Abarat

Clive Barker has a truly unique imagination. Abarat can be best summed up as Narnia on acid. It is a hidden world full of the fantastical, but Mr Barker does not rely on standard fantasy tropes with a wild array of fantastical creatures and places. The very idea of Abarat where each island represents a different hour of the day is very different to the standard. This creativeness is almost overflowing - there is so much pouring out of the authors pen that the pace is breathless. The different islands are intriguing and I almost wish that the book would slow down a bit to allow me to enjoy this amazing whimsical world he has created.

The story itself betrays its YA ambition through its black and white characterisations. The villains are a little one dimensional, but the sheer fun and inventiveness of the world more than outweigh this