The fantasy and tone of the book is irreverent much like James Blaylock's fiction and definitely foreshadows the novels that would come later. Unfortunately, it also shows a little the novice hand of Bellairs. This was his second novel and it really doesn't live up to his later reputation. While the story is somewhat interesting and the narrative keeps a good pace, there are elements that are just plain underdone. I found myself wishing he had embellished parts a little. The novel is very short and really, it wouldn't have hurt to include a little more descriptive material.
In light of his later fiction, this really falls short. It wasn't a bad novel, but it wasn't compelling and it didn't really capture my imagination as I had hoped it would. Perhaps I should stop complaining and review some of his later work instead.
Tyranist
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