- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (7 Sep 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0747599157
- ISBN-13: 978-0747599159
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 317,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
`An intense and punchy supernatural mystery involving dual selves, sibling bonds and family breakdown'
--The Bookseller
`Collins is a brave and ambitious writer . . . She tests the lexicons of darkness and light to their limits and beyond. Reading A Trick of the Dark is like watching a tightrope-walker feeling her way to the far stanchion. And she gets there'
--Guardian
`The strength of this book is its multi-layered storytelling, which allows readers to sift through the clues and dilemmas synonymously with the protagonists: the dual narrative makes this doubly effective. Mystery, metaphysical thriller, this is for able readers who are willing to embark on a thought-provoking and intelligent journey'
--Books for Keeps
'An absolutely compelling book . . . really intelligent, thoughtful and so original'
-- Damian Kelleher, Radio 4
`In terms of eeriness, this book has it all'
--Flipside, 2009
`Here is a book that mystifies, stirs and shakes up the reader's imagination'
--Carousel
--The Bookseller
`Collins is a brave and ambitious writer . . . She tests the lexicons of darkness and light to their limits and beyond. Reading A Trick of the Dark is like watching a tightrope-walker feeling her way to the far stanchion. And she gets there'
--Guardian
`The strength of this book is its multi-layered storytelling, which allows readers to sift through the clues and dilemmas synonymously with the protagonists: the dual narrative makes this doubly effective. Mystery, metaphysical thriller, this is for able readers who are willing to embark on a thought-provoking and intelligent journey'
--Books for Keeps
'An absolutely compelling book . . . really intelligent, thoughtful and so original'
-- Damian Kelleher, Radio 4
`In terms of eeriness, this book has it all'
--Flipside, 2009
`Here is a book that mystifies, stirs and shakes up the reader's imagination'
--Carousel
Review
Praise for The Traitor Game: 'The whole is an extraordinary and truthful working-through of adolescent difficulties. A notable new writer has arrived' Sunday Times Book of the Week 'This is a wonderfully gripping novel for teenagers, which knits two worlds together so that they echo each other without covering the same ground. The two stories are wonderfully conceived, and show the value of imagination in helping to conquer inner demons and cope with the slings and arrows of the real world. Brain food that's well worth feeding to your teenage boys - and stealing from them afterwards' Big Issue 'The Traitor Game is a convincing, almost forensic, evocation of the experience of being bullied - and living with the fear that it will happen again' Time Out Kids' Book of the Week
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
B. R. Collins' second book is an unusual supernatural thriller that should sit well with fans of all things paranormal. It moved at a fast speed, and kept me guessing until the end -- an end which was shocking yet inevitable.
The idea of a shadow detaching itself from the soul is a chilling thought, and is an entirely new concept to me. I don't know how Collins came up with that, but it succeeded in making the book creepy and chilling. The way the shadow almost haunted Zach was something I'd expect to see in a horror film, and I won't lie: I checked around my very dark room a few times to make sure nothing was lurking by the window.
Annis and Zach had a pretty rocky relationship with their parents, which included zero respect on their side of things. If there was anything I didn't like about the characters, it would definitely be their attitude towards their parents. I didn't think their mum and dad deserved it, and it often made Zach and Annis look like spoilt, ungrateful brats. For that reason, I didn't like Zach much, and I changed my mind about Annis as I got further into the book. They did redeem themselves at the end, but it was perhaps too late for me to change my opinion of them.
I enjoyed the unique story, the stylish writing and the use of Zach's notebook entries to tell his side of events. It was compelling and exciting, and is the kind of novel that would make a tense movie thriller. A detachment from the main characters was all that hampered my reading experience, though the fantastic plot more than made up for that.
3.5/5
The idea of a shadow detaching itself from the soul is a chilling thought, and is an entirely new concept to me. I don't know how Collins came up with that, but it succeeded in making the book creepy and chilling. The way the shadow almost haunted Zach was something I'd expect to see in a horror film, and I won't lie: I checked around my very dark room a few times to make sure nothing was lurking by the window.
Annis and Zach had a pretty rocky relationship with their parents, which included zero respect on their side of things. If there was anything I didn't like about the characters, it would definitely be their attitude towards their parents. I didn't think their mum and dad deserved it, and it often made Zach and Annis look like spoilt, ungrateful brats. For that reason, I didn't like Zach much, and I changed my mind about Annis as I got further into the book. They did redeem themselves at the end, but it was perhaps too late for me to change my opinion of them.
I enjoyed the unique story, the stylish writing and the use of Zach's notebook entries to tell his side of events. It was compelling and exciting, and is the kind of novel that would make a tense movie thriller. A detachment from the main characters was all that hampered my reading experience, though the fantastic plot more than made up for that.
3.5/5
Format:Paperback
Annis and her brother Zach are marooned in the South of France with their parents, while their family falls apart. Zach's in disgrace after being expelled from school, Dad has had an affair, Mum's at the end of her tether and no one even notices how nice Annis is being to everyone. It's not surprising that the kids escape to a dangerous ruined building whenever they can - but then there's a terrible accident, and Annis thinks Zach's been killed. But moments later he gets up unharmed. She thinks she imagined it... but slowly she starts to realise that something's horribly wrong. Zach is behaving more and more oddly - and who is the terrifying boy in black who haunts him, getting closer and closer?
'A Trick of the Dark' has a lot of elements which you'd associate with a conventional thriller. It's fast-moving and exciting, and as the boy in black gets closer to Zach there are some genuinely frightening moments. The vividness of the writing gives it a real intensity, and as the action unfolds there's a great sense of mystery and menace. But it's also more interesting than a lot of the YA fiction that's around at the moment, using an interesting structure, ambitious ideas and emotional depth to create a book that's more than just an adventure story, without sacrificing the narrative tension. It's a novel that will stay with you.
'A Trick of the Dark' has a lot of elements which you'd associate with a conventional thriller. It's fast-moving and exciting, and as the boy in black gets closer to Zach there are some genuinely frightening moments. The vividness of the writing gives it a real intensity, and as the action unfolds there's a great sense of mystery and menace. But it's also more interesting than a lot of the YA fiction that's around at the moment, using an interesting structure, ambitious ideas and emotional depth to create a book that's more than just an adventure story, without sacrificing the narrative tension. It's a novel that will stay with you.
0 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Bought this because it was recommended by The Independent. Really surprised at how dull and badly written it is. The characters are not interesting, the dialogue is very predictable and the 'supposed' suspense is cliched. Very dissapointed.
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