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Jesse Jameson and the Curse of Caldazar
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.
Jesse Jameson and the Curse of Caldazar
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.
Jesse Jameson and the Curse of Caldazar
Jesse Jameson and the Curse of Caldazar is a stunning book that touches on the territory of Lord of the Flies in its use of the apocalypse and exploration of the cruelty and exploitation common humanity is capable of. Its parallels with modern society, especially the Iraq/US conflict are striking. Indeed, I spotted a parallel with the Bogie Beast in Book 2, who hides in the subteranean worlds beneath mountains, and Osama bin Lauden.Jesse's rite of passage is that of all humanity/creation as it totters on the brink - a multi-layered brink with elements of the political and the personal brilliantly exploited by Mr Wright to give a book not only accessible to young people but enjoyable to a more adult readership.At the centre is the character of Zundrith with her cry, "Feed me now!" She is an endemic metaphor for the instant results many young people desire in their lives. She is the spellmaker and cursed who works hidden for most of the book behind the scenes trying to plot Jesse's downfall, in a way worthy of Beckett, the condition of man at the end of a century of world conflict.As a teacher of English in a secondary school I would recommend this to any of my students between 11 and 14 as a thought provoking text which will grip them from the first page. As a human being I am glad I read what is sure to become a classic.
Jesse Jameson and the Curse of Caldazar
Glorious storytelling at its very best. Curse of Caldazar is a magical, frightening book. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and you better believe it when I say: don't turn out the lights! Lock the doors!Sean Wright's book is masterfully told, building suspense, horror, and adventure to a fantastic battle at the end. It's got the lot. Drama, intrigue, and magic. A sure-fire hit with kids and adults. If Stephen King was writing horror books for children, he'd have wished he'd written this one.Although this book has been printed by a small independent publisher, some big names in the publishing world are paying attention to it. Top literary agent, Peter Straus; top Hollywood film producers; and #1 bestselling author, GP Taylor, who's proclaimed the Jesse Jameson books: 'Highly recommended ... very good reads.' It seems that the little people can become giants - almost overnight.
Jesse Jameson and the Curse of Caldazar
Couldn't put it down ... wept with laughter throughout - no, not Jesse Jameson and the Curse of Caldazar, but the review below. It's written by the author himself, in case you hadn't guessed, as are all the other five-star reviews of the Jesse Jameson books. I mean, what sane, real reader would care about whether the book will be read "a century from now"? And is he serious? Yet all the reviews have it, this obsession with the "classic" status of the books. Best laugh I've had in months.Here's the deal: they're awful. The man couldn't write BUM on a wall. However Curse of Caldazar is at least consistent with the other Jesse Jameson (yeah she's a girl but he gives her a boy's name: same with her mother, "Cathal" (!!) - what is *wrong* with this guy?) books. It shares with them the following barrel-scraping 'qualities':Names created from a Scrabble-tile bag (Trondian-Yor, Zarlan-Jagr, Egornion): check.Meaningless accumulations of activity ("Jesse! Look! Your hand is on fire!") in the place of any forward momentum: check.The incompatible real-world similes ("The entire Outer Sanctum lit up as if floodlights had been turned on"): check.The lazy, tired intervention of never-before-mentioned magical powers just when they're needed ("It's one of Jesse's magic powers, one of her new powers emerging from the Seeing-Stone when it's needed"): check.The plain bad, bad ill thought out writing ("...and turned impossibly as if her head were an owl" or how about this classic: "he fell like a tree. He sank to his knees"): double triple check with a cherry on top.Well, there's the evidence. No gainsaying that. You can see the whole horrible car wreck of prose in context if you visit the author's website, easily enough found if you search for it. Trust me when I say it'll be the most entertaining half hour you'll spend on the internet for ages: but not in the way he would like.His comparison of this stream of waste with those other children's classics is a bad joke - and not even a very good one.
Jesse Jameson and the Curse of Caldazar
Now and again, you read a book that feels right on many levels. Jesse Jameson and the Curse of Caldazar is THE book. Masterfully told by Sean Wright - it tracks the adventures of fairy kid Jesse Jameson, and her battles and scraps with the dark forces of the Unknown Kingdoms.Caldazar is a monster-populated city, filled with danger and intrigue. If you like vampires, magic, witches, and unexpected twists and turns in your reading, then this is the book that has it by the bucket load.Curse of Caldazar is a magical, dark fantasy that rivals Potter and Lyra every step of the way.