Customer Reviews

Urn Burial

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"Urn Burial" is the story of a young man and his interaction with forces beyond his control. Capturing the mood and feeling of Scotland, Westall tells how 'Ralph', the lead character, uncovers an alien coffin and goes on to detail the strange and intriuging set of events that unfold. It's all very believable. "Urn Burial" won the Carneigie award for teenage fiction and this book is certainly Westall at his best.

"Urn Burial" is one of my very favorite books. I am definintly not a science fiction freak, but this one was really good. It is about a boy who discovers a cat-like being's body buried in a cairn with many mysterious objects, but gets more than he bargained for when an alien race, much resembling dogs, pays earth a visit hoping to find a the cat-thing after detecting the radition from an egg buried with the cat.

Is this out of print? No surprise - Westall crafts the kind of careful, literate YA fiction that doesn't rely on miniseries adaptions full of chases and explosions. That said, URN BURIAL has its share of battles and blood.

The premise alone is spine-tingling - a teen shepherd uncovering an alien coffin beneath a stone cairn in the remote Scottish hills. This awakens the players in an ancient intergalactic battle, in which he must now play a part. The plot, and its unfolding, are brilliantly conceived.

It starts off slow and atmospheric, with some unfamiliar vocabulary - but hang in there. It really takes off, plotwise, as it goes along, and although a bit predictable in spots (often, Westall's protagonist is not as quick as the reader), it's worth it just for the majesty of Westall's imagination. What could have been ridiculous is made plausible and understated.

This could have been the start of a series: it's a story that stays with you.

If you are a science fiction(sci-fic) fans, you will love this book! It also talk about alot of topic you never thought of before and got you running. I think this book is totallly cool!