Publisher blurb: In a world of magic, can science save the day? Wednesday Weeks never wanted to be a sorcerer's apprentice. She'd rather study science than magic. But when her cloak-wearing, staff-wielding grandpa is captured by a power-hungry goblin king, Wednesday must find a way to embrace her magical heritage and rescue him from the dreaded Tower of Shadows.
Luckily, she's not alone. Her best friend Alfie is a prime-number fan and robotics expert who's all-in on Wednesday's epic plan involving parallel universes, swords of power, and a wise-cracking talking skull. But it's going to take more than science, magic, and the world's cutest robot to take down this bad guy. Because the goblin king is playing for the ultimate prize - and Wednesday and Alfie just walked into his trap...
Is there a genre name for the combination of fantasy, quest, slap stick action and humour? The Phantom Tollbooth springs to mind as the best example. The publicity for this new book also mentions Artemis Fowl and Nevermoor. I also thought of The Spiderwick Chronicles; The Strange Worlds Travel Agency; The Dark Blue 100 Ride Bus Ticket; The Train to Impossible places; The Creakers; and Furthermore.
The joint authors themselves say "we hope Wednesday makes you laugh. We hope she makes you wonder. And most of all, we hope she makes you brave. Because we all have the power to surprise."
I am not a fan of this style of story but somehow I was hooked. There are some truly inventive ideas in the crazy other worlds visited by Wednesday and Alfie as they race (they only have twelve hours) to rescue Wednesday's grandfather. His full name is Abraham Mordecai Weeks, Protector of the realms, Master of the Seven transformations, Arch-Excellency Order Enchanter, Wonder warlock, and Black Belt Magician to the Queen's Royal Order. The other strength of this book comes from the way the authors have given each of the three main characters - Wednesday, Alfie and Bruce (he is the skull) very distinct personalities.
If you enjoy identifying the tropes of fantasy here they are:
The Chosen One - Wednesday of course but there is a hint that Alfie has some special magical ability too.
The Evil Overload - King Gorgomoth, king of the goblin realm - he has plans to enslave the universe and he has the Unquenchable Fire.
The Lucky Novice - Alfie - he is a mathematician and a scientist and these are skills that will save their lives on several occasions.
The Mentor - Bruce - he has been around for a long time fighting
The Powerful Artefact - there are three magical objects - a ring, a sword and an invisibility cloak.
I like the idea of the Faerie Laundry and especially the scene where Wednesday and Alfie end up inside a washing machine (while it is running). The description of the lost property office filled with odd socks is one that will linger with me. I should also mention there is a talking skull called Bruce, a feisty tooth fairy called Falcon, evil maniac monster called Gorgomoth and a wonderful friend called Adaline. I wonder does the cover appeal to you? Personally I think it really lets the book down but as I have said previously I am not the intended audience. I recommend this book for readers aged 10+.
Wednesday Weeks and the Tower of Shadows will be published on 28th April. Thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance copy. At the end of Book One the stage is set for the sequel - Wednesday Weeks and the Crown of Destiny.
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