by Ellie Bowker
Brilliant, creepy and outrageously imaginative; John Connolly has manipulated the traditional fairy tales in to his own engrossing novel about the power of storytelling. David mourns the loss of his mother by finding comfort in the books on his shelves and struggles to deal with his father’s re-marriage and new baby brother. As the Second World War is erupting, David finds a hole in the back of his garden that transports him to the fantasy world of his fairy tales but this world is not full of pretty princesses and cute little woodland creatures. The Crooked Man is creating havoc among the kingdom and the King, close to death, has no control. David encounters an array of characters that you will recognise from classic tales such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty but all have a much darker twist. This is the story that will never leave you.
Brilliant, creepy and outrageously imaginative; John Connolly has manipulated the traditional fairy tales in to his own engrossing novel about the power of storytelling. David mourns the loss of his mother by finding comfort in the books on his shelves and struggles to deal with his father’s re-marriage and new baby brother. As the Second World War is erupting, David finds a hole in the back of his garden that transports him to the fantasy world of his fairy tales but this world is not full of pretty princesses and cute little woodland creatures. The Crooked Man is creating havoc among the kingdom and the King, close to death, has no control. David encounters an array of characters that you will recognise from classic tales such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty but all have a much darker twist. This is the story that will never leave you.
When I first picked up this book, I assumed it would be a plain and simple fairy tale adaptation but how wrong I was. From the moment I started reading, I couldn’t stop as every page was adventurous, surprising and enchanting as the last. The writing style had a fairy tale vibe about it which may deter some readers once they hear this but, honestly, it fits perfectly. Connolly has no trouble painting the picture of this new fantasy world in the reader’s mind and can send chills running down your back in just a single sentence. Whilst reading, there were plenty of times where Connolly’s writing made me feel terrified at the prospect of Loups (a twist on the classic werewolf) and The Crooked Man watching me.
The characters had depth and in a stylised fairy tale, that’s tricky to come across. At the beginning of the book, David is this scared little boy and it is suggested that he suffers OCD which is always a sensitive subject to write about even though the book doesn’t centre on that aspect of David’s life. By the end of the book, David overcomes his OCD and has now left his childhood behind as he grows in to a man. The Crooked Man, I can safely say, is one of the scariest villains in fiction. He lures older siblings in to the kingdom and promises them luxuries and power if they betray their younger siblings by telling him their names. It’s obvious that throughout the novel, David dislikes his younger brother, George, as he feels his younger brother is replacing him in the family. But as David’s character grows up and strengthens throughout the book, when it comes down to the final fight, David does all he can to protect George from The Crooked Man which is, ultimately, The Crooked Man’s destruction.
I loved how Connolly had worked the fairy tales that we are so familiar with in to the story and it was all relevant to the story. I was concerned that it wouldn’t fit in and they would just have these fairy tale characters in there for the sake of them being there. Each character in the book that is introduced has relevance to the story and to other characters, whether it is as a sidekick or a villain or simply to encourage David in his adventure, it all has relevance. The downfall of The Crooked Man wasn’t over complicated nor was it overly simplified, there was the perfect mix of surprise with little predictability (the predictable part being that The Crooked Man dies and David is the hero) as there were plot twists that changed the whole game for David.What I found wonderful about this book was the ending. It would’ve been so easy to leave things hanging in the air and then try to drag out the story to create a trilogy or a series which is the popular choice with most fantasy novels. It was a perfect ending as there was nothing that didn’t feel settled or disappointing, I never felt like any of the characters or stories were left hanging in the air. It would’ve been easy to drag it out (painful and disappointing but easy) but Connolly wrapped it all up in one and did a good job of it which is rare to come by in the fantasy genre.
This is the book for any fantasy lover out there. The book is written beautifully and will feed your imagination. The exciting pace that Connolly creates continues throughout the novel brilliantly which leads me to the conclusion that Connolly is a powerful writer. The Book of Lost Things is an amazing read and a must for all bookworms.
The characters had depth and in a stylised fairy tale, that’s tricky to come across. At the beginning of the book, David is this scared little boy and it is suggested that he suffers OCD which is always a sensitive subject to write about even though the book doesn’t centre on that aspect of David’s life. By the end of the book, David overcomes his OCD and has now left his childhood behind as he grows in to a man. The Crooked Man, I can safely say, is one of the scariest villains in fiction. He lures older siblings in to the kingdom and promises them luxuries and power if they betray their younger siblings by telling him their names. It’s obvious that throughout the novel, David dislikes his younger brother, George, as he feels his younger brother is replacing him in the family. But as David’s character grows up and strengthens throughout the book, when it comes down to the final fight, David does all he can to protect George from The Crooked Man which is, ultimately, The Crooked Man’s destruction.
I loved how Connolly had worked the fairy tales that we are so familiar with in to the story and it was all relevant to the story. I was concerned that it wouldn’t fit in and they would just have these fairy tale characters in there for the sake of them being there. Each character in the book that is introduced has relevance to the story and to other characters, whether it is as a sidekick or a villain or simply to encourage David in his adventure, it all has relevance. The downfall of The Crooked Man wasn’t over complicated nor was it overly simplified, there was the perfect mix of surprise with little predictability (the predictable part being that The Crooked Man dies and David is the hero) as there were plot twists that changed the whole game for David.What I found wonderful about this book was the ending. It would’ve been so easy to leave things hanging in the air and then try to drag out the story to create a trilogy or a series which is the popular choice with most fantasy novels. It was a perfect ending as there was nothing that didn’t feel settled or disappointing, I never felt like any of the characters or stories were left hanging in the air. It would’ve been easy to drag it out (painful and disappointing but easy) but Connolly wrapped it all up in one and did a good job of it which is rare to come by in the fantasy genre.
This is the book for any fantasy lover out there. The book is written beautifully and will feed your imagination. The exciting pace that Connolly creates continues throughout the novel brilliantly which leads me to the conclusion that Connolly is a powerful writer. The Book of Lost Things is an amazing read and a must for all bookworms.
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