7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truly stunning - Curse of Caldazar, May 30, 2004
This review is from: Jesse Jameson and the Curse of Caldazar (Paperback)
This is Book 3 in the Alpha to Omega series of Jesse Jameson books. It's called the Curse of Caldazar, and I think it's truly stunning. Why?
It has all the ingredience you'd expect in a good children's book: pace, adventure, magic, horror, and a heroine whose magical skills are truly awesome. There are some original ideas here that I haven't come across in children's fiction. And the descriptive passages are truly wonderful, clear and haunting.
Jesse Jameson and the Curse of Caldazar is one of the best books I have read. This is a great book for kids and is a book I couldn't put down. I would highly suggest it to anyone who enjoys dark fantasy books.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cream of the Crop of Classic Children's Fiction, May 23, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Jesse Jameson and the Curse of Caldazar (Paperback)
I can name a half dozen children's books that I would consider to be the Cream of the Crop. In this top six of all time I'd cite 'Treasure Island,' by RL Stevenson... 'Around the World in Eighty Days,' by Jules Verne ... Scott's 'Ivanhoe'... 'Little Women' by Louisa M. Alcott, and more recently Pullman's 'Amber Spyglass,' and now Wright's 'Curse of Caldazar.'
Why? Because it has ALL the right nuts and bolts of the writing craft, fixed firmly in place. For instance, there's Pullman's imagination, Stevenson's intrigue, Verne's adventure, Scott's grand plots, and Alcott's sensitive handling of strong female protagonist. Or in her case, lots of strong and memorable female characters. Wright's 'Curse of Caldazar' has the classic feel. What exactly is that? It's a feeling of longevity, of reading something that will touch every reader deeply a century from now. I couldn't let go of the book. I even took it to the loo! It was a quick read, granted, in an age when length seems to be seen as 'good' and 'desired.' But the brevity of this book, where every word counted, impressed me. I was locked into Caldazar from the opening line ... 'The High Witch Zundrith clung to the shadows, muttering spells and casting curses into the towering waterfall.'
The horror and challenging views on war and children's roles in such horrific conflicts has been tackled strongly. It has seldom been done, and Wright handles it with care. Behind the metaphors Wright's views come into crystal clear focus. Even Jesse's death scene is dealt with in an imaginative and remarkable fashion. I found myself taken with Wright's classic vampire folklore idea - shown in this book in a fresh, exciting new way. I was thrilled by his vibrant prose, where the poetic meets the hard edge of a pacy, up-beat read. And this book is first class - one that will surely join the Cream of the Crop.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic - Curse of Caldazar, May 27, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Jesse Jameson and the Curse of Caldazar (Paperback)
Absolutely loved Book 3 in the Jesse Jameson series. Curse of Caldazar is the best yet. Spooky, atmospheric, with a slow-burn suspense that ranks alongside Stephen King or Dean Koonz. As an adult reader I was mesmerised by the grip that this book had on me right from page one. He does villians and dark charcters very well. A great children's book, that I thoroughly enjoyed.
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