The Peculiar (The Peculiar, #1)

by Stefan Bachmann

A brilliantly written steampunk faery fantasy by a dazzling young talent, this is JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR NORRELL for kids, mixed with a dash of THE BARTIMAEUS TRILOGY…

Bartholomew Kettle won’t live long. Changelings never do. The child of a human mother and a faery father, he is despised by both his races. But one day Bartholomew suddenly finds himself at the centre of a web of intrigue and danger that spans the entire country. A powerful figure sits in the shadows, pushing the pieces in place for some terrible victory. Something is coming for Bartholomew. But when you’re a changeling, there’s nowhere to run.

• ISBN13: 9780007498864
• Publish Date: 18 September 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 400
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[inlibrisveritas]

The Peculiar was one of those books I kept my eye on for a while, and I jumped at the chance to download it free last year through the SYNC program…but of course I didn’t listen to it. I even bought a paperback earlier this year, and still nothing. Finally on a particularly stressful day of work I clicked play and then I couldn’t bare to press pause, and when I did I carried the book with me and continued reading. It was totally worth every minute spent listening to it, it was worth constantly thumbing through the book to keep track of where the audiobook left off.

The Peculiar is a book with a rich atmosphere and vibrant characters, and even without the help of the audiobook narrator it had it’s own unique voice that pulled me in and made me eager to read more. The story is so different than what I’ve read concerning the Fae, and in part that’s why I love middle grade so much. Things that would lose their shine when placed in YA are fully capable of standing out in a big way. The world building is on point without ever falling prey to the dreaded ‘info dump’, each character’s voice is unique, and the writing was vibrant making this one of the better middle grade stories.

As a book it’s a fantastic read, but the audiobook is just as amazing! I loved the narrator’s voice and his ability to portray quite a few characters with different voices. He has one of those voices that makes you want to listen to him narrate everything, he could probably make my life sound so amazing.

So if you’re looking for a quick fantasy read with a lot of charm and character then The Peculiar might be for you! I will say that it’s not a middle grade specific book, so if you’re hesitant about the age range don’t be. It is a ‘young’ novel but I think anyone could enjoy it.

[celinenyx]

The Peculiar is a MG aged story; but one in the Harry Potter tradition. Even though the characters might be harder to relate to for an older audience, the plot and world is interesting enough to keep the non-middle graders perfectly engaged.

The Peculiar is set in a Victorian-like age where the faeries have run rampant in a historical happening called the Smiling War, after all the grinning skulls. Bartholomew is a changeling, half faery child, half human. When one day a lady in a plum-coloured dress takes away his friend, he is launched into an adventure he never asked for.

I very much enjoyed The Peculiar and the wonderful writing. It could be quite stiff at times, but also had its moments of brilliance that are a pleasure to read. It helps that the story is very imaginative and colourful, and quite unique in execution. Bachmann has a great take on faeries, even though I sometimes had a hard time picturing some of his more interesting creatures.

For the thrill-addicted reader this might not be the right book, but in my experience steampunk or any historically inspirated novel rarely is suitable for that reader. It takes a little while for the tension to build in The Peculiar, but I quite enjoyed the little introduction into the world before the story really takes off. It might seem as a wild goose chase from time to time, but in the end everything ties up together quite nicely.

For me The Peculiar was a breath of fresh air in quite a clouded and musty genre. It’s not perfect as the author sometimes gets carried away with his wild fantasies, but a very promising debut novel. I’m looking forward to the next instalment of Barthelomew’s adventures!