Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by crowyhead
The Navigator by Eoin McNamee
3.0
Eoin McNamee brings us a good first venture into the realm of middle-reader speculative fiction. There are elements of Philip Pullman and Garth Nix here, and it also reminded me a bit of Jeanette Winterson's recent children's novel, Tanglewreck. It's less ambitious than Tanglewreck, though, and I'm inclined to see that as a good thing, since that one really got mired down toward the end.
In contrast, The Navigator moves along at a fast clip and refuses to get too involved in the mechanics of the world (which is not to say that the background is not detailed), and it's a cracking good yarn for younger readers. As an adult, I felt that at times the author relied too heavily on coincidence (or providence?) to move the plot along, but that didn't keep me from devouring this in short order. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel eventually, but I didn't feel the need to rush right out and get it. Overall, this is a seriously solid novel and well worth reading, but it's nothing breathtaking.
In contrast, The Navigator moves along at a fast clip and refuses to get too involved in the mechanics of the world (which is not to say that the background is not detailed), and it's a cracking good yarn for younger readers. As an adult, I felt that at times the author relied too heavily on coincidence (or providence?) to move the plot along, but that didn't keep me from devouring this in short order. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel eventually, but I didn't feel the need to rush right out and get it. Overall, this is a seriously solid novel and well worth reading, but it's nothing breathtaking.