Shadow Forest by Matt Haig
Rate and review Shadow Forest! | What does everyone else think?
Shadow Forest tells the story of Samuel Blink and his sister Martha. They have recently been made orphans by a freak accident and shipped off to live with their only living relative in Norway, Aunt Eda, who feeds them brown smelly cheese and forbids them to enter the forest outside her lodge. Within a matter of days of arriving in their new home, Samuel realises that nothing is quite what it seems. When his Aunt tells the story of their Uncle Henrik entering the forest some years ago and never being seen again; Samuel is not entirely happy with this relocation. When his sister, who has not spoken since the death of their parents goes missing in the forest, Samuel knows that he must risk his own safety to save her.
Shadow Forest is told from the perspective of the reluctant hero Samuel Blink. Armed only with a strange book he has found in his Aunt’s attic, Samuel must navigate, with the help of Ibsen the Elkhound, this new and terrifying environment... and at all costs he must avoid the evil Changemaker. Samuel begins the story angry with the changes forced upon him and as such he gives his Aunt Eda a very hard time - but as he journeys through the forest and faces his own fears he realises that he may have lost his parents but he still has a family.
"Aunt Eda walked from the wardrobe to Samuel, and bent down until his face was level with his.
As Samuel looked into her eyes, he felt his heart beat start to quicken. His question about the forest had a transforming effect on his aunt, making her face look so stern it could have been carved from stone.
‘Don’t mention that place,’ she said in the most serious voice Samuel had ever heard. ‘Don’t let your mind think what is inside there. When you go outside, you must stay on the grass, where I can see you. Both of you. This is the most important rule I will tell you. Neffer go in the forest. And don’t talk about it effer again. Do you understand?’ "
Excerpt from Shadow Forest
Shadow Forest features lots of humour mixed in with with some superbly gross parts (such as exploding heads). Matt Haig’s quirky style of writing make this an exciting and most enjoyable read. Haig has added some really nice touches such as including himself in the list of characters at the beginning of the book and indeed interjecting the ensuing chapters with little author’s interruptions, which prove just as entertaining as the main story rather than stalling the momentum. These "interruptions" add more substance to his fantastical tale. This book is a definite for any child who enjoys being fully immersed in a world of myth and magic.
Shadow Forest (Amazon.co.uk)
Author: Matt Haig
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 416
Publication date: 2007-12-05
Publisher: Corgi Childrens
RRP: £5.99
Lowest new price: £1.48
Lowest used price: £0.01
Shadow Forest (Amazon.com)
Author: Matt Haig
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 416
Publication date: 2007-12-05
Publisher: Corgi Childrens
RRP:
Lowest new price:
Lowest used price: $2.72
Anon from Unknown
"Shadow Forest features lots of humour mixed in with with some superbly gross parts (such as exploding heads). Matt Haig’s quirky style of writing make this an exciting and most enjoyable read. Haig has added some really nice touches such as including himself in the list of characters at the beginning of the book and indeed interjecting the ensuing chapters with little author’s interruptions, which prove just as entertaining as the main story rather than stalling the momentum. These "interruptions" add more substance to his fantastical tale. This book is a definite for any child who enjoys being fully immersed in a world of myth and magic."
Submit your own mini-review
Let people know what you think about Shadow Forest. You can write your own mini-review and give the book the rating that you think it deserves. Your reviews will go towards giving Shadow Forest its overall rating that will decide where Shadow Forest finishes in the top 100 fantasy books of all time.
Books you may also enjoy...
Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link
Blending fairytale, fantasy, horror, myth and mischief in a delicious cocktail, Kelly Link creates a world like no other, where ghosts of girlfriends past rub up against Scrabble-loving grandmothers with terrifying magic handbags, wizards sit alongside morbid babysitters, and we encounter a people-eating monster who claims to have a sense of humour. With more than a pinch of macabre humour, this is writing to come back from the dead for. ... read the full review
Summary: An energetic, clever, amusing and imaginative read..
Lex Trent Versus the Gods by Alex Bell
Cheats never prosper. At least that’s what everyone else would have you believe. But Lex Trent knows better. Lex knows that, with a bit of luck, the quickest route to success is to lie, swindle and cheat all the way to the top. Unfortunately Lex has taken his scams a step too far… Rather than see his neck in a noose, he’s forced to go on the run in a world of irritable Gods, fearsome magicians and strange beasts. But luck is still on his side, just. ... read the full review
Summary: A refreshing take on a winning formula.
Also in this sub-genre...
- The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett
- Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett
- Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
- A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
- The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
- Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
- love songs for the shy and cynical by Robert Shearman
- Mort by Terry Pratchett
- Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett
- Making Money by Terry Pratchett
- Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link
- Jingo by Terry Pratchett
- The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
- Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
- Lex Trent Versus the Gods by Alex Bell
Book of the Month
Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson
On the Letherii continent the exiled Malazan army commanded by Adjunct Tavore begins its march into the eastern Wastelands, to fight for an unknown cause against an enemy it has never seen. The fate awaiting the Bonehunters is one no soldier can prepare for, and one no mortal soul can withstand - the foe is uncertainty and the only weapon worth wielding is stubborn courage.
Latest interviews
Interviews plus question and answer sessions with authors, narrators and publishers.
Must-reads
The following reviews are of books that begin the very best fantasy series available.
Special Feature: Fantasy Book Review talks to the Book View Cafe
Book View Cafe is a cooperative site created by a group of writers - including internationally renowned authors Katharine Kerr, Ursula Le Guin and Vonda N. McIntyre - who want to take advantage of the internet's possibilities for reaching a wider audience and to distribute their work directly to their readers. The Book View Cafe is a place where you can find free, original fiction plus the authors' best and out-of-print work for a fee. Fantasy Book Review spoke to Book View Cafe member, science fiction author and memoirist Chris Dolley in February 2010.
Special Feature: Understanding the author of Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll, the elusive author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, has been the subject of enduring fascination for the past hundred years. The destruction of many major documents about his personal life by his descendants has only magnified the mystery. Jenny Woolf's biography, published to coincide with the release of the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film, lays waste to the myths and suspicions that have obscured Carroll's reputation by placing him firmly in the context of his own time.
