Melissa B. (dragoneyes) -
What a fun book! I enjoyed every ounce of it. It's about a creature called a Crat. Which is very close to being a cat but can speak many languages. They are pretty rare. This particular Crat is named Echo. Echo finds himself in a quandary when his mistress dies and he has no where to go. He wanders the streets of Zamonia starving. When, at the point where he cannot go any further, he meets Ghoolion, the town's Alchemaster. Ghoolion strikes up a deal with Echo... I'll feed you the finest food but after a month is gone, I get to kill you so I can render your fat. Starving, Echo takes him up on his deal. But Ghoolion has another thing coming if he thinks this will be easy.
I loved how much fun this book was. I enjoyed all the different characters I got to meet. The only downfall was my own doing. I listened to the audio book instead of reading it. Even though the narrator was perfect, I have now seen the book and all of the wonderful illustrations and wish I would have read it instead. Looking forward to more of Moers' books.
I loved how much fun this book was. I enjoyed all the different characters I got to meet. The only downfall was my own doing. I listened to the audio book instead of reading it. Even though the narrator was perfect, I have now seen the book and all of the wonderful illustrations and wish I would have read it instead. Looking forward to more of Moers' books.
Reviewed by Theresa L. Stowell for TeensReadToo.com
Echo is a unique creature; on the surface, he seems to be a talking cat. But, there's more to him than just the ability to talk. Echo can feel, think, plot, and, best of all, survive. When his mistress dies, leaving him starving in the cold, the alchemist-in-chief of Malaisea takes Echo in on one condition. Unfortunately for Echo, that condition means he will die. Ghoolian, the Alchemaster, is too self-involved to notice, however, that Echo is not going to lie down and die without a fight.
This quirky story takes readers through the bizarre city of Malaisea, an extremely unhealthy place where sickness of both mind and body is common and the strangest collection of creatures lives side-by-side. As alchemaster, Ghoolian is feared and hated by the inhabitants of the town that he rules. His experiments are horrible and often result in death or disfigurement.
Little does this renowned expert realize what he will do to his own lifestyle when he attempts to create an elixir of immortality with the fat collected from a crat (the unfortunate Echo being his targeted crat).
Echo and his friends will delight readers as they meander through the streets of this sick, strange little town. Their stories and plots evoke laughter, tears, and outright disbelief as Walter Moers weaves this outrageously dark tale of survival and friendship.
This is Moers' fourth book set in Zamonia. Readers who enjoyed THE CITY OF DREAMING BOOKS (2008), RUMO: AND HIS MIRACULOUS ADVENTURES (2007), and THE 13 1/2 LIVES OF CAPTAIN BLUEBEAR (2006) will get a kick out of this fourth individual book about Moers' creative world.
Echo is a unique creature; on the surface, he seems to be a talking cat. But, there's more to him than just the ability to talk. Echo can feel, think, plot, and, best of all, survive. When his mistress dies, leaving him starving in the cold, the alchemist-in-chief of Malaisea takes Echo in on one condition. Unfortunately for Echo, that condition means he will die. Ghoolian, the Alchemaster, is too self-involved to notice, however, that Echo is not going to lie down and die without a fight.
This quirky story takes readers through the bizarre city of Malaisea, an extremely unhealthy place where sickness of both mind and body is common and the strangest collection of creatures lives side-by-side. As alchemaster, Ghoolian is feared and hated by the inhabitants of the town that he rules. His experiments are horrible and often result in death or disfigurement.
Little does this renowned expert realize what he will do to his own lifestyle when he attempts to create an elixir of immortality with the fat collected from a crat (the unfortunate Echo being his targeted crat).
Echo and his friends will delight readers as they meander through the streets of this sick, strange little town. Their stories and plots evoke laughter, tears, and outright disbelief as Walter Moers weaves this outrageously dark tale of survival and friendship.
This is Moers' fourth book set in Zamonia. Readers who enjoyed THE CITY OF DREAMING BOOKS (2008), RUMO: AND HIS MIRACULOUS ADVENTURES (2007), and THE 13 1/2 LIVES OF CAPTAIN BLUEBEAR (2006) will get a kick out of this fourth individual book about Moers' creative world.
