The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly Book Review

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Review Summary

David's mother is seriously ill. When she dies, David is very upset to learn, a short time later, his father's new girlfriend, Rose, is pregnant and that they are all moving to her home in the British countryside while the war in Europe escalates.

David hates everything about Rose, and his new baby brother, George. The only positive thing about the move is that Rose allows him to stay in the book-filled room that once belonged to her uncle Jonathan, who disappeared without a trace when he was 14 years old, along with his adopted sister, Anna.

The plot moves alowly until chapter seven. At that point, David is walking in the sunken garden at Rose's home when a bomber plane crashes in front of him. David is knocked out. When he comes to, he is in a new and unknown world. There he is befriended by a Woodsman who tells him they must journey to the king's castle and ask him to provide a way back to David's world. On the journey, the Woodsman is killed by a pack of unusual wolves: some of the wolves are gradually turning human.

David's steps are dogged by the wolves and the Crooked Man. As David tries to reach the king, he meets Roland, who is on a quest to find his missing brother, Raphael. Roland dies, and David travels on alone again. When David finally reaches the castle, he learns what happened to Jonathan and Anna. David uses all his cunning to defeat the Crooked Man and get back to his own world, a changed boy.

Jan Lamers, Resident Scholar

Detailed literary breakdown of The Book of Lost Things

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 30%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%

Tone of book - depressing/sad
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - part earth & part fantasy world
Explore/1st contact/ enviro story Yes
Plotlets: - exploring a wondrous planet or phenomena
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

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

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - long-lived adults
Profession/status: - thief/con artist
Has magical powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - can cast all sorts of spells
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
Terrain - Forests
Earth setting: - 20th century - current (early 21st century)
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed
How much dialogue? - significantly more descript than dialog

Most similar books to The Book of Lost Things
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Chronicles of Narnia 5 by C.S. Lewis
Understand the Unknown - Everworld 10 by K.A. Applegate
The Magician's Nephew - Chronicles of Narnia 1 by C.S. Lewis
Plumage by Nancy Springer
Rainbow Mars by Larry Niven

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

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