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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray, by Chris Wooding, is a challenging, complex and utterly intriguing novel that grips with spine-chilling certainty from the very first page.
Set in the dark streets of London after the Vernichtung, a war that left the city and its people damaged and rotten to the core, the enigmatic Alaizabel Cray wanders alone and vulnerable amid the debris. As she wanders through the labyrinth of the Old Quarter, touching people with beauty while holding the key to the evil all around, Alaizabel crosses the thresholds of the souls that lurk in the darkness...
This is a stunning and unforgettable novel, rich in imagination and executed with a touch of unforgettable class. Reminiscent of work by Joan Aiken and Philip Pullman, there is also an extra dash of pure horror that will send a shiver down the spine, making it a great read for even the most reluctant reader. (Ages 11 and over) --Susan Harrison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
A dark fantasy set in a parallel London stalked by demons... London has survived war and plague only to face a new horror - the Wych Kin. All kinds of demons lurk in the labyrinth of the Old Quarter, and it is the task of wych-hunters such as Thaniel Fox to keep them at bay. Then one night he rescues a young woman who has lost her memory: the beautiful and vulnerable Alaizabel Cray. But Alaizabel is nursing a dark secret, one that even she does not understand, a secret that could unleash the most terrible evil of all...
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First Sentence
The airship lumbered low overhead, its long, lined belly a dull smear of silvery light in the fog as it reflected the gas lamps of the city beneath. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
The airship lumbered low overhead, its long, lined belly a dull smear of silvery light in the fog as it reflected the gas lamps of the city beneath. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Perhaps it's becoming overly fashionable to compare children's books with Philip Pullman's work, but it's a valid thing to do in this case: The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray is set in a quasi-Victorian London with has something of the flavour of Lyra's world from His Dark Materials, and possibly Sally Lockhart too, though this is a lot darker and more magical. I'm also tempted to draw a comparison with Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines. If any of those works appealed, I think this will too.
The story is set in an alternative London which was heavily bombed by German airships, which somehow unleashed a plague of wychkin - monstrous creatures that prey on the citizens. The profession of wych hunter has thus come to prominence, and much of the book concerns the activities of one of these wych hunters.
Throw in an evil conspiracy, a budding romance between the wych hunter and the eponymous, threatened Alaizabel Cray, some excellent monsters and villains, and you have a mix of adventure and excitement that keeps you turning the pages. Perhaps the most notable thing is Chris Wooding's power of description: it's almost as if the scenes have dripped straight onto the page along with his ink.
The characterisation is perhaps a little weaker. The story is told partly from an omniscient point of view, which sometimes detracts from character identification. Another small flaw was with the ending: one of the protagonists - who appears to be in big trouble - escapes rather easily and rejoins the main group. Once that happened, I felt that the tension slackened somewhat: it's not always a good idea to give the reader what he/she wants :-)
Despite the above quibbles, this is an engaging and exciting read. If I could, I'd award 4.5 stars, because it's not quite up there with Pullman.
Some of the material may be slightly adult: there are harlots walking the streets along with the wych hunters and cutthroats, but there's nothing that I think would be inappropriate for the average teenager.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm a 14 year old who is mad about reading...I'll read almost anything, but this book just amazed me. From the first page, the scene is set with eerie intent, and the plot is tautly woven with plenty of clever twists. It is perfect for people who love macabre stories, and it is definitely a book for adults as well as children.
I enjoyed it so much because of the intriguing plot, but also because of the evil creatures and human beings that the heros must fight. They are created by an intricate and may I say slightly twisted mind! Another point I found intersting was the parallels between this book's post-war world and our own after the first world war. It lends a real humanity to the horror and fantasy, which I think helps you to feel for the characters and understand the events better.
I would be delighted if a second book was written, as their are enough plot threads untied to make a gripping sequel. However this book is excellent just as it is, and i recommend to anyone who wants to try something unusual. "The Haunting" really sums up what I felt as i read this!!!
I enjoyed it so much because of the intriguing plot, but also because of the evil creatures and human beings that the heros must fight. They are created by an intricate and may I say slightly twisted mind! Another point I found intersting was the parallels between this book's post-war world and our own after the first world war. It lends a real humanity to the horror and fantasy, which I think helps you to feel for the characters and understand the events better.
I would be delighted if a second book was written, as their are enough plot threads untied to make a gripping sequel. However this book is excellent just as it is, and i recommend to anyone who wants to try something unusual. "The Haunting" really sums up what I felt as i read this!!!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I wish I could give it 10 stars!! The story is dark, mysterious and full of action. Reading it was like watching a movie directed by Tim Burton, George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg, with dark foulsome enemies, ghoulish creatures and heart thumping actions.
Composing the story to reach the final destination of a single question: What is the purpose of your existence?, it started from some parallel events happening in London, after the Vernichtung (destruction -> a bit like WW). London, in the early Age of Reason, half of its area destroyed and marauded by wych-kins which have the ability and appearance like old lore beasts having been resurrected. Who ere they? Where were they from? What did they want? Why were they only known to exist after the Vernichtung?
In mist of the battle between humankind and the wych-kin, Thaniel Fox, a wych hunter and a son of legendary one, was fighting at the front line, companied by his ex-tutor, the eccentric Ms. Bennet. On one night of his hunting, he met a lost girl, Alaizabel Cray, who seemed mad and disoriented. Starting to feel something for her, Thaniel tried to find out whether she was just mad or there was something going on.
Alaizabel turned out to be the key to the biggest conspiracy that was conspiring to bring the the ultimate evil to earth.
Interweaving with the Thaniel's story is the infamous Jack the Ripper like story. A serial killer who murdered women by night with his surgeon knife. Who was he? Read on and you'll see that every character had a purpose in this story.
What would happen next? Could Thaniel and others intercepted the conspiracy? What was the forces outside their will whose only weapons are coincidences, unlikelihood and happenstances?
Read it, Be amazed by it and Read it over again!!
This certainly won't be the last book I read from Mr. Wooding.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
very impressive!
What a wonderful book this was! I was hooked from the start, and it just kept getting better and better!
The storyline was captivating. Read more
The storyline was captivating. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Larewen Evenstar
A Great Book
The book is set in a mid 19th century London, where mysterious, grotesque and deadly wych-kin roam the city and south of the river has been overrun and deserted. Read more
Published on 22 Sep 2009
Amazing
I have read this book so many times now. I first read it as a teen and loved it.
I have never had a book that i have leant to so many and they have all bought it... Read more
I have never had a book that i have leant to so many and they have all bought it... Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2009 by Allana House
The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray
Two years ago I read Poison, also by Chris Wooding. I thought it was fantastic so I recently decided to read another book of his. Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2009 by Wooding Fan
Amazing
As voracious reader, I've read many books, and I have to say, this book is one of the best I have ever read. Read more
Published on 16 May 2008 by R. O'donnell
dark and atmospheric - another Wooding gem!
Chris Wooding's award-winning 'The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray' is an awesome, exciting and darkly atmospheric young adult novel. Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2008 by Toby Andersen
Lucky Dip
I've got to admit I knew nothing of this book before I got it from my school library. It had been a random choice- being late for class I just grabbed any old book. Read more
Published on 28 Jun 2004
THE HAUNTING OF ALAIZABEL CRAY IS ACE!!
From the first page your immediatley hooked into a world of monters, wych-craft, horror and a fantastically described monster ridden London and its inhabitants. Read more
Published on 30 May 2003 by "eviltwin1984"
got me afraid of the tube
this has got to be the best book i ever read. it covers everything a book of its sort should, and has the most memorable characters i have ever read. Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2003 by "deathscent"
The Real Review
This book is amazing, in that it manages to capture your imagination through the whole book. I would most certainly recommend this to anybody who loves fictional books as I do!! Read more
Published on 11 Nov 2002
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