy and complex chapter in this epic story.