Clive Barker: Abarat

Clive Barker is not a name generally associated with children's books. Although he has written a children's book previously (The Thief of Always) it is his dark works of fantasy and horror that have established him as an award-winning writer.

Abarat is Barker's second book for children and his first written for a teenage market. The heroine, Candy Quackenbush, lives a life of mind-numbing boredom in Chickentown, in the middle of the Minnesota prairies. Her father is an unemployed drunk, her mother has lost interest in everything, her teacher hates her, and there is absolutely nothing to do.

One day, after a particularly unpleasant episode with her teacher, Candy walks out of school and keeps walking. She finds herself at the edge of town and is compelled to keep going, drawn towards a huge golden cloud on the horizon. These are her first steps into a bizarre adventure.

Although the prairie has always seemed unremarkable to Candy, she soon notices some little oddities. The ground is littered with shells, fragments of old glass and fish skeletons, even though she is thousands of miles from the sea. But these are nothing compared to the astonishing person she meets next. John Mischief has a pair of giant antlers on his head and the heads of his seven brothers sprout from the antlers.

Mischief is fleeing from an assassin, the grotesque and lethal Mendelson Shape. Candy helps Mischief and decides that even the great danger she faces is better than her humdrum existence in Chickentown. She chooses to accompany Mischief and his brothers as they escape back to their own world.

Like Alice, Candy finds herself transported to a new and strange place, but this is no benignly eccentric Wonderland. The Abarat is an archipelago of 25 islands — one for every hour of the day and one for the 25th hour, the "Time Outside of Time".

Two bitter rivals are locked in a struggle to control the islands. Rojo Pixler of Commexo City wants to root out all magic in the islands and force the inhabitants to become reliant on the sanitised products and services of his giant Commexo Corporation. His rival, Christopher Carrion, is the Lord of Midnight, a creature of shadowy powers and great cruelty.

As Candy journeys through the Abarat she becomes entangled in the power struggle between Pixler and Carrion and is pursued from one island to the next. She encounters all sorts of
unusual creatures, some of whom are frightening and extremely dangerous, and others become friends.

Barker credits the animated Disney classic, Fantasia, for inspiring the world of Abarat, and also acknowledges C. S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles. However, Abarat is a darker and more frightening world than anything encountered in the works of C. S. Lewis. Barker's background as a horror writer is evident in his expert creation of nightmarish creatures. This is not a bedtime read for the timid.

Abarat is the first book in a projected quartet. As the series evolves readers will become familiar with the creatures and places that populate the book. In this first volume, however, readers will need to stay alert to follow the frenetic action and intricate plot as well as keep track of the large cast of characters.

Barker has written a rich and complex tale to intrigue his teenage audience. Parents should keep in mind, however, that his other books are clearly intended for an adult audience. They contain scenes that may offend and should not necessarily be considered the natural progression for teenagers who have enjoyed Abarat.

Publisher: HarperCollins

Price: $19.99

Age: 12-plus yrs

Recommended by: Jenni Keestra