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A review by toggle_fow
The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
See, when H. G. Parry writes books, they mean something.
This is a "fictional characters come to life" story and, if I had known that, I probably wouldn't have picked it up. Almost every "fictional characters come to life" story I've ever read has been disappointing in one way or another: shallow, annoying, trite, incoherent worldbuilding, failure to commit to the bit, etc. This book, on the other hand, is what all books about fictional characters coming to life SHOULD be.
AND it's about siblings.
Rob, our everyman narrator, is the long-suffering older brother of Charley Sutherland, an eccentric boy genius literary professor. In addition to being a wunderkind, Charley also has the mysterious power of "summoning" literary characters out of their books and into the real world.
These two have a twisted-up sibling dynamic that is both uncomfortable and VERY important for both of them, and lies at the very heart of the story. Rob loves Charley, resents him for always being smarter and more special, resents the role of "protective older brother" he feels was thrust upon him, yet also needs that role and would never give it up. Charley feels like a burden, like he has never fit in and always been a problem for others to solve.
What does this have to do with fictional characters coming to life? Everything, pal.
Charley, sometimes, has brought characters to life on accident. This is a normal, usual sort of problem for him and Rob to have. What's not normal is when other characters start showing up in the city, ones Charley knows HE didn't bring to life, betraying the existence of another summoner. Who is this person? And what is the mysterious "new world" they are working toward?
The plot follows Charley and Rob untangling the puzzle of the sinister second summoner at the same time as they are being forced to untangle family secrets and the unspoken tensions in their relationship. Their parents are also important characters, which I love because it's so rare to have parents that actually show up in a real way in a story.
The fictional characters I didn't care nearly as much about, but they were endearing and did show more depth than most fictional characters in books with this premise.
The twist near the end didn't surprise me too much, but I had been well prepared by the Raven Cycle and the Dreamer Trilogy. I am usually someone who doesn't figure anything out myself in books, because I'm reading so fast I trip over the reveal before I've even thought about the mystery. But I did figure this one out on my own FOR ONCE, so I'm a little proud of myself!
When I thought that the end was really going to have Charley sacrifice himself, I was ticked OFF. But then I loved how it actually did end. Rob's "I am the captain now" moment was wonderful. Even though their relationship throughout the book was full of friction and made me wince multiple times, it was also full of compelling heart, and I loved the catharsis of the book's conclusion.
This is a "fictional characters come to life" story and, if I had known that, I probably wouldn't have picked it up. Almost every "fictional characters come to life" story I've ever read has been disappointing in one way or another: shallow, annoying, trite, incoherent worldbuilding, failure to commit to the bit, etc. This book, on the other hand, is what all books about fictional characters coming to life SHOULD be.
AND it's about siblings.
Rob, our everyman narrator, is the long-suffering older brother of Charley Sutherland, an eccentric boy genius literary professor. In addition to being a wunderkind, Charley also has the mysterious power of "summoning" literary characters out of their books and into the real world.
These two have a twisted-up sibling dynamic that is both uncomfortable and VERY important for both of them, and lies at the very heart of the story. Rob loves Charley, resents him for always being smarter and more special, resents the role of "protective older brother" he feels was thrust upon him, yet also needs that role and would never give it up. Charley feels like a burden, like he has never fit in and always been a problem for others to solve.
What does this have to do with fictional characters coming to life? Everything, pal.
Charley, sometimes, has brought characters to life on accident. This is a normal, usual sort of problem for him and Rob to have. What's not normal is when other characters start showing up in the city, ones Charley knows HE didn't bring to life, betraying the existence of another summoner. Who is this person? And what is the mysterious "new world" they are working toward?
The plot follows Charley and Rob untangling the puzzle of the sinister second summoner at the same time as they are being forced to untangle family secrets and the unspoken tensions in their relationship. Their parents are also important characters, which I love because it's so rare to have parents that actually show up in a real way in a story.
The fictional characters I didn't care nearly as much about, but they were endearing and did show more depth than most fictional characters in books with this premise.
The twist near the end didn't surprise me too much, but I had been well prepared by the Raven Cycle and the Dreamer Trilogy. I am usually someone who doesn't figure anything out myself in books, because I'm reading so fast I trip over the reveal before I've even thought about the mystery. But I did figure this one out on my own FOR ONCE, so I'm a little proud of myself!
When I thought that the end was really going to have Charley sacrifice himself, I was ticked OFF. But then I loved how it actually did end. Rob's "I am the captain now" moment was wonderful. Even though their relationship throughout the book was full of friction and made me wince multiple times, it was also full of compelling heart, and I loved the catharsis of the book's conclusion.