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A review by wordsandnocturnes
Thunderpaws and the Tower of London by Ben Housden
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Thunderpaws and the Tower of London by Ben Housden showcases the story of the cat Teufel, also known as Thunderpaws, as he is caught between two parties who are at odds. Who can he trust? What should he do? Armed with his curiosity and common sense, Teufel needs to discover the answers to these questions and explore the secrets of the Tower of London.
In the beginning, I greatly disliked the stream-of-consciousness narration from the protagonist Teufel’s point-of-view. It felt annoying being exposed to Teufel’s every action and thought, especially with his arrogant and stubborn attitude. Although that was what I thought initially, when Teufel begins conversing and interacting with many different characters, his snarkiness becomes more interesting and adds personality to the character instead of being just a haughty nuisance.
The large cast of characters, and different parties and allegiances can be confusing at first, but it’s made better with basic knowledge of the historical characters that have to do with the Tower of London (Anne Bolelyn, Richard III, the significance of the ravens at the Tower of London, and so on). This Historic Royal Palaces page may be helpful to get a very basic understanding of the history surrounding the Tower of London. As the story progresses, it becomes easier to distinguish the characters and the groups they belong in, so the large cast of characters is also not a big issue.
The plot is a mixture of adventure, science fiction, wackiness and fun. The last two “ingredients” tend to be present in many works aimed at children. The carefreeness and non-adherence to the rules makes the story and its elements innovative and at times ridiculous, but still carrying the youthful and energetic spirit often found in children’s books. Sometimes it makes the book charming, sometimes it makes the book utterly absurd, and sometimes (as is the case with this book), it makes the book a good adventure.
This may be a nitpick, but though I understood the Star Wars references, it may not be the same case for all readers. That’s the tricky thing about references, how can we be sure the audience understands the references? Is there any point in including references when not all of the audience will understand it, and will likely be left bewildered and unsure of what the author is trying to convey?
One of the parts I enjoyed the most about this book is the beautiful illustrations by the artist Monokubo, who also shares lovely art on Instagram and Tumblr. The writing and plot are already energetic and exciting, so the more sober colours and detailed illustrations lend the story a sense of gravity, that is, not entirely ridiculous. The art further aids the readers to imagine and visualise the action and the drama of the various situations.
I wasn’t fond of the ending of this book, though I suspect this is just my personal preference. It might have been nice for this book to be a standalone instead of branching out to a series of time travellers and possible mythical beings (it somehow reminds me of Mr. Peabody & Sherman).
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this book if you’re looking for a diverse cast of characters or for strong character development, and sometimes the plot can be confusing, but it’s a fun adventure through some parts of London (and of course, it’s still centred around the Tower of London). It’s still exciting, and despite my personal preferences, this series (dubbed Nature’s Claw in Goodreads) may be a nice way to get people interested in the history of the places and people mentioned.
In the beginning, I greatly disliked the stream-of-consciousness narration from the protagonist Teufel’s point-of-view. It felt annoying being exposed to Teufel’s every action and thought, especially with his arrogant and stubborn attitude. Although that was what I thought initially, when Teufel begins conversing and interacting with many different characters, his snarkiness becomes more interesting and adds personality to the character instead of being just a haughty nuisance.
The large cast of characters, and different parties and allegiances can be confusing at first, but it’s made better with basic knowledge of the historical characters that have to do with the Tower of London (Anne Bolelyn, Richard III, the significance of the ravens at the Tower of London, and so on). This Historic Royal Palaces page may be helpful to get a very basic understanding of the history surrounding the Tower of London. As the story progresses, it becomes easier to distinguish the characters and the groups they belong in, so the large cast of characters is also not a big issue.
The plot is a mixture of adventure, science fiction, wackiness and fun. The last two “ingredients” tend to be present in many works aimed at children. The carefreeness and non-adherence to the rules makes the story and its elements innovative and at times ridiculous, but still carrying the youthful and energetic spirit often found in children’s books. Sometimes it makes the book charming, sometimes it makes the book utterly absurd, and sometimes (as is the case with this book), it makes the book a good adventure.
This may be a nitpick, but though I understood the Star Wars references, it may not be the same case for all readers. That’s the tricky thing about references, how can we be sure the audience understands the references? Is there any point in including references when not all of the audience will understand it, and will likely be left bewildered and unsure of what the author is trying to convey?
One of the parts I enjoyed the most about this book is the beautiful illustrations by the artist Monokubo, who also shares lovely art on Instagram and Tumblr. The writing and plot are already energetic and exciting, so the more sober colours and detailed illustrations lend the story a sense of gravity, that is, not entirely ridiculous. The art further aids the readers to imagine and visualise the action and the drama of the various situations.
I wasn’t fond of the ending of this book, though I suspect this is just my personal preference. It might have been nice for this book to be a standalone instead of branching out to a series of time travellers and possible mythical beings (it somehow reminds me of Mr. Peabody & Sherman).
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this book if you’re looking for a diverse cast of characters or for strong character development, and sometimes the plot can be confusing, but it’s a fun adventure through some parts of London (and of course, it’s still centred around the Tower of London). It’s still exciting, and despite my personal preferences, this series (dubbed Nature’s Claw in Goodreads) may be a nice way to get people interested in the history of the places and people mentioned.