The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch (From Worcester News)
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The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch
10:00am Monday 24th January 2011 in News
The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch
...For amongst its strange and alarmintg content you will find:
two extraordinary adventures...
a missing magicians diary...
a symphony of smells...
and a deadly secret
But wait, you already know too much! It is too late. I'm afraid nothing will stop you now. Open the book if you must. But please, tell no-one!
REVIEW
by Tom Rouse
Published by Usbourne Books, ISBN: 978-0746090923, Paperback, RRP £5.99
The most important thing to know about this book is that whether you love or hate it will be largely determined by your response to the narrator and narrative style. If you find the deliberately aloof, off-putting voice engaging, you will quickly be dragged into the entertaining, fast paced plot. If you don't then the novel will seem a long haul and you will probably give up.
This would be a shame as this is a genuinely creative piece, with the mystery ever present but always tantalisingly unsolvable. The biggest mystery of all of course is just who the narrator is and this is something that later books in the series will hopefully address. It is not only the name of the book that is secret, but also the characters, the setting, even the plot. Everything is presented as a half-truth to further suck the reader into the construct the narrator is creating.
The main characters Cass and Max-Ernest, come across initially as insufferable, both to each other and the reader. Thankfully, this is deliberate and not due to poor writing. Only characters with as little connection to both the outside world and other people as them could find themselves sucked into the adventure that is about to unfold Their growth into characters you actually care for about is delicately handled. The development feels genuine, as does their growing friendship.
Comments(1)
yvette caster
says...
11:06am Thu 23 Oct 08
The Name of this Book is Secret is written in the vein of the Lemony Snicket tales, but with a more American slant.
We meet survivalist Cassie and over-talker Max-Ernest in the first of a series of gripping adventure books.
The two children investigate a mysterious fire at a magician's house and try to escape the evil clutches of two perfect-seeming adults before setting off to rescue a missing child.
Don't let the daft beginning or the Americanisms put you off - although the assumpion that we all go home to mom and pop to eat peanut butter and cookies is a little annoying.
Once the book gets going it really draws you in and you may find yourself counting the tiresome hours in lessons (or in my case work), until you read more. The Name of This Book is Secret is a great read that also makes an interesting observation on some people's obsession with looks.
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