The Peculiar audiobook

dude's 18, and he writes like a freakin 1800's poet.(Buy this book)

Reread: November 2022I loved this more on second read compared to the first!! The concept of the plot was intriguing and this had just the right of dark to my taste. Also very atmospheric worldbuilding.---First read review:Written by a total geek. I should have seen that coming with Christopher Paolini's blurb. I agree with a lot of the reviews: very poetic prose. It's beautifully written but it can be VERY dragging at times. The main reason I liked this is because it is very remimiscent of Oliver Twist. And I LOVE Oliver Twist. Characters are well-developed although hard to connect with at times. I thought this was a stand-alone when I bought it. (Obviously, I felt cheated by the cliffhanger.) Will reread this before I read the sequel.

4.5 Sterne für eine wirklich originelle und abenteuerliche Steam-Fantasy Geschichte von einem sehr jungen Autor!In der Nacht vom 23. September, Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts, schneit es in Bath, in der Nähe von London, schwarze Federn - bis zum Morgengrauen hinterlassen sie nur noch Ruinen. Alle Menschen im Umkreis sterben und schnell wachsen die Gerüchte: Monster gehen um! Doch tatsächlich hat sich ein Portal zur Feenwelt geöffnet und Kobolde, Gnome, Satyre und die hochgeborenen Sidhe strömen aus den Hügeln in die Städte - und sie kommen nicht in friedlicher Absicht ...Die magischen Wesen wurden jedoch von den englischen Soldaten überrannt, versklavt und fristen nun in Elendsvierteln in "New Bath" ihr Dasein. Doch die Zeit heilt alle Wunden und so kommt es, dass die Menschen und Feen Seite an Seite friedlich miteinander zu leben lernen - doch dieser Frieden trügt. Vor allem die Mischlingskinder haben darunter zu leiden. Sie werden geächtet, müssen sich verstecken, damit sie nicht am Galgen landen, und werden von allen nur "die Seltsamen" genannt. Also wenn ich das Alter bedenke, in dem Autor das geschrieben hat, muss ich wirklich meinen Hut ziehen! Ich fands wirklich großartig - ein wunderbares Abenteuer spannend von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite und für jedes Alter ein großes Lesevergnügen!Bartholomew Kettle, ein Mischling, der mit seiner Schwester Hettie nur selten die Wohnung ihrer Mutter verlassen darf, beobachtet aus seinem Versteck auf dem Dachboden gerne die Nachbarschaft. Das Auftauchen der ominösen Dame im plaumenblauen Kleid bleibt nicht ohne Folgen, denn Barthy verwickelt sich immer mehr in eine Verschwörung aus höchsten Kreisen. Ein liebenswerter und zu Herzen gehender Charakter, dem das Schicksal übel mitgespielt hat.Als sich schließlich die Morde an Mischlingskindern häufen, schaltet sich auch die Regierung ein, der Staatsrat - dessen Mitglied auch der unscheinbare Mr Jelliby ist. Eigentlich mag er keine Sitzungen und ihn interessieren auch nicht die großen Dramen, die sich in der Stadt abspielen, doch wie es der Zufall will, gerät auch er in den Bann der mysteriösen Dame. Und damit mitten hinein in ein gefährliches Abenteuer. Natürlich gibt es auch einen bösen Gegenspieler. Hier hat der Autor schon recht strikt alles in gut und böse getrennt, was mich in dem Fall nicht gestört hat, da er es trotzdem schafft, die Figuren vielschichtig und entwicklungsfähig zu machen. Es ist nicht großartig anspruchsvoll oder tiefgründig, sondern zeigt eher offen und verständlich, auch für jüngere Leser, was alles möglich ist, wenn man sich nur traut.Es ist flüssig geschrieben mit vielen verspielten Details und vor allem auch mit ungewöhnlichen und stimmigen Metaphern und Umschreibungen, die die Geschichte auflockern und viel Lesespaß bieten. Gerade durch den Schreibstil hab ich mich wunderbar unterhalten gefühlt und es war durchweg spannend bis zum Schluss. Gerade das Rätseln, was es mit der Dame, den Morden und den mechanischen Vögeln auf sich hat, blieb sehr lange geheimnisvoll und die vielen kleinen Steampunk Elemente des "Qualmzeitalters" haben die Geschichte wunderbar abgerundet.Vor allem aber auch die Entwicklung der beiden Hauptfiguren hat mir hier sehr gut gefallen, genauso wie die unerschöpflichen, originellen Ideen, die die Geschichte sehr lebendig gemacht haben!© AleshaneeWeltenwanderer1 - Die Seltsamen2 - Die Wedernoch

Eine tolle fantastische und spannende Welt. Voller magischer Wesen und eigenartigen Geschehnissen.

I kind of loved this book. For reasons that are completely my own and probably because I study books and analyze them and read into them far more than just the story. However before I get into those reasons, let’s discuss the book itself. The cover is gorgeous. It’s bright and interesting and sure to catch the eyes of the intended audience. And even though it does not say so in the cover or elsewhere in the synopsis (I don’t think) the book has steampunk elements that I like very much.The beginning is slow and at first I wondered if I should give up but for some reason, I decided that I must persist and so I did. Bart and his sister have a sad life, having to live hidden as they do because being Peculiars, their lives are forfeit if they get caught. Their mother was fooled by a high fairy who loved her, abused her and then left her. The novel begins with the narration of how fairies crossed over from fairyland to Bath and the war that ensued as humans and fairies battled for supremacy with the humans finally retaining their superior status. That was the slow part – too much telling.However, once the narrative takes off, it does so with a bang. Bart is a sympathetic character and it is easy to be completely on his side as he lives his half-life not understanding why he is hated for being something and someone he had no say in. Then there are the various other characters, some of them terrifying, others not so much. Arthur Jelliby is a very interesting character – he is dynamic and shows a lot of growth during the course of the narrative. He begins as a pampered, soft character and ends as someone who knows and is determined to do right and punish the wrong. The pacing is awesome, the tension works to keep the narrative flowing and the relationships between Arthur and Bart, and Bart and the rest of the world is intriguing. Even the relationship between the plum lady and the parasite who actually loves her is food for thought. I thought this was a splendid novel and offered substance as well as entertainment.Now, the reason why this novel spoke so deeply to me is because even though it is couched in mythical and fairy tale terms in an alternate universe, the issues and themes of this novel are so very contemporary. I read this novel by George Bowering called Shoot! which dealt with the downward spiral of a gang of outlaws who were mostly half-English and half-First Nations. Both that novel and this one showed the stigma that is attached with being a mix of two races who are at odds with each other. Both show how unfairly the child is treated simply because he or she is a mix. You may think that this is an old fashioned concern but a look around at the “Happa” culture will soon show you otherwise. Old prejudices still exist and are difficult to break and The Peculiar is a very admirable way of letting children learn about different people and encourage them to accept these people.I recommend this novel most strongly.

I have wanted to read this book for some time. I ended up picking it up off of the dollar table at one of my son’s book fairs at school. It ended up being a wonderful steampunk middle grade novel with magic and mystery.This book takes place in an alternate London where fae unwillingly fell into our world. The story follows two characters; the first is Bartholomew Kettle, who lives with his mother and sister in the faery slums of Bath. Bartholomew is a Peculiar, half fae and half human. When he sees a strange woman in a rich plum dress he is determined to find out the mystery behind her. The other character is Arthur Jellyby who is on the London council. Arthur just wants to coast through life unnoticed and unbothered, however he ends up drawn into a mystery surrounding the disappearance of Peculiars that puts him in contact with Bartholomew.I loved the lush and descriptive writing. This book is all about the moody atmospheric setting; the descriptive writing makes all of the scenes really come alive so that you feel like you are walking the streets of this strange and peculiar London.There is some excellent world building here and I really loved the idea of a London where faery had unwillingly taken residence. It’s a very creative idea and very well done. I love that you never know what kind of fae you will see next wandering the streets of this book.This is one of the first middle grade steampunk books I have ever read and it was well done. There are a lot of fun steampunk elements in here.Probably my biggest issue with the story was that I had a bit of trouble engaging with the characters. I just am not all that sympathetic to the characters and their plight; they come off as a bit dry. I also thought the story ended very abruptly. I didn’t realize that this was part of a series, but even knowing that now the ending to this book just seems very unfinished...which is a shame.Overall this was a well done middle grade steampunk novel. I enjoyed the world-building and the wonderfully descriptive writing. I did have some trouble engaging with the characters though. I would recommend to middle grade and older readers who love mysteries with some fantasy in them; especially to those who are interested in the steampunk genre. I personally am not sure if I will continue reading the series.

Reviewed by Rusty Key Writer: Jordan B. Nielsen Recommended for: Both boys and girls, ages 10 and up if they’re particularly strong readers, but more generally, 12 and up for moderate violence against children and overall complexity of plot.One Word Summary: Cinematic. Eighteen year-old Stefan Bachmann said that when he was sixteen and began writing The Peculiar he simply wanted to create a story that he would have loved when he was a kid. Having read those words in a letter from the publisher of Greenwillow Books in the first pages of my advanced reader copy of Bachmann’s work, I began sharpening my knives. The cover is, after all, emblazoned with praise from Christopher Paolini, another child prodigy whose Eldest series I (and many) found to be so derivative of the greatest works in children’s fantasy that it bordered on outright plagiarism. Was this Bachmann yet another precocious wunderkind here to ply us with a literary piecemeal patchwork, remarkable only for its author’s youth? Within pages the answer was clear: No. Where Paolini’s books redundantly trod through the paces of classic children’s literature, The Peculiar took flight in a new direction, full of joy and alive with a palpable sense of the author’s delight.The Peculiar takes place in a re-imagined version of industrial era England in which humans live alongside several races of faerie whom they’ve subjugated. The first chapter presents us with a history in which the city of Bath was consumed by hoards of vicious fae folk who tumbled from a portal in the sky one day. The city was overtaken, the people slaughtered, and the door through which the faeries entered our world disappeared. Whether by design or by accident no one could say for sure, but these savage bands of gnomes, goblins, elves and more were clearly now here to stay. A successful counter attack was launched by the humans, but once the faeries were subdued the question became, what to do with these multitudes of strange, violent, altogether sentient creatures who were now stranded in our world?Now in the story’s present we find the faeries living as an exploited underclass. While several of the more culturally assimilated fae folk hold offices within the British Parliament, the majority of them live in slums, outcast and virtually enslaved. Bartholomew Kettle, a little boy living in one of Bath’s faerie ghettos, occupies the lowest rung on the societal totem pole: he and his little sister Hettie are changelings, half human, half faerie, and rejected by both races as an abomination. Their human mother has raised them ever since their fae father ran off one day, and she insists that the children live in near total isolation, always in hiding for fear of being caught and hanged by a mob. But one day, Bartholomew witnesses something terrible. From his little attic window, the changeling boy watches as a human woman dressed all in purple abducts another changeling boy who lives in a house across the way. She disappears in a torrent of black feathers leaving only a faerie ring of mushrooms behind her. In London we meet Arthur Jelliby, a kindly, doddering fellow who happens to be a member of Parliament. Hapless and lacking in ambition, Jelliby was perfectly content to simply enjoy the perks of his position and remain largely ineffectual. But of course, one day his destiny finds him. The bodies of changeling children have been washing up on the shores of the Thames river, hollowed out and covered in strange markings. While certainly sorry about this, Jelliby has had little contact with fae folk, outside of his seldom associations with John Lickerish, a faerie and a fellow member of Parliament. While at Lickerish’s house for a routine courtesy meeting, Jelliby stumbles upon evidence that implicates Lickerish in a conspiracy relating to the dead changeling children and finds he can no longer hide behind his waffling docility. What is Lickerish up to? Who is the woman in purple? What purpose do these dead children serve? How long will the faeries sit idly by in a society that abhors them? Questions abound. The Peculiar, in spite of its dark premise, is a tremendous amount of fun, thanks entirely to the spirit that Bachmann infuses it with. This is a sooty, dangerous, rancorous world, but also is one that buzzes with magic and fascination. He has a stellar talent for evocative names and objects. Bachmann’s descriptions of a faerie shop that contained things like ‘Sorrow Wine’ and ‘Distillation of Hate’, and candies that taste like ‘Starlight’ and ‘Icicles’ could have held my attention for whole chapters. The greatest strength of The Peculiar is the richness of its detail and how visual it is. I wanted to be inside this world and to see it with my own eyes because what I could see in my imagination was so clear and so exciting. It would make a fabulous movie and we can only hope that Martin Freeman will be available to take up the role of Arthur Jelliby, a part that seems nearly to have been written for him.Bachmann is a very well informed writer, and I don’t just mean for his age. The complexities of the social structure of this world, and the political conspiracy that takes place within it are very sophisticated, drawing on real-world parallels from Apartheid to Colonialism. When the story drives the characters to ‘The Goblin Market’, a literal marketplace run by goblins, but also, a nod to Christina Rosseti’s 1862 narrative poem about human women falling pray to the seduction of the fae folk, my little Victorian Lit loving heart grew three sizes. I tip my cap to you, sir.It wasn’t until I reached the last fifty pages of the book that I realized this was clearly meant to be the first in a series. My advanced copy made no mention of that fact, and I have to hope that the final printed book will be more explicit, for my only criticisms had to do with the book’s pacing. It seemed to take a very long time to get our main characters in the same place at the same time. Once they were united I felt I didn’t have enough time with them, as their dynamic was immediately engaging and pulled me deeper into the story. Similarly, I didn’t feel I had enough time with Bartholomew to really understand him. His thoughts and actions were predominantly tied to the main action of the plot, and I would have liked to have seen more of his character and personality under less dire circumstances. However, both of these criticisms are explained by the fact that the story is not yet finished.A fresh, lilting, jubilant treat, The Peculiar is no childish rehashing. Bachmann’s story shares the same life-blood as all those stories he read and loved as a kid: an unfiltered sense of wonderment. For more reviews, author interviews, reading lists and articles from The Rusty Key, visit us at www.therustykey.com

In an England irrevocably marked by war against the Sidhe, Bartholomew Kettle must hide from prying eyes because of what he is. A changeling, born with both human and faery blood. Cowering in his mother's dingy apartment day in and day out is bad enough. But matters take a turn for the worse when he witnesses a kidnapping. Someone is snatching changelings, and he might be next.A tense mystery in a steampunk setting with a decidedly morbid atmosphere. The vibe is gothic horror, and Bachmann's storytelling has a creepy slant, with unsettling imagery. Perfect for keeping readers on the edge of their seat. Fair warning: vivid descriptions of nightmarish creatures, sly and vicious methods, two-faced deceit, mass bigotry, violent fight sequences, A Dickens-y plight of downtrodden, deaths, and fleeting descriptions of serial killings. Yes, this is middlegrade, but I wouldn't recommend it to sensitive readers. Excellent storytelling *and* character development. I purchased this book for the home shelf along with its sequel, THE WHATNOT.

Original Link to the review at my blog Le' Grande Codex - here The cover draws you in..... doesn't it. Presenting The Peculiar #1 The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann. Here is the summary of the book:Don't get yourself noticed and you won't get yourself hanged.In the faery slums of Bath, Bartholomew Kettle and his sister Hettie live by these words. Bartholomew and Hettie are changelings--Peculiars--and neither faeries nor humans want anything to do with them.One day a mysterious lady in a plum-colored dress comes gliding down Old Crow Alley. Bartholomew watches her through his window. Who is she? What does she want? And when Bartholomew witnesses the lady whisking away, in a whirling ring of feathers, the boy who lives across the alley--Bartholomew forgets the rules and gets himself noticed.First he's noticed by the lady in plum herself, then by something darkly magical and mysterious, by Jack Box and the Raggedy Man, by the powerful Mr. Lickerish . . . and by Arthur Jelliby, a young man trying to slip through the world unnoticed, too, and who, against all odds, offers Bartholomew friendship and a way to belong.Part murder mystery, part gothic fantasy, part steampunk adventure, The Peculiar is Stefan Bachmann's riveting, inventive, and unforgettable debut novel.Of the fey and of the classics, The Peculiars is a brand new and exuberant look to these creatures of magic. An imaginative and creative world successfully illustrated through the words of a young mind. And that vibrant cover is just the cherry on top that sets the show on the road. Stefan Bachmann ties together gothic and steampunk with his middle grade fantasy and that lyrical tone of the written word is just enough to the set the mood for both the genre and the era.In an incident that changes the course of the history of the world. Faeries are very much alive and real and now living with the humans, trapped and away from their home. Set in the faery slums of Bath. This is the story of Bartholomew and Henrietta "Hettie" Kettle. Both changelings, half-human, half-fey and forever more hidden by their mother because if you get yourself noticed, you get hanged. And all Barty and Hettie want is to belong......But things are set in motion that have the potential of changing the course of the world. Such untoward acts happen and its not only Barty but also Hettie whose life is in danger. Faeries may not be accepted but half-faeries are neither. And the world at stake, it is an unlikely parliament member, who may be the only ally they have.This is by no means a common tale and its characters by no means are common folks. Barty is a complex and dynamic character. The Victorian era is by no means a child's play and life as a changeling in the slums is not either. With a sister who has branches for hair, no father and a mother always keeping them hidden. Just like the children of his age, he just wants to belong and play with little ones his age .... a wish that very well takes its toll.With a solid foundation and profound world building. Bachmann forms together a world like no other. There is the high airs of the aristocracy and the hard life of the slums. Categorized as a middle grade, this is a tale as original as any and can be read and enjoyed by people of all ages. "Stefan Bachmann breathes new life into the Faery with his youthful mind"

Un libro steampunk con magia tiene que ser genial. ¡Y lo es!La idea del libro es la siguiente: en una Inglaterra alternativa hace muchos años se abrió un portal que conectó el mundo antiguo de los duendes con el mundo humano. Después de una gran batalla los humanos, el portal se cerró, y obligaron a los duendes a convivir con ellos manteniendo su magia a raya. Se logró una convivencia más o menos civilizada, pero a los hijos de un duende y un humano se los considera parias y se los conoce como sustitutos o distintos. De un día para el otro aparecen los cadáveres de varios niños distintos en el Támesis, vacíos y con la piel llena de marcas.Bartolomeo y su hermana son dos distintos que viven ocultos en un barrio pobre. Un día el chico ve cómo se llevan a su vecino de enfrente y, cuando va a investigar, accidentalmente se ve arrastrado a un lugar desconocido del que vuelve lleno de cicatrices. A partir de entonces se da cuenta de que él y su hermana están en peligro. Por otro lado, Arturo Jelliby pertenece al Consejo Secreto, una especie de gabinete que bien podría ser equivalente al Congreso para nosotros, aunque la política no le interesa para nada. Accidentalmente escucha una conversación que no debería haber oído y que le revela ciertas cosas sobre la muerte de los niños distintos. Y así es como un político inocente y un niño marginado deberán enfrentarse a una aventura muy peligrosa.El libro me encantó. Tiene un aire a Neil Gaiman y Jelliby me hizo acordar al protagonista de Neverwhere. En la Inglaterra en la que se desarrolla la historia todo está mecanizado, es una clásica ciudad de los libros de género steampunk y me gustaron las descripciones. Te sitúan perfectamente en los distintos escenarios de la historia. Podía imaginármelo todo. También los personajes son muy peculiares (esto es especialmente lo que me hizo acordar a Gaiman). Las personalidades están desarrolladas, no son “genéricos”. Se lee rapidísimo porque todo ocurre bastante rápido y te engancha mucho. Es uno de esos libros donde uno se sorprende pensando “¿ya leí 100 páginas?” porque te desconecta de la realidad y te mete de lleno en la historia. Literalmente en un momento paré de leer y cuando retomé la lectura a los 15 minutos me sorprendía que estuviera leyendo un libro y no mirando una película.Está buenísimo y espero que saquen a la venta los que siguen en Argentina (por lo que tengo entendido es una trilogía). Bonus track: la portada es genial y sí, ese pájaro mecánico aparece en la historia.

He didn't care if the faeries hated him, or the people feared him. He was stronger than them.In a different kind of world where people and faeries collide, magic is waiting to happen. It is here that Bartholomew Kettle, a Peculiar, lives in the faery slums. Like any other Peculiar, he is looked down upon and shunned. His life is formed by following the most important rule he knows: Don't get yourself noticed and you won't get yourself hanged. While his life has not been easy, he still holds on. Residing in an apartment with his mother and younger Peculiar sister, Hettie, he hopes to find the one thing he believes he can never have: a friend. When he sees the only boy he can call a companion, his neighbor who lives across the street, taken by a woman in plum, his life spins out of control. He has not only witnessed a kidnapping, but he has also been seen by the same woman in plum. Soon his sister is taken away from him and his mother. It is now up to him to find her. With the help of Arthur Jelliby, a man who wishes to go unseen as well, they set out into a dangerous world that may just fall apart at the seams. Will they find Hettie? Is it possible that they will find out why so many Peculiars are being taken and murdered? Can they put a stop to the mysterious and evil Mr. Lickerish who plays apart in all of this? Find all this out and more in the wonderful book, Peculiar, by Stefan Bachmann!I have to say that this book was beautifully written. Bachmann created a vivid and vibrant place that added a special element that no other book has. The eerie and creepy feel to The Peculiar naturally drew me in along with the imaginative and colorful characters. I am happy to say that I have never read a book quite like this one! Now I just have to get my hands on the second installment!You can also read this review and more like it at http://knightingalereviews.blogspot.com/( http://knightingalereviews.blogspot.c...)