- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd; paperback / softback edition (7 Dec 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0671022083
- ISBN-13: 978-0671022082
- Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 11 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 650,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
There is a house we know from dreams whose corridors connect to everything, whose endlessly rewound clocks keep the stars from falling, who are the pulse of life itself. And that house has its wardens, and young Carter Anderson is its heir. Stoddard's fantasy is, in the best sense of the word, reactionary; it inhabits the same moral universe and the same sense of the decorative and bizarre as Victorian classics like MacDonald's Lilith. Its villains, a bunch of anarchists in revolt against the nature of the universe itself, are, in a sense, nightmares that unite Edwardian fantasists like Chesterton with our own time; the doctrines of equality and levelling they preach are subversive of fantasy itself, or of the reasons we read it, and in a fantasy context they both attract and repel. Stoddard's inventions--the dinosaur in the attic, a hereditary guild of polishers--are at once original and creations that fit into a grand tradition. At the core of the book, also, is the story of how Carter grows into his responsibilities, and how his estranged brother comes to respect him. This is a remarkable debut novel, simply by deigning to learn from grand old stuff. --Roz Kaveney
Product Description
The High House is not visited by chance, and those who inhabit it do so for a very long time. Worlds and universes exist within its rooms, waiting to be explored by the book's hero and readers alike.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
The High House, Evenmere, that lifts its gabled roofs among tall hills overlooking a country of ivy and hawthorn and blackberries sweet but small as the end of a child's finger, has seldom been seen by ordinary men. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
The High House, Evenmere, that lifts its gabled roofs among tall hills overlooking a country of ivy and hawthorn and blackberries sweet but small as the end of a child's finger, has seldom been seen by ordinary men. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book on a whim and I was not expecting much. How wrong I was. I was instantly taken in by the classic form of story telling that most modern fantasy writers seem to have abandoned. It is simplistic in its initial plot as it is good against evil but as the book progresses the plot becomes more complex and the many shades of grey appear in the good verses evil battle. The characters are scintillating and you really end up concerned for Carter and the other servants of the high house and the dragon in the attic has a scorching sense of humor
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I resisted reading this novel for almost a year - I assumed that any story purportedly paying homage to Dunsany, Morris & Lewis would, in a word, stink. Overblown language, cardboard characters - the works. Was I surprised to discover what a fine story awaited me, of a type I thought long gone. All the previous reviews can be relied upon - including the young anarchist's. After all, any story hated by a serious-minded, unimaginative political idealogue is bound to be entertaining. Don't miss this one.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
An interesting and imaginative book not at all like a typical bad Tolkien imitation. The house in some fashion is the embodiment or focal point of all creation, and its rooms lead to other worlds. Curiously and interestingly, outside and inside mingle in some of those worlds in a fashion my brief description does no justice too. It's a setting as interesting as Gormenghast, but the storytelling is orders of magnitude better, and the very concept of the High House and its Master have mythopoetic quality.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
the high house
I READ THIS BOOK ALONG TIME AGO BUT HAVE NEVER FORGOTTEN IT. I WAS TOTALLY IN THE HIGH HOUSE, BRING IT BACK INTO PRINT ALONG WITH THE FALSE HOUSE
Published 2 months ago by G read
A great sequel to the High House
This is an excellent and compeling book. I admired the language structures used in the High House and this book did not disappoint. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Tim T
omm nom nom....
Loved this book, which I stumbled upon by complete luck... you'll think twice about retrieving that loose change from down the sofa after reading this. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Doki-Chan
An overlooked gem...
In the late nineties my sister was a voracious reader of fantasy novels and naturally some would 'accidentally' migrate onto my reading list for the daily commute. Read more
Published 20 months ago by viceboy
Evenmere
I came upon this book by accident, and how fortunate that was! I simply love everything about James Stoddard's writing.The characters and settings are a wonderful invention. Read more
Published on 10 April 2010 by Ms. K. Anderson
A big dissapointment
*SPOILER ALERT*
The thing is that the book is well written with a nice descriptive style. Read more
The thing is that the book is well written with a nice descriptive style. Read more
Published on 18 May 2006 by mike
Excellent
I loved this book for the beauty of it's construction. A mix of novel ideas and stylish prose leading to a very readable book. Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2000
"The High House" was offensive and poorly written.
I received my copy of "The High House" as a gift, which I consider a personal offence. Being an anarchist (a much- misunderstood political philosophy that involves... Read more
Published on 1 July 1999
Fans of High Fantasy - Rejoice !
After years of reading about interchangeable warriors/evil kings/sorcerors/gods and lengthy books like in the Wheel of Time series, which have no beginning, no ending and little... Read more
Published on 5 Feb 1999
Great Homage Piece
Mr. Stoddard has written a great homage piece to those authors who created the fantasy genre. The setting is very well thought out and creative, the characters archtypal. Read more
Published on 27 Jan 1999
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
