Synopsis: "A bluebear has twenty-seven lives. I shall
recount thirteen and a half of them in this book but keep quiet about the
rest..." says the narrator of Walter Moers's epic adventure. "I
should be lying if I claimed that my firs thirteen and a half lives uneventful.
What about the Minipirates? What about the Hobgoblins, the Spiderwitch, the
Babbling Billows, the Troglotroll, the Mountain Maggot...What about the
Venomous Vampires, the Gelatine Price from the 236th Dimension...Mine is a tale
of mortal danger and eternal love, of hair's breath, last-minute
escapes..." (from the back of the book)
Review: I bought this because I enjoyed Moers' The City of
Dreaming Books. But this just wasn't my cup of tea. One review called this,
"equal parts J.K. Rowling, Douglas Adams, and Shel Silverstein."
Well, this is no Rowling, I can tell you that. But it does feel as if Douglas
Adams wrote a book using Shel Silverstein's vocabulary and syntax. And that
just isn't me. It's far to nonsensical for my tastes. One compliment I give is
that this would be an excellent read-aloud book for kids (although the section
where Bluebear becomes the King of Lies might need explaining). With silly
words and sillier situations, I can see kids very much enjoying it. And its
complex enough that the adult reader might enjoy it also - but not me.
Bookmarks: 6 of 10
Awards: None
ISBN: 978-1-5856-844-0
Date Finished: 8-1-2015
Pages: 703
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