

|
Loading... Wildwood (2011)by Colin Meloy, Carson Ellis (Illustrator)
Wildwood is a fantasy novel written by Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis. I enjoyed this book very much. I liked the characters and it had a good, solid plot. There were characters that were talking birds, coyotes and they even drove vehicles. Wildwood takes place in a forest which to the outside world was known as the Impassable Wilderness, but to the animals and humans that inhabits it is called Wildwood. It was a good fantasy novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading fantasy books. Its starts with a young girl named Prue, who was taking her baby brother Mac for a walk in the park. When Mac gets kidnapped by a murder of crows and taken to Wildwood. Prue journey to Wildwood with intentions of saving her baby brother with only her bicycle and a school friend Curtis. They waltze right into a world unknown to little Portland, Oregon. Their journey to save Mac has them team up with the rag-tag gang of the Northwood army and the Wildwood Bandits against a fierce army of coyotes commanded by the Dowager Governess Alexandra.They battle mercilessly to rescue Mac and save the whole of Wildwood. 2.5 stars 'We are the inheritors of a wonderful world, a beautiful world, full of life and mystery, goodness and pain. But likewise are we the children of an indifferent universe. We break our own hearts imposing our moral order on what is, by nature, a wide web of chaos.' Sometimes I wish I didn't give out star-ratings and only wrote reviews, I think sometimes that would be easier than feeling it necessary to justify a low rating despite the fact that I DID like it. But there were some big problems I had overall. Wildwood is almost a Chronicles of Narnia and Labyrinth mix (minus the fact that Prue didn't wish her brother away). Full of crazy talking animals and a mysterious world known as Wildwood, or as the locals call it, I.W.: Impassable Wilderness. You see, on every map of Portland, Oregon, there is a big splotch of green on the edge of the city labeled I.W. This stands for Impassable Wilderness. No one’s ever gone in—or at least returned to tell of it.' The writing flowed, the storyline was entertaining, the small artistic bits strewn throughout were perfection, but... This thing was far too damn long. I may not be a patient reader but still, I know when a book is unnecessarily long. Truly, are there any actual middle-graders out there that read this in its entirety? I would really like to know. For the target audience, middle-graders, I think this would end up being far too much to handle. Extremely political and quite wordy at times (plus, we can't forget the length...541 pages was not necessary). Despite this it was a lovely story and I will continue reading the trilogy (even though that's just as damn long). So readers beware: an extremely enjoyable story, just requires some much needed patience to get through. A charming tale of two children's adventures in the Impassable Wilderness that lies across the river from their otherwise recognisably modern home. When Prue's baby brother is kidnapped by crows, she journeys into the Wilderness to get him back, followed by her classmate Curtis. The two are separated almost immediately, treating us to two separate explorations of different parts of the Wildwood (as its residents call it) and providing a slow reveal of the bloody politics and black magic that are rapidly tearing apart the apparently serene / idyllic society. Impossible to avoid comparisons with Narnia - high jinks with talking animals (there is a moment early on where Curtis was clearly paying the price for not having read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe), although there are darker moments as personal costs and moral dilemma come to the fore, and the emphasis is on personal responsibility rather than religion. A well-paced (if rather long) read, and beautifully illustrated in both monochrome and colour (although I was annoyed to find the colour plates in my edition are not placed relative to the part of the story they show - so almost every one is a plot spoiler!). I won't hasten to read the sequel, but I'd happily recommend it for children - they may struggle to finish it unless they are avid readers, but the writing is great and would benefit from being read aloud. Actually a 2.5 if half-stars existed. Rounding up to a three because the book got off to SUCH a strong start, and Meloy's eloquent language has to count for something. The book reminded me of a velvet dress that could have been gorgeous if it had been more simply cut, but that kept getting added to and added to beyond the point of beauty, and then got caught in a downpour and became watterlogged. It just kept going on and on and ON. This Decemberist-turned-author has obvious talent, but hopefully his editor will discourage him from going off on quite so many tangents in future books.
Folding elements of real-life Portland into the story, Meloy lovingly describes the jungles to the north and the cobbled streets and elegant tree houses of the more civilized south. The result is a richly satisfying weave of reality and fantasy.
References to this work on external resources.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Book description |
|
| Haiku summary |
|
You see, on every map of Portland, Oregon, there is a big splotch of green on the edge of the city labeled “I.W.” This stands for “Impassable Wilderness.” No one’s ever gone in—or at least returned to tell of it.
And this is where the crows take her brother.
So begins an adventure that will take Prue and her friend Curtis deep into the Impassable Wilderness. There they uncover a secret world in the midst of violent upheaval, a world full of warring creatures, peaceable mystics, and powerful figures with the darkest intentions. And what begins as a rescue mission becomes something much bigger as the two friends find themselves entwined in a struggle for the very freedom of this wilderness.
A wilderness the locals call Wildwood.
Wildwood is a spellbinding tale full of wonder, danger, and magic that juxtaposes the thrill of a secret world and modern city life. Original and fresh yet steeped in classic fantasy, this is a novel that could have only come from the imagination of Colin Meloy, celebrated for his inventive and fantastic storytelling as the lead singer of the Decemberists. With dozens of intricate and beautiful illustrations by award-winning artist Carson Ellis, Wildwood is truly a new classic for the twenty-first century.
A Wildwood Playlist by Colin Meloy & Carson EllisOh that I was where I would be,
Then I would be where I am not,
Here I am where I must be
Go where I would, I cannot.
"Over the Hills and Far Away" by Led ZeppelinA Look Inside Wildwood
Click on the images below to open larger versions. (Art copyright © 2011 by Unadoptable Books LLC.)
(retrieved from Amazon Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:16:11 -0500)
When her baby brother is kidnapped by crows, seventh-grader Prue McKeel ventures into the forbidden Impassable Wilderness--a dangerous and magical forest in the middle of Portland, Oregon--and soon finds herself involved in a war among the various inhabitants.… (more)
Quick Links |
Google Books — Loading...| Swap | Ebooks | Audio |
| 242 wanted |
(3.62)| 0.5 | |
| 1 | |
| 1.5 | |
| 2 | |
| 2.5 | |
| 3 | |
| 3.5 | |
| 4 | |
| 4.5 | |
| 5 |
Become a LibraryThing Author.
Also, owls and ivy and hares with pruning shears! Bikes and bridges and children solving their own problems! I liked it a lot and am glad I didn't know it was part of a trilogy until I finished it.