- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Hodder Children's Books; First Edition edition (17 Mar 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0340882468
- ISBN-13: 978-0340882467
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 3.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,247,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Ambergate
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Review
'This is a beautiful, compelling novel.' (Guardian )
Murkmere: 'Fraught with fenland mist and magic, this supernatural thriller ... is compassionate and original.' (The Times )
'Compelling ... a salutary reminder to keep an eye on the children's bookshelves.' (SFX magazine )
The Ice Boy: 'A remarkable first novel ... here is a writer whom you can trust.' (Armadillo )
'Elliott is one of [the Fidler Award's] worthiest winners. This atmospheric debut novel [is] heavy on Kleenex' (The Glasgow Herald )
'The standard of writing displayed by the winners of the Fidler Award is high, and The Ice Boy is no exception.' (Writers' News )
Murkmere: 'Fraught with fenland mist and magic, this supernatural thriller ... is compassionate and original.' (The Times )
'Compelling ... a salutary reminder to keep an eye on the children's bookshelves.' (SFX magazine )
The Ice Boy: 'A remarkable first novel ... here is a writer whom you can trust.' (Armadillo )
'Elliott is one of [the Fidler Award's] worthiest winners. This atmospheric debut novel [is] heavy on Kleenex' (The Glasgow Herald )
'The standard of writing displayed by the winners of the Fidler Award is high, and The Ice Boy is no exception.' (Writers' News )
SFX magazine
'Compelling ... a salutary reminder to keep an eye on the children's bookshelves.'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ambergate is the story of Scuff, the kitchen maid we first met in Murkmere. Scuff has no name, merely number 102 branded on her arm, and a secret she must never tell; `If I do, they will come after me - the Protector and his men.’ And come after her they do. Scuff flees on a dangerous journey through this eerie land where the divine presences are birds. The settings in the book are memorable - a sinister city, the orphans’ home, Madame Anora’s house of lassitude, and the slave market…don’t go there!
Yet Scuff does not become a victim. She finds fleeting tenderness with little Shadow, poor Gobchick, Erland, and Nate.
This exciting, atmospheric story ends in triumph as Scuff discovers her true name and who she really is.
Yet Scuff does not become a victim. She finds fleeting tenderness with little Shadow, poor Gobchick, Erland, and Nate.
This exciting, atmospheric story ends in triumph as Scuff discovers her true name and who she really is.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ambergate is Patricia Elliott’s follow-up to her Gothic fantasy novel Murkmere. Not quite a sequel in the traditional sense, this story centres on one of the minor characters in the first book and continues an exploration of the rule of the decadent Protectorate, against which the story is set. The brutish Protector lords it over an alternative nineteenth century England. This is a theocratic state, and the religion that dominates the lives of the people is based around the Table of Significance, which defines wild birds as messengers of the gods. Birds as portents, as symbols of authority, and even as truly magical beings appear throughout Ambergate. This allows the author to reference iconography as diverse as the ballet Swan Lake and the emblems of Nazi Germany/Imperial Rome, and to work both rustic folk law and elaborate political intrigue into the telling.
Constructed around a series of reflections, the central characters form and reform their attachments in various unlikely configurations; Erland and Scuff, Nate and Leah, Leah and Erland, Nate and Scuff. "Home"- familiar but dull, is set against "the journey" - frightening but liberating. The capital city serves as a kind of "anti-home", claustrophobic and oppressive and yet still fraught with danger and insecurity.
Scuff's mission in part three of the novel, when she takes on the unlikely role of potential assassin, has shades of Hamlet in the prevarication she shows when faced with honouring a vow made under duress. This theme of the reluctant hunter is itself a reflection of Corporal Chance's pursuit of Scuff, which forms a running counterpoint to the first-person narration throughout. Chance is constantly on the point of having Scuff arrested, but always fails to act decisively for reasons he cannot himself understand. To the reader, however, it is made clear that Chance sees himself in Scuff, a fellow orphan and street child, and he can no more bear to turn her in than he can ever abandon his pursuit of her. For ultimately Ambergate is a story about the search for self. As the nameless Scuff is told - “Everyone has a name...But some have to find it for themselves.”
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
Captivating
7 Aug 2007
Format:Hardcover
This was such an interesting book in so many ways. Scuff is an interesting character, full of promise and intriguing traits. The people she meets on her journey were all interesting as well, and the tapestry of their lives fills this novel to overflowing. As a side note, I simply adore odd, mysterious boys with something to hide, so this book was a special treat for me. No spoilers, though! Let's move on.
The plot was inventive and constantly surprising, and I was very invested in the outcome of the climax. I hated to leave that world. So many tantalizing questions answered in the end, and yet, so many more remain!
I am looking forward to reading more!
The plot was inventive and constantly surprising, and I was very invested in the outcome of the climax. I hated to leave that world. So many tantalizing questions answered in the end, and yet, so many more remain!
I am looking forward to reading more!
a simply beautiful novel
5 May 2007
Format:Hardcover
Reviewed by Nicole LeBoeuf for Reader Views (4/07)
Patricia Elliott's novel "Ambergate" is a suspenseful tale of fascinating characters with the ability to capture you within moments. Growing up in Europe and the Far East, Elliott always had a creative spirit. She has spent her life around books, working in publishing, at bookstores, and finally as a college literature teacher. Her first novel "The Ice Boy" won many awards, followed closely by "Murkmere." The companion novel, "Ambergate" is full of potential.
The gothic mystery spins a tale of a young orphan without a name facing countless terrors. It is easy to fall in love with the characters Elliott weaves, as they become so complete in the imagination. The orphaned girl, living in a world we've never experienced before, is forced from the comfort of the place she has called home for so long. Facing the world alone, she is in constant terror of the soldiers from the capital finding her, as she committed a hideous crime in her past. Always in constant danger, she overcomes one obstacle after another.
The characters she encounters in her flight are unforgettable, as each is creatively portrayed. The tale dives into complexity as her journey moves on, but as detailed as the novel is, it is never anything but a pleasure to read. The storyline is always clear and never cluttered. Each sentence flows so perfectly, with simple, beautiful detail. Once Elliott's words have pulled you in, it is as though the world and characters she created are living and breathing. Close your eyes and you can hear the birds singing in the Wasteland, feel the sweep of swan feathers against your skin and smell the sweet fragrance of the wedding flowers...
"Ambergate" is a simply beautiful novel. Age is not a thing of concern once you have turned its first page, as it is perfect for anyone. "Ambergate" is an inspiring tale, filled with courageous characters that will touch any heart that dares to enter Elliott's world.
Book received free of charge.
Patricia Elliott's novel "Ambergate" is a suspenseful tale of fascinating characters with the ability to capture you within moments. Growing up in Europe and the Far East, Elliott always had a creative spirit. She has spent her life around books, working in publishing, at bookstores, and finally as a college literature teacher. Her first novel "The Ice Boy" won many awards, followed closely by "Murkmere." The companion novel, "Ambergate" is full of potential.
The gothic mystery spins a tale of a young orphan without a name facing countless terrors. It is easy to fall in love with the characters Elliott weaves, as they become so complete in the imagination. The orphaned girl, living in a world we've never experienced before, is forced from the comfort of the place she has called home for so long. Facing the world alone, she is in constant terror of the soldiers from the capital finding her, as she committed a hideous crime in her past. Always in constant danger, she overcomes one obstacle after another.
The characters she encounters in her flight are unforgettable, as each is creatively portrayed. The tale dives into complexity as her journey moves on, but as detailed as the novel is, it is never anything but a pleasure to read. The storyline is always clear and never cluttered. Each sentence flows so perfectly, with simple, beautiful detail. Once Elliott's words have pulled you in, it is as though the world and characters she created are living and breathing. Close your eyes and you can hear the birds singing in the Wasteland, feel the sweep of swan feathers against your skin and smell the sweet fragrance of the wedding flowers...
"Ambergate" is a simply beautiful novel. Age is not a thing of concern once you have turned its first page, as it is perfect for anyone. "Ambergate" is an inspiring tale, filled with courageous characters that will touch any heart that dares to enter Elliott's world.
Book received free of charge.
Good Sequel
21 July 2006
Format:Paperback
This book is a sequel to Murkmere. Its about Scuff the kitchen maid and her secrete past. She committed some sort of crime back in the Capitol and was hiding at Murkmere. Now, the authorities are after her and she runs away, but ends up back in the place she least wanted to be in, the Capitol and the Orphan House. It was a goo read and went into more detail about the world of MURKMERE and the importance of their birds.
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