Viewer [Paperback]

Gary Crew (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 31, 2004

For Tristan, the city dump was a treasure trove full of history. He would take each sad, broken, and dirty thing apart to see how each could be made to tick, whir, or ring. Then he found the box. It was filled with lenses, a microscope, a monocle, a magnifying glass, and a Viewmaster. What Tristan saw through the dark orbs as he clicked the viewer was like nothing he had ever seen before. He clicked more slowly, then crept into bed, trembling...

Afraid, Tristan tried to pull the viewer from his eyes, but he could not. He tried to look away, but he could not. Something compelled him to keep looking, to try--against his own wishes--to actually enter this thing, this machine.

In the morning when Tristan had not come down, his mom called him. There was no answer. She went to his bedroom, knocked and went in. Tristan's bed was empty, but on his desk was a box, its lid closed, its latch firmly locked. Which was curious... very curious indeed.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gary Crew was born in 1947 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and he began writing fiction--mostly teenage, young adult fiction--in 1985. He has twice been awarded the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award (for Strange Objects, 1991, and Angel's Gate,1993). Gary has also been twice shortlisted for the Edgar Allan Poe Mystery Fiction Award for Youth in the U.S. and awarded the American Children's Book of Distinction Award. He also won the Ned Kelly Prize for Crime Fiction. He has twice won the CBC Book of the Year in the picture book category. He is the series editor of Lothian's After Dark series of macabre tales. His books are published internationally.

Award-winning artist and author Shaun Tan has achieved international recognition for his work, including the CBCA Picture Book of the Year Award for this book, an Honor Book Award for Memorial (with G. Crew) and The Lost Thing, an APA Design Award, an Honorable Mention at the Bologna Book Fair, three Aurealis Awards, and Spectrum Gold and Silver Awards. In 2001 he was named best artist at the World Fantasy Awards in Montreal. A graduate of the University of Washington in 1995, with honors in fine arts and English literature, he lives in Perth, Australia. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Lothian Books (January 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0734406010
• ISBN-13: 978-0734406019
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,560,508 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dark Book, February 23, 2005

By 

Chris A Berckmans (Nepean, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Viewer (Hardcover)

This book is very original but very dark. The artwork and story a very well done. A lot of effort went in to the detailing of the pictures, and you could look at each page for hours! The story would be scary to anyone, especially children. The style is writing is detached and creepy. I don't even know how to describe the book, other than it leaves you with a feeling of dread. In the story, the kid Tristan is compelled to look further in to the Viewer, even though the images continue to get worse. A good lesson in the dark nature of humanity, I would suggest reading it during the day.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Viewer, September 26, 2006

By 

J. Bain "Picture Book Fan" (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Viewer (Hardcover)

This is a picture book and not intended for young children. The graphics provide very interesting use of appropriated images and the content is challenging and provocative. The text follows the ways in which civilisations have been self-destructive and being passive 'viewers' to civilisation's follies can indeed be dreadful. So why not act?!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disapointing compared to Shaun Tan's works, August 1, 2008

By 

Daniel Waisberg (Israel) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Viewer (Hardcover)

I am a great fan of Shaun Tan, and that's the main reason I bought this book, even though it did not look very promising.

In the beginning the book slightly reminds The Lost Thing, which is a masterpiece, one of the most beautifully illustrated and deep books. However, as the story develops, it becomes darker and, what is worse, meaningless. I could not find any lesson in the book.

Of course the drawings are good, Shaun Tan is always great. However, compared to his creations it is way less than expected.

I would highly recommend the books written AND illustrated by Shaun Tan, they have no flaws. Look for The Red Tree, The Lost Thing, and The Arrival, they are extremely beautiful and deep books.