science fiction

The Thief of Always - Clive Barker Book Review

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Review Summary
When a boy named Harvey feels like he's dying of boredom from the long winter months, a stranger comes along and takes him to a strange and wonderful house where everyday is a whole year, with all the associated holidays, and there are no rules, only fun. Of course, there is a price, which Harvey finds out about when he finds a lake where lagoon creatures live who were once children like himself. When he escapes, he finds that every day was really a year and his parents are thirty years older. Seeking revenge and the lost years, he goes back to challenge the house, who is really a magical being and who really wants Harvey to stay to be its appretice.
kate, Resident Scholar


Detailed literary breakdown of The Thief of Always
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 30%




Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - part earth & part fantasy world
Horror story? Yes
Horror plotlets - the haunted house chased me!

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - student
Age: - a kid
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - magical being
Age: - long-lived adults
Profession/status: - mastermind
Has magical powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - can change shapes - fire/thunder/weather cntrl - mind control - super strength - can cast all sorts of spells
Eccentric: Yes - eccentric - obsessed - deluded - wild
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters

Setting
Earth setting: - 20th century
Takes place on Earth? Yes
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - explicit references to torture
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to The Thief of Always
Black House by Stephen King & Peter Straub
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
The Witch's Ring by Rachel Dixon
Creepers by Robert Craig
The Ferryman by Christopher Golden




Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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