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Here Be Monsters (Ratbridge Chronicles)
by Alan Snow
Product Group: Book
Publisher: OUP Oxford (2005-09-01)
ISBN: 0192719645
EAN: 9780192719645
Hardcover: 544 pages
SKU: B341-1028
Condition: Like New
Comments: UNREAD but may have minor imperfections such as a crease or mark. In stock - quick dispatch, from an efficient and professional leading British bookselling firm.
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Customer Reviews
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One-way ticket to Ratbridge, please!
Rating  (5)
Date: 2006-08-18
2 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
I was convinced to buy this book merely by the cover illustration. The sheer absurdity of a small being in a tatty box enticed my sense of intregue and I ordered it the next day.
The world of Ratbridge, the tale's setting, is on the outside an idyll working town. But the sheer imagination that has gone into creating the different quirks and twists of the crazy little world is clearly evident, and enraptures in turn the imaginations of young and old alike. (Many times I have had to wrestle said book off my mother...)
The story has something for everyone. A lively, pacy style of writing conveys action and prose in a style appealing to all ages. The surreal creatures inhabiting the underworld of ratbridge, the stereotypically (but not in a necessarily bad way) evil calculus of the Ratbridge Cheese Guild, the plucky young hero, Arthur and his mentor Willbury Nibble QC (retired.) and (trust me, you have to read the book to understand this part) the well-deserved fate of the women with hexagonal buttocks!
You can't really review this without revealing the plot, so I leave on this note: A story for all from six to sixty-six. Appealing to children because of the lively, action-packed page-turner this book happens to be, and for parents... trying to recapure lost youth with a children's book? Try the Ratbridge Chronicles.
You'll never look at Cheese the same way.
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More boxtrolls please Mr Snow
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-01-21
4 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
We initially picked up this book because of the wonderful illustrations, and were delighted to find that the story and characters were just as enjoyable. Inventiveness and humour spring from the page, and the story cracks along at a good pace, too: the whole book is a joy to read. Please, Mr Snow, may we have more adventures of Arthur and his friends? Especially Tom and Kipper... and most especially of all Fish the boxtroll.
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One Fantasic book
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-01-12
5 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
I absolutley LOVED this book. When i first got it, it was soooooo looking foward to it. Alan Snow is a brilliant aurthor. Anyone who sent in a bad review is a nutter! I loved the part where Tom and Kipper control the doll using Grandfathers invention, and the part where the gianormous rat explodes and covers everywhere with cheese. J.K.Rowling, move aside because Alan Snow is here!
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Great!
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-10-30
10 out of 13 customers found this reveiw helpful
It's really great. It's exciting and imaginative. There are loads of wacky ideas and really strange creatures. I liked the pirates who get stuck in the canal and start a laundry. At first I thought I wouldn't like it because it's a really thick book but once I started reading it, I wanted to know what happened in the end. I loved the drawings, especially the War Rat. I can't wait for the next book.
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Worthy effort, but ...
Rating  (2)
Date: 2005-10-25
7 out of 14 customers found this reveiw helpful
I bought this book because of the way it was marketed, but I have to say that it did not match my expectations. The author has obviously spent a lot of time and effort on this book, and has tried to create a something that looked different compared to other offerings for this age group. However, the plot is somewhat convoluted and over-complex. It's quirky and inventive, but in the end the characters lack real human warmth and depth. Females - when they do appear - tend to get a bit of a bad press. They are either rather sexless, like Marjory the inventor, or portrayed as vain and heartless. My children, aged 9 and 11, soon lost interest. Although they do like illustrations at this age, nothing can make up for the images formed in your own head by a gripping story with characters you can identify with! Worthy effort, but I'm afraid not a patch on Harry Potter and similar works!
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