Review Detail

What a beautiful book! This is one where I highly advise you to bite the bullet and purchase the hardback version. The author, Clive Barker (better known for adult horror and some terrifying movies), is also an artist. The book is illustrated with over 100 pieces of his artwork.

The art, like the story, is colorful, inventive and fantastic. Each picture helps to create a dream-like atmosphere that you'll want to dive right into. Well, perhaps not every picture, as some are detailed paintings of the more evil characters in the book.

The story is, in some ways, a classic adventure tale. Cindy Quackenbush lives in Chickentown, Minnesota, which is pretty much the middle of nowhere. One day, Cindy has had enough and walks out of school and straight out to the grasslands surrounding the town.

She meets a strange man named John Mischief, who has seven brothers that "live" on antlers atop his head. He is running from Shape, a horrible man-creature, and enlists Candy's help. Candy escapes with John to the Abarat.

She soon gets separated from her new friend. Traveling around the bizarre and mysterious islands of the Abarat (each island represents a specific hour of the day), she meets many interesting characters. Some of them help her and some hinder her, but all soon realize there's something special and different about Candy.

The reader sees it too. This series promises to be an engrossing one. I honestly don't know what will come out of Clive Barker's head next. I hope to meet him some day. With an imagination like that, there's no telling what kind of conversations you would have.