The Accidental Highwayman: Being the Tale of Kit Bristol, His Horse Midnight, a Mysterious Princess, and Sundry Magical Persons Besides

This fantasy is replete with every sort of magical creature from witches to pixies to gryphons. Set in 18th Century England, it tells the story of 16-year old Christopher “Kit” Bristol, initially the servant of a quiet man who turns out to be the notorious highwayman Whistling Jack. When Jack is killed, he charges Kit with taking over his mission. Kit, not knowing what that mission is, agrees, and rides off on Jack’s horse Midnight to see the witch to whom Jack has directed him.

Kit finds out he is supposed to rescue the fairy princess Morgana from an arranged marriage, which he does with the help of some new fae friends. They then need to escape a variety of pursuers, both human and otherwise. In the process, Kit and Morgana are show more joined by a very motley group of other fugitives, including a tightrope dancer, a former impresario with dementia, and a baboon. Kit falls for Morgana, but she is a fairy, and infinitely old, and besides, she disappears beneath the sea.

All might not be lost, however; this is clearly only the beginning of a series of adventures.

Evaluation: I thought this book was more Middle Grade or Tween than Young Adult, and a little too silly for my taste. But it has gotten ecstatic reviews from readers who like the “swashbuckling” aspects of the story. show less

Sometimes I think I should keep track of where I learned of a particular book, since I have no idea how this book made it to my reading list. On the other hand, I liked going into this book with very little knowledge of what it is about as it is full of surprises (although the subtitle is full of hints). Set in the 18th-century, this novel has the feel of a classic adventure. Kit Bristol is a circus performer whose indenture is sold to a seemingly dissolute master, who suddenly learns that his master is a notorious highwayman. Taking his master's identity, Kit learns that he is entering not just a life a crime but a promise to help the fairy people. What follows is a magical adventure and chase as Kit Bristol and his fairy companions show more seek to escape pursuers both human and magical. It's a delightful and entertaining diversion. show less

A solid start to a new YA fantasy trilogy, but it dragged a bit in places. And, for this reader, footnotes are better used for clever asides or interesting tangents, not vocabulary lessons. The information contained in the footnotes here would have been better in a glossary at the end. That way, a reader could look something up if necessary, but wouldn't constantly be distracted by asterisks and blocks of text at the bottoms of pages, especially when it's for words or people or events sh/he already knows or can divine from context. Overall, though, an enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to more adventures of Kit and Morgana (and Midnight and Demon--especially Demon who spent far too much of this book offstage).

The full title of this book includes ‘Being the Tale of Kit Bristol, His Horse Midnight, A Mysterious Princess, and some Magical Persons Besides,’ which gives away the epic fantasy style of this great-hearted adventure.

Kit, a young man who finds his life of contented servitude suddenly overturned unintentionally has to keep promises others have made, find a princess he lost, learn to cooperate with a magical horse, count on questionable old circus friends, and survive fairies with lights in their tushes. There are a host of other strange characters and events, yet somehow Kit manages to fulfill his own unexpected destiny...sort of.

This is a story populated by characters that are witty and charming, magical and otherwise. The show more adventure is a worthy bit of a highwayman’s tale, and a worthwhile way to spend an afternoon or two. Read it, it’s a fun book!

This review and more at annevolmering.com. show less

In the spirit of The Princess Bride, this story is a swashbuckling tale full of fantastic beings, princesses, soldiers, highwaymen, goblings, trolls, and one young man. Christopher (Kit) worked for a man who gambled beyond his means and accumulated funds by robbing wealthy coaches, always with the best etiquette. He returned home one night, shot, and Kit takes his clothes and horse, Midnight, to try and lure the soldiers away. This is the beginning of a great adventure.

This book has a wonderfully optimistic and innocent tone so that I had a smile on my face most of the time I was reading it. It was charming, and dare I use a totally overused word - cute. It is the first of a series and I hope the tone continues since it is a breath of show more fresh air in the world of YA literature. show less

The level of writing in this young adult fantasy novel is superior and the story does not disappoint. We have seen these tropes many times before, but rarely presented with this level of sophistication. The well-rounded characters also help. A fun read that will enrich and entertain. The illustrations are icing on the cake.

I ended up enjoying this less so then I thought I would, but I blame that partially on marketing and my own idiocy. I was expecting something like THE PRINCESS BRIDE, which this does share similarities with (though I'm sorry Mr. Tripp, you're not quite on the same level as Mr Goldman), but tries a little too hard to be like. My own idiocy can be blamed on the fact I just watched the movie SCARAMOUCHE of which this also is vaguely similar to (though that's more a product of the "type" of story it is, as I sincerely doubt Tripp knows the movie) and all I kept thinking was "Man if Scaramouche had just two seconds with these guys..."

Longer review later.