The Peculiar

Several years ago, the city of Bath and all its residents were completely destroyed when a gigantic door between Faerie and our world opened up in the center of the city, releasing thousands of faeries of all sorts and then closing tightly up again. Since then, fairies have been incorporated into everyday English life, and even into the government. Humans are still wary of faerie magic, but they have learned to suppress magic through the use of tolling bells, iron, and general steampunkness. The only beings who are truly ostracized are Changelings, or Peculiars - half-human, half-faerie children who live mostly in the partially-rebuilt slums of Bath. No one notices or cares when Changelings start disappearing from the slums except a show more little boy named Bartholomew Kettle, a changeling himself. When Bartholomew's sister Hettie is kidnapped, he has to find out what is happening to the rest of the Changelings, too. Thankfully a reluctant, lazy MP named Mr. Jelliby is begrudgingly on the case as well.

This!! This is what a faerie/steampunk story should be like! The world-building is complex, but makes total sense. There is a prologue that explains the destruction of Bath in a simple but emotional way before the plot commences. The characters are nuanced and unique but have distinct motivations so the reader is never left wondering why they are acting a particular way. Bartholomew is ostracized and abused but loves his sister. Mr. Jelliby is good-hearted but lazy and non-confrontational. The faerie chancellor Mr. Lickerish wants to open another door to Faerie, and he doesn't care what or who gets in his way. I wasn't expecting greatness from this free audiobook, but I am very pleasantly surprised. Watch out for the cliffhanger, though. show less

Endlich bin ich auch damit fertig geworden, wobei es definitiv besser war als das gestrige Buch (Krabat). Auch das hier hab ich vor mehr als einem Jahr angefangen gehabt. Ungefähr bis ca Seite 200 bin ich gekommen, bevor es mir zu langweilig wurde und ich es weggelegt hatte – bis heute.

Die letzten Seiten (ca. 150) waren aber eigentlich super und ich hab sie schon fast verschlungen.
Während Seiten 1-200 (ca.) sich extrem in die Länge gezogen haben und einfach nur langweilig waren, nahm ab ca. Seite 250 endlich die Spannung zu und die Räder fingen an zu drehen.

Meiner Meinung nach definitiv zu lang. Die Beschreibungen an sich sind gut und der Schreibstil interessant, auch die Prämisse der Geschichte hat Potential, aber es ist einfach show more zu sehr in die Länge gezogen. Die beiden Helden haben sich z. B. erst ungefähr auf Seite 250 getroffen.

Das Worldbuilding ist an sich anziehend, aber irgendwie auch nicht ganz vollständig. Es kam mir manchmal vor, als verheddert sich der Autor in nutzlosen Beschreibungen der Orte, anstatt mehr auf die Welt an sich einzugehen. Es spielt in und um London herum, und sicher kennen die meisten den Ort, aber da es Steampunk und Urban-Fantasy ist, ist es schon ein Unterschied.
Vielleicht geht der Autor im zweiten Teil mehr darauf ein. Dieses Buch hat sich insgesamt wirklich wie eine lange Einleitung angefühlt, die zwar einen Hauptteil hatte, aber viel zu kurz, um es als solchen anzusehen. Sehr langatmig auf jeden Fall.

Die Charaktere sind nicht gerade divers; vom Aussehen zwar schon, aber nicht von der Persönlichkeit her.
Alle finden Mischlinge seltsam. Warum, wird nicht erklärt. Feen und Menschen leben zwar irgendwie miteinander, wenn auch getrennt, aber niemand hasst Feen so wirklich. Sobald man aber einen Mischling sieht… da sind Feen und Menschen sich auf einmal einig. Und das nur weil sie hässlich aussehen?
Obwohl viel im Buch beschrieben wurde, wurde das Aussehen der Mischlinge irgendwie immer kurz gehalten. Von jedem werden sie als hässlich bezeichnet und das war’s dann auch. Ich bin mir sicher, dass sie das nicht sind – Schönheit ist am Ende ja auch nur subjektiv –, aber so ein richtiges Bild hab ich auch nicht.
Vom Mischling-Protagonisten wissen wir zumindest, dass seine Schwester Zweige auf dem Kopf hat, die man nicht abschneiden kann. Ich hab sie mir über das ganze Buch wie eine Waldelfe vorgestellt, und kann deshalb nicht verstehen wie man sowas hässlich finden soll.
Naja. Vielleicht ist meine Vorstellung auch komplett daneben.

Ich hoffe zumindest, dass im zweiten Teil (den ich mal geschenkt bekommen hatte und demnach schon habe) mehr auf die Welt eingefangen wird, und warum die Mischlinge überhaupt so gehasst werden. Und, dass es nicht so langatmig wird wie dieser Teil. show less

Some years ago, a faerie door opened in the city of Bath, nearly obliterating the city and releasing a wave of the Fae into the mundane world before closing again. There were skirmishes and struggles, but now the faeries are assimilating into human culture, kept in check by iron and tolling bells. The mixing of the two races has, however, created a despised sub-class of changelings, or Peculiars. Bartholomew Kettle is one such child. He and his sister Hettie live with their human mother in the slums of Bath, having been long since abandoned by their faerie father. When changelings start disappearing, nobody is particularly concerned, but when Hettie is taken, Bartholomew will do anything to rescue her. Along the way, he will find show more himself tangled up in political schemes far beyond anything he could have imagined.

I really enjoyed this book. I listened to the audio version, and found it difficult to tear myself away. The premise is interesting, the worldbuilding strong, and I loved the characters -- plucky Bartholomew, wistful Hettie, lackadaisical Mr. Jelliby -- and the Sidhe always make such convincing villains! The book does end on a cliffhanger, so I'll be reading the next book in the series soon. show less

Bachmann, S. (2012). The peculiar. New York: HarperCollins/Greenwillow Books. 376 pp. ISBN: 978-0-06-219518-0. (Hardcover); $16.99.

The Peculiar is an excellent fantasy with very few issues that will keep this one out of the hands of middle school students AND the sophistication and quirkiness to appeal to older students as well. This novel features faeries controlling mechanical, steampunk birds. We have an uneasy coalition between the human and faery world. The government includes both, even if faeries occupy a lower rung in the hierarchy than humans. One thing, however, that both agree upon is that folks that are half human and half faery are an abomination. The changelings must not bring attention to themselves. Bartholomew Kettle show more and his sister are two such changelings. Bartholomew could conceivably pass for human, but his sister Hettie has tree branches growing out of her head. Both children live by the mantra, don’t get yourself noticed. However, when Bartholomew witnesses the kidnapping of another changeling, he longs for a more active role in his own life and realizes that his own safety is threatened. Ignoring his mother’s desperate attempts to keep them locked inside her home and invisible, Bartholomew is determined to find out what happened to the kidnapped boy. Meanwhile, inept Arthur Jelliby, whose claim to fame is that he married a wealthy woman, is reluctantly drawn into the scheming power hungry world of the faery politician, John Wednesday Lickerish. Lickerish is conducting Nazi-like experiments on changling castoffs. While ignorant Arthur is too befuddled to understand this, he does eventually realize that something bad is happening and that he should intervene. Eventually Bartholomew and Arthur cross paths and discover that each of their quests includes the other. Jelliby’s Victorian sensibilities grounds the steampunk trappings of Bachman’s book as well as providing humor for a story that is as much about racism as it is about how we deal with our own odd idiosyncrasies and crazy families. This debut novel is distinguished at the sentence level for some exceptional lyrical language that begins in the prologue on page one: “Feathers fell from the sky. Like black snow, they drifted onto an old city called Bath. They whirled down the roofs, gathered in the corners of alleys, and turned everything dark and silent, like a winter’s day.” Throughout the novel readers find gems in the description that make this book well worth recommending to both middle school and high school students. show less

I have wanted to read this book for some time. I ended up picking it up off of the dollar table at one of my son’s book fairs at school. It ended up being a wonderful steampunk middle grade novel with magic and mystery.

This book takes place in an alternate London where fae unwillingly fell into our world. The story follows two characters; the first is Bartholomew Kettle, who lives with his mother and sister in the faery slums of Bath. Bartholomew is a Peculiar, half fae and half human. When he sees a strange woman in a rich plum dress he is determined to find out the mystery behind her. The other character is Arthur Jellyby who is on the London council. Arthur just wants to coast through life unnoticed and unbothered, however he ends show more up drawn into a mystery surrounding the disappearance of Peculiars that puts him in contact with Bartholomew.

I loved the lush and descriptive writing. This book is all about the moody atmospheric setting; the descriptive writing makes all of the scenes really come alive so that you feel like you are walking the streets of this strange and peculiar London.

There is some excellent world building here and I really loved the idea of a London where faery had unwillingly taken residence. It’s a very creative idea and very well done. I love that you never know what kind of fae you will see next wandering the streets of this book.

This is one of the first middle grade steampunk books I have ever read and it was well done. There are a lot of fun steampunk elements in here.

Probably my biggest issue with the story was that I had a bit of trouble engaging with the characters. I just am not all that sympathetic to the characters and their plight; they come off as a bit dry. I also thought the story ended very abruptly. I didn’t realize that this was part of a series, but even knowing that now the ending to this book just seems very unfinished...which is a shame.

Overall this was a well done middle grade steampunk novel. I enjoyed the world-building and the wonderfully descriptive writing. I did have some trouble engaging with the characters though. I would recommend to middle grade and older readers who love mysteries with some fantasy in them; especially to those who are interested in the steampunk genre. I personally am not sure if I will continue reading the series. show less

There has been so much buzz surrounding this book, I was afraid it may not hit the mark for me. Sometimes I get “buzz burnout” and I go in expecting my mind to be blown and then I come out underwhelmed. I am happy to say that, for me, this book delivered.

Bartholomew and his sister, Hettie, are changelings, or “peculiars” — half faery/half human. They live in a slum called Bath, stuck inside their home, ordered to stay hidden so they aren’t hanged. They are considered outcasts by both humans and faeries alike — almost vilified for being different.

When Bart notices a well-dressed and mysterious woman walking down the streets of Bath one day, his curiosity gets the better of him. He stands in his window despite his mother’s show more insistence he stay hidden, to see what this woman is up to. When he sees her disappear in a burst of feathers, taking with her another changeling, his presence at the window does not go unnoticed. Soon Bart finds his world turned upside down. The only one who may be able to save him is Mr. Jelliby, a Londoner and government official. When children begin to turn up dead, their bodies floating in the Thames, Mr. Jelliby decides to take it upon himself to put an end to the ferocity taking place around him.

I was surprised to find that the author started this book when he was just sixteen (he’s now eighteen). The prose is exquisite and the story very deep and engaging. Mr. Bachmann does a wonderful job of mashing up Victorian London’s history by adding the story of the faeries and adding a dash of steampunk to the mix. The steampunk element is light and almost unnoticeable (which I liked — it never felt like it mired down the forward movement of the plot or confused anything.)

The mystery and action of the novel are solid and I really enjoyed all of the characters. My only (minor) complaint is that while this is supposed to be a YA/MG novel, I felt the adult character of Mr. Jelliby had a more interesting and meaningful storyline. I felt that Bart and his story were a little flat in comparison, but maybe that’s just me.

All in all this is a highly imaginative, well-crafted book and one I would enjoy reading again. show less

If you like fairies and steampunk, check out The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann. I am convinced that this guy has to be a reincarnated writer. He started writing this book when he was 16 and he's only 18 now and, unlike some teen authors, this kid can write circles around most people I know. I can't figure it out. Just the amount of things he has to know to have crafted this book blow my mind. So now I love/hate him, you know? Sorry, Stefan. I see a lot of manuscripts that seem to me to be better suited to scripts than books. Why? Because they're dialogue strung together with a bird-picked skeleton of narrative. You don't live such books, you "watch" them from afar or you listen to them as if eavesdropping on a conversation involving show more people you don't know. Bachmann, on the other hand, knows how to craft a narrative meaty as stew and pungent as curry. Kudos to the kid. Read him. You won't be sorry show less