Every teenage boy dreams of adventure but for Theo that dream is about to come true. For years he has been locked away in the house of his guardian, Dr Saint. Due to a supposed rare illness he has stayed in the same three rooms and only ever seen the same three people; the Doctor, the butler Mr Nicely and the servant girl Clarice. Everything changes when burglars break into his home and Theo mysteriously melts one of the men with his bare hands, which he has up to now been forced to keep gloved. The very next day he is rescued by the Society of Unrelenting Vigilance, a group dedicated to fight the evil Society of Good Works run by Dr Saint who plan to take over the world and commit "good deeds" on everyone. This society, comprised of an old man, a gangly youth and an all-action heroine called Chloe, claim that Theo is the key to halting their nemesis. There is also the matter of the link between Theo and an old crime fighting hero, the Candle Man. So while the boy is desperately trying to find clues to his past and working out his role in the future, he is whisked across London from one safe-haven to another while doing battle to endless hordes of bad guys. Grotesque monsters, extinct animals, ghosts, ghouls, muscle bound gunmen and an evil character known as the Dodo are just a few of his enemies. It looks like glowing hands that have the power to melt people like wax are really going to come in handy.
From the very first scene this book grabbed my attention, opening up on Theo's first day outside in a year. From that moment on I never lost interest in the young hero's adventure as the story rushes on at pace, stuffed full of action and humour. The author has mixed the last two perfectly; at no point does the conflict become overbearing or tedious and the comedy moments are clever and perfectly placed to cause a chuckle before you launch yourself back into the story.
The book is well written and atmospheric though rather strangely it's not the atmosphere that suits the world it's set in. The adventure takes place in modern day London, yet there is a very strong Victorian feel to the plot. The evil society has an air of mad scientist about it, the monsters and most of the settings are very gothic and the superhero characters are old fashioned. If they ever make a film version it should definitely be in black and white with crackly audio! Despite at first seeming a bit out of place in a world of taxis and red double-decker buses I found this aspect very enjoyable and quickly forgot all about the modern London.
The Candle Man turned out to be a great and original adventure book which should appeal to both boys and girls. Very highly recommended for those who like a Victorian atmosphere to their books.
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