The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep
A Novel
-
-
4.2 • 66 Ratings
-
-
- $4.99
-
- $4.99
Publisher Description
The ultimate book-lovers fantasy, this sparkling debut is a "delight of magic and literature, love and adventure" (Kat Howard) featuring a young scholar with the power to bring literary characters into the world.
For his entire life, Charley Sutherland has concealed a magical ability he can't quite control: He can bring characters from books into the real world.
But when literary characters start causing trouble throughout the city and threatening to destroy the world, he learns he's not the only one with his ability. Now it's up to Charley and his reluctant older brother, Rob, to stop them―hopefully before they reach The End.
Praise for The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep:
"A star-studded literary tour and a tangled mystery and a reflection on reading itself; it's a pure delight." ―Alix E. Harrow, Hugo Award-winning author
"This beautifully-written novel is an exploration of the power fiction wields -- the power to inform and to change, even to endanger, our everyday world." ―Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches
"Equal parts sibling rivalry, crackling mystery, and Dickensian battle royale, it'll be one of your most fun reads this year." ―Mike Chen, author of Here and Now and Then
For more from H. G. Parry, check out:
The Shadow Histories
A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians
A Radical Act of Free Magic
Customer Reviews
Worth it
I enjoyed this story, but I didn’t love it. I felt like there was a little too much repetition and parts drawn out at times. Otherwise, respectable read and story.
Very good book!
Slow initially but by the middle it was better and good at the end. Very unique angle on family dynamics.
I had just finished reading a very dark Victorian London tale and wanted something light (ha,ha)- you’ll get the joke when reading this. FYI: I have never read David Copperfield and it might have been even better if I had read that first.
Fun fantasy romp
Did you ever want to be able to have tea with one of your favorite book characters? Or visit a street in Victorian London? In The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep, you can do those things. Dr. Charles Sutherland is an English literature professor with an unusual skill; he can “read” characters from books into existence. While this would be a fabulous skill to have, sometimes it can lead to unexpected consequences. What if the character is a fire-breathing dragon or a pre-teen girl detective who decides she’d rather not be in the story any longer? When Charles encounters these situations, it’s up to his brother Robert to try to intervene and help him catch the escaped character.
Part fantasy, part mystery, this novel fills a lot of genres. The novel takes place in New Zealand, but really could be based anywhere. New Zealand is not a character in this story. Charles is a very unique character and concept. His ability to bring book characters to life is a fun escape for the reader. When characters suddenly appear to be doing wrong, that’s when this book takes a turn for the worse and the mystery and suspense begins. Charles and Robert find themselves in a battle for good and evil from the pages of a book.
I loved this book. The concept was so unique and fun to imagine. Robert is the perfect older brother who is exasperated with his younger brother. Charles is an enigma. Parry brings forth both classic English fictional characters and characters of her own making. The world created is exactly what one would expect from the classic literature referenced. Sherlock Holmes, Dorian Gray and Heathcliff are all exactly what would be expected from their own authors. Clearly Parry is an expert in English lit herself.
While this novel is long, it’s a fun and entertaining ride through a fantasy world many of us would love to visit. Parry has done a wonderful job.
This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com close to publication date.