Tuesday 9 October 2012

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: Alcatraz - Brandon Sanderson

Release Date: 20/09/12

SYNOPSIS:

On his thirteenth birthday, Alcatraz-a foster child-gets a bag of sand in the mail which purports to be his 'inheritance' sent from his father and mother. The Librarians, of course, immediately steal the bag of sand from him.This sparks a chain of events which leads Alcatraz to realize that his family is part of a group of freedom fighters who resist the Evil Librarians-the secret cult who actually rule the world. Alcatraz's grandfather shows up and tows him off to infiltrate the downtown library to steal back the mystical bag of sand. The ensuing story involves talking dinosaurs, sentient romance novels, and a dungeon-like labyrinth hiding beneath the innocent-looking downtown library.


REVIEW:

I’ve been a fan of Sanderon for quite some time so to find an Urban Fantasy novel that’s aimed at young readers was something of a revelation for me as a reader. The tale is cleverly crafted, as if written from the protagonists point of view and whilst you’d think that there were numerous writing errors within, for me it added to the stories charm as our “hero” seeks to put the world to rights whilst seeking to achieve his goal.

Add to this some cracking twists, the usual Sanderson magic which when backed with top notch prose and a few cliffhangers, the reader really is in for something completely different to what’s gone before. Great stuff.



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