The Battle of the Sun
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Review
`A spirited thriller, written with Winterson's characteristic rich and evocative prose'
--The Daily Mail
`[The Battle of the Sun] makes for the perfect distraction . . . it is both lyrical and richly inventive' -- Daily Mail The Telegraph
`Reading this book is like sitting entranced before a flickering series of magic lantern slides . . . Winterson takes her young readers on an exhilarating journey through Elizabethan London . . . the exuberant storytelling and wit are beautifully and unobtrusively grounded by psychological truth-telling . . . a marvellous book for both young and old readers - I look forward to the third in the series which is surely promised by the tantalising conclusion'
--Books for Keeps
'Very contemporary, pacey and imaginative' --Teen Titles Magazine
`If you want true literary genius, read Jeanette Winterson's young-adult novels, a stunning new facet of her career which began with Tanglewreck. They're too clever for me to summarise'
--Guardian
`A wonderful book to read aloud to pupils in both KS2 and 3, as the language captures the essence of oral storytelling . . . The quality of the writing carries the reader through the book with ease, a joy'
--NATE Classroom
--The Daily Mail
`[The Battle of the Sun] makes for the perfect distraction . . . it is both lyrical and richly inventive' -- Daily Mail The Telegraph
`Reading this book is like sitting entranced before a flickering series of magic lantern slides . . . Winterson takes her young readers on an exhilarating journey through Elizabethan London . . . the exuberant storytelling and wit are beautifully and unobtrusively grounded by psychological truth-telling . . . a marvellous book for both young and old readers - I look forward to the third in the series which is surely promised by the tantalising conclusion'
--Books for Keeps
'Very contemporary, pacey and imaginative' --Teen Titles Magazine
`If you want true literary genius, read Jeanette Winterson's young-adult novels, a stunning new facet of her career which began with Tanglewreck. They're too clever for me to summarise'
--Guardian
`A wonderful book to read aloud to pupils in both KS2 and 3, as the language captures the essence of oral storytelling . . . The quality of the writing carries the reader through the book with ease, a joy'
--NATE Classroom
Review
PRAISE FOR TANGLEWRECK: 'Winterson has a fine ear for children's dialogue and her writing is lucid, pitched perfectly at imaginative young readers' Sunday Telegraph 'An exceptional book: big, ambitious and awash with Winterson's usual inventiveness' Observer 'No one could fail to enjoy the book's exuberance of ideas and wacky charm' Evening Standard
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Jack is a thirteen year old boy living in 17th Century London. He doesn't know it yet but an evil alchemist calling himself the Magus is planning to overthrow the Queen of England and take control of the kingdom for himself. To do this he will turn the entire capital, including the inhabitants, into gold. The final ingredient is the Radiant Boy, who is the key to finally turning base objects into solid gold. Jack is that boy and so finds himself kidnapped, taken to the disturbing home of the Magus who seeks to unlock his magic and bend Jack to his will. The young boy is by no means a willing captive and soon discovers another prisoner who was once the Magus' master. This prisoner promises to give him the key to escaping if he will free him in return. What follows is whirlwind of events where Jack meets a dragon and gains his own powers and superhuman strength. But the boy has no control over his new magic and is no match for the cunning Magus. Forced to obey him they set events in motion that will lead to the city being turned to gold in just a few days. With the Magus gone to prepare for his confrontation with the Queen, Jack is left to find a way to somehow defeat him. Helped by Silver, the heroine from the previous book of the series Tanglewreck, he sets out to not only save the city but everyone he loves before it is too late.
The Battle of the Sun is a highly imaginative book with strange creatures, most of which are unpleasant, making appearances throughout the tale. The best of these is the Creature(s) that consist of Wedge and mistress Split who were made in a bottle as a whole and then cut in half. Their presence is both malevolent, pitiful and amusing as they hop around one legged. It's this cast of the weird and the wonderful that really gives this book such a compelling feel. The plot itself is rather basic but then takes on so many unexpected twists and turns that it will leave the reader slightly out of breath and introduces a London that no-one could have imagined and even brings important figures such as the Queen into play. There is also a welcome return of Silver who saved the world in Tanglewreck. She is less prominent here as she figures as Jacks sidekick but nevertheless plays an important role as the book gears up towards the final deadly confrontation between the Magus and the Radiant boy.
Cleverly linked with the previous novel The Battle of the Sun can still be read as a stand alone book and there is also hints pointing to a third instalment. An exciting fantasy adventure this is highly enjoyable read. Do not let yourself be put of by Jeanette Winterson's unusual writing style which you will soon get used to and even grow to appreciate.
The Battle of the Sun is a highly imaginative book with strange creatures, most of which are unpleasant, making appearances throughout the tale. The best of these is the Creature(s) that consist of Wedge and mistress Split who were made in a bottle as a whole and then cut in half. Their presence is both malevolent, pitiful and amusing as they hop around one legged. It's this cast of the weird and the wonderful that really gives this book such a compelling feel. The plot itself is rather basic but then takes on so many unexpected twists and turns that it will leave the reader slightly out of breath and introduces a London that no-one could have imagined and even brings important figures such as the Queen into play. There is also a welcome return of Silver who saved the world in Tanglewreck. She is less prominent here as she figures as Jacks sidekick but nevertheless plays an important role as the book gears up towards the final deadly confrontation between the Magus and the Radiant boy.
Cleverly linked with the previous novel The Battle of the Sun can still be read as a stand alone book and there is also hints pointing to a third instalment. An exciting fantasy adventure this is highly enjoyable read. Do not let yourself be put of by Jeanette Winterson's unusual writing style which you will soon get used to and even grow to appreciate.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Colourful, absurd, time-warped and magical, The Battle of the Sun is as likely a book as any other to fire the imaginations of young readers.
Being in part a fairy story, we have a sunflower (behaving like a beanstalk), a dragon, a knight in shining armour, a maiden held captive in a tower and a moral (an interesting one at that, overpaid bankers please note!). But this 'traditional' story has C21 credentials with concepts straight out of existentialist theory (the characters are in a house which exists only inside the brain of the Magus) and Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle ('The Dragon was busy filling the moat with what might have been water, and was but wasn't'). Younger readers, of course, probably won't have the labels but they'll appreciate the paradox and delight in the impossibly twisted logic. They will not have a monopoly on enjoyment, however.
Teeming London streets, bustling and jostling with Elizabethan vigour, add realism while the poetry is consistently rewarding. Often, we find echoes of Dylan Thomas ('the large untidy garden was night-time quiet'). Alchemy, meanwhile, may well have been thoroughly debunked but it has helped to create some memorable literature (Ben Jonson's The Alchemist, for example. Oh, and Winterson has a character called Abel here, too.) The Battle of the Sun creates riches of its own and extends an already long line of magical children's fiction.
Being in part a fairy story, we have a sunflower (behaving like a beanstalk), a dragon, a knight in shining armour, a maiden held captive in a tower and a moral (an interesting one at that, overpaid bankers please note!). But this 'traditional' story has C21 credentials with concepts straight out of existentialist theory (the characters are in a house which exists only inside the brain of the Magus) and Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle ('The Dragon was busy filling the moat with what might have been water, and was but wasn't'). Younger readers, of course, probably won't have the labels but they'll appreciate the paradox and delight in the impossibly twisted logic. They will not have a monopoly on enjoyment, however.
Teeming London streets, bustling and jostling with Elizabethan vigour, add realism while the poetry is consistently rewarding. Often, we find echoes of Dylan Thomas ('the large untidy garden was night-time quiet'). Alchemy, meanwhile, may well have been thoroughly debunked but it has helped to create some memorable literature (Ben Jonson's The Alchemist, for example. Oh, and Winterson has a character called Abel here, too.) The Battle of the Sun creates riches of its own and extends an already long line of magical children's fiction.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I had this book for Christmas and have read the whole thing in one day. It's a super read and brilliantly overlaps with Tanglewreck without simply following on from it chronologically. I would recommend this story to both adults and children. Jeanette Winterson has a fantastic and unique way with words and anyone who has read her other books and liked them will not be disappointed. A beautifully written, cleverly plotted and perfectly paced novel from a brilliant storyteller.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Imaginative magical evocation of Elizabethan London
In Winterson's sequel to Tanglewreck we are thrown back into Elizabethan London and Jack is on his way home eager to take charge of his new puppy when he is kidnapped and kept... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Jo Bennie
GREAT BOOK
HAVE HAD A NO. OF COPIES OF THIS BOOK TO GIVE TO RELATIVES AS PRESENTS, EACH ONE SAY IT IS A GREAT BOOK TO READ......AGES FROM 7 TO 13.....
Published 18 months ago by L. A. LINDL
Wonderful Sequel to Tanglewreck
I make the point that this book is a sequel to Tanglewreck first, because I did not realise this when I bought it, and I think the story would have worked better had I read the... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Sir Furboy
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