Number 18 - Lungdon - Edward Carey

 

Concluding my continuing series theme for now is my long awaited read of the final volume of this mind-expanding trilogy. 

Edward Carey has to be the best author I discovered by accident. When I saw the first book in this series I thought he was another Edward (Edward Gorey).  However, the sheer inventiveness and true originality in his stories won me over in a few pages 

After the events of Foulsham, the Iremongers are now on the loose in London. People are disappearing. Random objects are appearing everywhere. The police are baffled and call in help that may be worse than the threat. Queen Victoria and parliament itself are under threat.

Whose side is Clod on? Is he a true Iremonger at heart, or will he fight against their schemes for revenge? The stakes are raised further than ever before in this final volume.

Despite the 500plus page count, I stormed through this book in a couple of days. Edward Carey is insanely easily readable. He still manages to throw surprise after surprise at the reader even in the third part of the trilogy.

It's not entirely flawless. The finale of the book does rely on an old fantasy trope that is somewhat overused, but this is a YA novel, so that's easily forgivable. This is one of my favourite trilogies and this book keeps up the standards of the first two to provide a suitably dramatic close to the story.

If you do buy these books, don't read the back covers of books two and three since they give away the endings of the previous volumes.

I recommend these books with no reservation whatsoever. The whole trilogy is an easy 5 star read.