Review - The Crowmaster

The Crowmaster is the third book in Barry Hutchison's Invisible Fiends series. If you haven't heard of it, you're missing out. We're talking invisible friends, we're talking coming back to murder their children, we're talking all sorts of craziness you'd only find in the find of Hutchison! The previous two books, Mr Mumbles and Raggy Maggie were great for setting the scene of this latest instalment. In short: Kyle is going a bit mad. You would, too, if you were a twelve year old being hunted by murderous things that shouldn't exist!

So, what did you think of the book?
All in all, a great read. The ideas behind it - the crows, the fat-man, the Crowmaster - are all great for a series that has already seen a man who can't talk (but who really packs a punch!) and a girl with a murderous doll, killer teddy bears and a sense of humour to die for. (Pun intended!) What really made this book for me was the expansion on the growing mystery - some insight into a recurring character, some explanation into what's going on and why - and the play on a certain movie.

How did it compare to the other books in the series?
For me, it was less scary. But it was funnier. It was more amusing. Rather than have a creepy little girl or a violently huge man, we had something that was, in its design, scary - a scarecrow. But the Crowmaster is more than that. He's also in charge of an army of crows. Very, very violent crows. So while I wasn't struggling to sleep because of every little noise I heard, I was overly aware of every bird I passed by. Especially the ones that looked at me. And that was only after the first sighting of the crows, before they became entirely messed up!

Who's been your favourite villain so far?
Hmm... that's a tough one. It's a toss up between Raggy Maggie and Caddie, and the Crowmaster. (Sorry Mr Mumbles! Please don't kill me!) The duo from book two had a lot of interesting quirks and a whole load element of the absurd about them. An extremely violent little girl who had toys that hurt you using your own imagination in some cases - like the tea from the tea party! - was just so damn freaky! On the other hand, the Crowmaster was a smart guy. He figured out some little things all by himself. He was also the least human villain so far, which certainly made him a little bit weirder... In the end, I think I have to go with Caddie and her doll. The fear factor certainly plays a big part in that battle.

So what's next?
Well, Barry Hutchison has another book in the series out this August - Doc Mortis. It's said to be his scariest book to  date. I canny wait! He also has a couple of books out in Spring 2012 - The Beast, the fifth book in the Invisible Fiends series, and The Thirteenth Horseman, a standalone novel. About the apocalypse. That's a parody. I mean, I was going to do it myself, but I suppose I can wait a few years to try get my as-yet unwritten book published. In the meantime, one of my favourite authors beat me to it. I can't wait for it!

Review - Raggy Maggie

Raggy Maggie is the second book in Barry Hutchison's Invisible Fiends series. The books follow twelve year old Kyle through a series of forgotten-invisible-friends related catastrophes, with adventure, courage, magic and intrigue at the heart of the tales. I read the book a couple of weeks ago, after an overly-long waiting period trying to find the money and the opportunity to purchase it. Thankfully, the wait was worth it!

Was it as good as Mr Mumbles?
In my opinion... no. At least, not in every way. I loved the creepiness of the character Mr Mumbles, how he came into the story, how he was just so damn horrifying. And I do suppose that there is a similar creepiness about Raggy Maggie and her "owner" Caddie; Caddie's a five year old girl who some psychopathic tendencies, and combined with her ability to possess people and frustrate the environment around her with childish delight, she's a force to be reckoned with. You can't outrun her, you can't hit her (because she's a little girl) and you can't cheat in her "games". Mr Mumbles was all BFI (Brute Force and Ignorance) and sometimes overly ferocious, but he was manageable. You didn't have to try outsmart him, you just had to beat the living daylights out of him!

So yes, in some ways it's better than Mr Mumbles, but I think I enjoyed the first book more. The sense of adventure and the obvious nature of the fear invoked gripped me from the start. It took me some time to get into the sense of wonderment of Raggy Maggie, but it was still thoroughly enjoyable!

Would you recommend it?
I'd recommend that you buy and read first Mr Mumbles, and then immediately afterwards Raggy Maggie. And, because I'm sure it's going to be great, The Crowmaster, which I have yet to buy (and therefore read). The books are great horror stories, suitable for children of 9+ (though I sometimes say 11+ because they're scary!). The trauma of the horror doesn't last forever, and in my own professional opinion kids need to be scared every now and then. The adrenaline rush, the wildness of imagination invoked by fear, they're necessary for kids to grow up properly. And, if like me, you just like reading kids books, then all the better! I don't know anyone who hasn't liked these books!

What about the next book? Do you have high hopes for it?
Indeed I do! I haven't heard much about it from the author (Barry, if you're reading this, some comparison would be nice!), but it looks to take the reader away from the series' suburban setting and throw us into the wilderness of the countryside, where there are less people to protect Kyle from the straw-grip of The Crowmaster. Seriously, though, what sort of horrifying child imagines up an animated scarecrow?! That thing's going to be freaky as hell! Can't wait!

Review - Mr Mumbles

Ever spend an entire day being sucked into someone else's scary imagination? I did. It was scary, even though it was a kids book. I speak, of course, of the brilliant Mr Mumbles by Barry Hutchison, the first book in the Invisible Fiends series. Now, I don't scare easily. Not in fiction terms, anyway. Scary movies... yeah, I get startled by them, I jump, but I sleep perfectly well afterwards, safe in the knowledge that the movie or book was adequetly disturbing to keep me entertained.

Then I read Mr Mumbles. That was beyond creepy. Waaaay beyond creepy. A very short synopsis: Mr Mumbles comes back, after six years of absense from Kyle's imagination, to kill his old friend. He's big, he's bad, and his mouth is stitched shut. And no matter what you do, you can't kill him.

Sleep now!

Rat-at-at-at. That's him at your bedroom window now. He wants to play. He's come down from your attic just to see you.

Admitedly while reading this book I reached one point where I thought, "Oh no, the magic is lost." I'm sure Hutchison himself knows when I mean. I'll you this though, if you think this, keep reading! That moment of lost magic is short and evil. Really evil. It's a bad thought. It's a trap. Don't fall for it. The rest of the story actually fits perfectly around it. It's neccessary.

Was the book better than I expected? That's a tough one to answer. I had very high expectations for this book as a high fantasy story of magic. I got Urban Horror. I was actually more satisfied with that. It was scarier. It helped, of course, not to look up anything about the book. I didn't know what it would be like apart from the online extract on Barry's website.

Was it really scary? Hollah? Hollah. Twice. This book is the scariest kids book I've ever read. Ever. Scarier than Darren Shan. But that's the thing, Shan is best at his gore. Yes, it's horror, but of a different sort. Hutchison has managed to get inside the head of the reader and use their own imagination against them. Mr Mumbles, the character, is an imaginary friend. How crazy is that? I didn't have an imaginary friend, but I do have an active imagination. As do kids who read. Once they read this, they'll be scared. Really scared. In the good way of course. Fear is important. And if they get too scared? I suppose then they can read something like The Fall, or Mister Monday, both by Garth Nix. They're not scary at all. Seriously. But really they should be glad to be scared. And they should come back for more.

What about sequels? You said it was a series. Oh, it is. It's a great big nasty series. An extract from the next book, Raggy Maggie, was in the back of Mr Mumbles. It looks to be even scarier! I won't give away any spoilers on that end, but my goodness! I can't wait for that to come out in July!

So... really recommended, then? Yes! You're missing out if you don't read it. You're underestimating the brilliance of the series if you don't read it!

Mr Mumbles is available in all good bookstores as of February 4th 2010. If they don't have it in stock, it might be sold out. Or they're still waiting for a delivery. It happens, you know. Harper Collins were lucky enough to swoop it up. We should all thank them. Oh, and Google Barry Hutchison, find his Twitter, YouTube or website, and tell him what you think of his book. Tell him Paul Carroll sent you. ;-)

(Oh look, something in italics. That's interesting!)

Made my Day

Have you ever had one of those days where something "makes" it? I don't know where the phrase comes from, but I think it happened to me today, a lot. I'll be honest, the learning side of college today wasn't too much fun. I was too tired to pay full attention. Bleary eyed and trying to take notes... not a good combination.

So, what happened today for me? Three things, possibly going on four. In order and in detail:

I had Haagen Dazs for the first time today. Ever. I know, it's something of a heresy to have never tried it. And get this, I still haven't tried Ben And Jerry's either. I live in a completely sheltered world. My first time on a train was when I was in fifth year. That's kind of sad considering there are train lines everywhere in Dublin. Anyway, the ice cream was great. I got Belgian Chocolate.

When I got home there was a delightful package waiting for me. It was, I can happily reveal, my copy of Mr Mumbles by Barry Hutchison. Signed and prescribed too. I was estatic to finally receive it. Barry told me he sent it about two weeks ago. What a long wait.

And number three? Well, it was the dedication in the book. Sheer awesome! Wait until you see it. So cool!

The fourth was, and currently is, Glee. It's on now. How fun!

Now, this little Gleek's gotta go. Toodles!