review: Abarat 2

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

reference: http://www.timewastersguide.com/view.php?id=1438

[Parker]

I have the first Abarat book--and I'll agree with MsFish.  The art's cool, but the book's plot wasn't nearly engaging enough for me to want to keep reading in the series.  I don't think I'd even buy the later ones just for the art.

[Chimera]

This was my favorite quote of the article:

By the middle of the book I’d developed a sort of fictional attachment disorder; I found myself refusing to get involved with any of Barker’s new additions to the cast (he kept adding new characters right up to the bitter end) because I knew I wasn’t going to be seeing them for long.

Heh--with what you described he was doing, I can definitely see how that happened.

I also read the first Abarat. And I second MsFish and Parker--really cool artwork, some interesting world-building and characters, but not much that was unique and compelling in the plot department. After reading this review and our discussion, MsFish, I think I'll pass. I'll just steal your book sometime and look at the paintings.