6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jolly good fun, April 9, 2002
This is one of Starscape Books' better reprints, and one that relatively few readers will know about. Joan Aiken, best known for her "Wolves of Willoughby Chase" books, serves up a delightful fantasy/horror/comedy story that is sure to win over any fan of things that go bump in the night.
Cockatrices have invaded England. What are cockatrices? It's a general term for various malevolent, nasty, omnivorous beasties that arrived via luggage at an airport (hee!) and soon begin snorking up the unwary inhabitants. In a matter of years, people are hiding from them as they roam through England and lay waste to it. General Grugg-Pennington is given an order: Create an armored train and have a special corps of soldiers to deal with the cockatrices.
One of the people who volunteers is the boy Dakin -- Dakin is brought along because he plays the drums, and repetitive loud noises kill some of the cockatrices. Things become substantially more complex when Dakin's cousin Sauna ends up on the train as well. But something evil is massing in the north -- something connected to Sauna and the cockatrices, and something that will do anything to achieve its ends.
There are plot holes in this that you could throw a Flying Hammerhead through (why don't the people just leave England? Why can't they use an electronic recording instead of drums?) but somehow it never really matters. It's fun. Just fun. Aiken expertly mixes goofy Brit humor with a grimmer tone (sort of post-apocalypse-lite) in a newer kind of England where green leafy vegetables are a precious rarity and German dogs are imported to fight the Snarks. The flying sharks, the slightly dotty old lady, the pleasant old Brit soldiers, the apartment full of porcelain knickknacks, and so on. The plotting is tight; it gets darker as the book progresses, bringing in such old details as Michael Scott and covens of plotting witches.
Dakin is a suitably plucky everyboy, polite and dutiful and thoroughly sympathetic. Sauna is a bit more of a dark horse, as her ancestry and abilities are slowly revealed. The characters around them are less 3-D, but are great fun. There is some violence and creepiness, but nothing too major; this book may, however, scare some younger kids. The scenes with the eerie, almost ghoulish "Aunt Flossie" and her malicious rat were absolutely horrific.
Paper and binding are about average. My only beef? The cover! It's awful! Gris Grimly's drawings are quite good on the inside -- creepy and suitable, kind of a sharp-edged Edward Gorey -- ... In addition, the ending is a bit vague.
This is a really fun romp that kids will enjoy, and adults can chuckle over as well.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Rolicking Good time!, November 13, 2000
If anybody trusted me with their kids, I would probably read this to them. A fun little jaunt, the kind of story I could relate to/imagine as a child, it can be entertaining for adults, but may be even more enjoyable shared with a little monster who has the beginnings of a sense of humor. Sure, there's a little death and gore, but it's written in such a pleasantly British and accepting way, it works. The population of Britain is virtually decimated by monsters from an unknown source (but they arrive at the airport), so a souped-up battle train of soldiers, dotty British gentleman and a couple of kids go to find and cut off the source of evil. So what if the end doesn't quite make sense? The journey's fun and you just gotta love that British tone that accepts the death of friends and loved ones, but bemoans the loss of good tea. Get it for a little critter and read it yourself.
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